Seven and a half years ago we got a black puppy lab, primarily it was my wife who wanted it. I wasn't keen on the commitment and being tied down to routines etc. I could take or leave dogs and couldn't understand those that spent thousands on theirs.
Well today I am a blubbering wreck after having to hold my boy as the vet put him to sleep after he suffered a massive stroke yesterday. Was absolutely fine in the morning, and we came back in the afternoon and he was slumped on the floor.
You do not realise how much your life revolves around him and the routine. from jumping up onto the bed in the morning when you came back with a cup of coffee, to the unconditional love and wagging tail that met you every time you walked in the door, even if you had just been going out to put stuff in the wheelie bin.
Cant bear to move any of his toys, his dishes, his bed.
Supposed to be going to Spain for a week tomorrow, can't face it but on the other hand, it will maybe help to be away from the normal surroundings.
Those of you who have been in this position - any tips on coping?
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Sorry to hear your news.
Clearly as an animal lover you grow attached to a pet and it does form part of the family and your routines are based around him.
Of course you're going to miss him as you would a human family member.
Just keep having fond memories of the good times and the dog's little quirks and personality traits.
Ultimately time will heal all.
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Now you know why people have pets such as cats and dogs....
Very sorry you have lost your companion, especially as you have realised that he always wants to be around you and part of your life. Time is a great healer but you never truly get over it, no matter how many times it happens.
Don't forget the old saying that if you arrive home the worse for wear in the early hours try and guess who is the one who's truly pleased to see you, the wife or the dog?
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Your dog was destined to have a certain amount of years. Anything could have happened with those years, but you made sure he was loved and happy.
His life was better because he was with you. If you didn't miss him, if you were not sad, then how would he know he had been loved?
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At the end of the day though you have to remember it was a dog or cat, not a person. You can always replace a pet.
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>> At the end of the day though you have to remember it was a dog
>> or cat, not a person. You can always replace a pet.
>>
And that is the key, get another dog. We've been through this many times as we are a two dog household, currently a Lab and a Beagle. Getting a replacement to fill the paws of the departed is a fitting tribute to how much he meant to you.
Last edited by: Robin O'Reliant on Fri 11 May 18 at 17:59
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awww sheet, its really tough when a good fit dog shuffles off like that. One that has bonded with you, one that you have a relationship with.
Grasp this little comforter. Did your dog have the most fabulous time with you? Did you have the best times with your dog? If the answer to both is a resounding yes, you were both richer to be together, no matter what has happened now
DO NOT rush out and buy another dog. The next dog will not be the same, and you will be trying to recreate the old dog. Have a dog free year, enjoy a little you time, and then get another. By doing this you will allow you to recreate a new relationship, a different character dog, not try and rehash and compare the old.
(PS now you know why I cant watch marley and me)
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 11 May 18 at 19:50
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"Supposed to be going to Spain for a week tomorrow, can't face it..."
Bikini therapy. I recommend it.
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Sad news. I buried my Lakeland late Dec ‘16 and still miss him lots. Since then my lifestyle has changed..far more overseas trips, gf in Canaries, but no substitute for my little ginger pal. ( sorry Senorita)
I too am off to Spain tomorrow, and am dog walking a few days at some local dog rescue centre which I discovered in March.
It’s no consolation but my CA friends have lost 3 of their 4 dogs in the past 18 months and when I next visit it will seem so strange ....I’m glad we went out for walks in lashing rain when it would have been so easy to stay dry indoors. If your lives were enriched with one another’s company, as mine was, then the emotional pain is worth it. Or so I’m told.
If you’re on the Costa Blanca, let’s meet up for a beer!
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My daughters grew up with a Springer and learned to walk by hooking their tiny fingers into her ear fur. They were devastated teenagers when she went, but it taught them a lesson in life.
The replacement was a rescue mongrel, which hit me harder than anything when she went.
I refuse to have another, as I doubt if I'll outlive it.
I've put on a couple of stone in weight!
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Time my friend, time. We’ve had labs for as long as we care to remember, currently 2 sisters 8 1/2 and 10 and we love them both to bits despite the cost and the hair!!!!
Our 2 previous are buried in the garden in marked graves and fondly remembered.
There some good advice here and in this instance I would follow Zeddo’s route.
Remember the great times.
To he who said “It’s only a pet†.................Moron.
