OT: Saying goodbye to family pet

[Phil's Rug]

For all of you, I urge you look around in your area who does pet funerals. They will have a service if you like and bury the pet. We opted to have Precious cremated, and she resides in our dining room with us forever. She will move with my boy when the time comes. The cost is more than reasonable, it's downright cheap. A local funeral home does the pick up from the vet's, cremation, and delivery to your home.

Had mine cremated. We are a family of dog owners, many dogs among myself, my brother, cousins, aunt's and my grandmother over the years. Most of them that are no longer with us were cremated, maybe 7 or 8 in all. About a year ago one of my Aunts was in with the funeral director making some arrangements for another family member that had passed and they got to talking about the subject of pets and my Aunt just asked him off the cuff about it being possible to have the urns placed in a coffin with somebody and he said that wouldn't be a problem.

Her, myself and my other Aunt got together and talked