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Thank you for the gratuitous insult MD
A pet, however loved and however much it means to you is of course still only a pet. A sense of proportion is a necessary attribute to getting through life don't you think?/
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Sorry to hear about the loss of your dog Bobby.
We had 2 dogs when the kids were growing up, they still are mentioned by name every day - happy times. 2 different breeds as we did not want to compare the new one with the old one.
At the other end of the scale one of my youngest has had Ruby for a week. Now 10 weeks old, a Cavapoo - Cavalier King Charles/Poodle cross. A Cavalier sized dog that does not cast.
We see her daily on Facetime, Ruby is in Texas. We would love another dog (& so would my 2 local grandkids) but we are too old to take on the commitment. A neighbour in late 60s took on a dog 6/7 years ago is now struggling with the walking demands of dog owning.
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Yes “only†MD. A pet dog, cat , hamster or budgerigar is not a human being And we should perhaps be wary of treating it as such.
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People have often thought very fondly of pets and will do for some time to come. I don't think the world will stop turning over it.
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Sorry to hear your news Bobby. Pets, and in my view especially dogs, can become very close companions.
My wife was very ill for a few years and we both think she wouldn't have made such a full recovery without having our dog around. It gave her companionship, a reason to get up, a reason to take light excercise, a purpose in short, at a time when things seemed a bit stacked against her.
We would miss him too.
Difficult to explain to those who can't relate to that cross species bond, it's not the same as a relationship with another human, and nor should it be compared to that. But it can be a very special relationship nonetheless.
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.... I kind of understand where CGN is coming from but in many instances pets are more pleasant and amenable than humans, and at least you can choose your pet whereas you can't choose your relations!
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>> ... at least you can choose your pet
>> whereas you can't choose your relations!
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Arranged marriage was it? :)
Actually quite a lot of our cats have chosen us. They seem to hear on the grapevine that there's a cushy billet going, and just turn up.
And of course if you are a cat/dog lover than you love them whatever their origins. We've a whole graveyard of pets with stones (I cast then in mortar and then carve the details when it's half-set) going back over 30 years, and they were all loved, and mourned for a few days.
Just remember we used to treat relations like that until perhaps 200 years ago, and many people around the world still do.
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So true Cliff, but many will never understand.
Pat
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>> Thank you for the gratuitous insult MD
>> A pet, however loved and however much it means to you is of course still
>> only a pet. A sense of proportion is a necessary attribute to getting through life
>> don't you think?/
>>
>>
>>
A dog becomes a member of the family, and is much less of a pain in the backside as some human family members I can think of.
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>>Of course you're going to miss him as you would a human family member.
From my experience, more. But then, I have not lost my wife, children or their children.
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Sorry to hear of your loss. I know how hard it is to lose a loved pet.
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Thanks for all the replies and support. It’s a really tough one to take.
The amount of friends, families and even colleagues who are gutted says it all for me. Used to bring him into my work occasionally and often he would be taken away to visit patients in the hospice and bring comfort to them.
Probably hitting my wife and her mother the hardest. Wife is a nurse so does shifts. When on a late shift, she had the dog for company and walking. When she was on an early, her mum would take him. Her mum has just turned 80, but was still taking him 5 mile walks a day down the nature trails etc. She prides herself on the fact that she still does not need any medication, not even an aspirin, and the family all believe this is down to her dog routines. She also felt safe with the dog and would go walks she would never do alone so those will be curtailed and we need to look out for her.
And yip, the Marley & Me DVD will be launched in the bin as soon as we get back.
Now in Nerja in Spain and there seems to be colonies of barking dogs close by!!!!
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>> Now in Nerja in Spain and there seems to be colonies of barking dogs close
>> by!!!!
>>
Standard for Spain!
While you are in Nerja, if you haven't done so already, do visit the Nerja caves. . We went twice during our Spanish years and it's well worth the trip.
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Yip plan on going to the caves and also the white village Fragliani or whatever it’s called.
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DO NOT come home with a rescued perro
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My dogs have done this to me every time.
I have always had a dog since I was a little boy, and currently have two Cocker Spaniels. My last Cocker was put to sleep in November with Cancer. It was diagnosed in October when a biopsy was taken of a lump that was discovered during his annual check-up. I had him referred to an oncologist who could not do anything for him. He was fine,. but very suddenly deteriorated six weeks later, when he was put to sleep.
I cuddled him whilst the needle was inserted and I cried my eyes out. Henry was just seven years old.
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Why do dogs do this to you?? - TheManWithNoName
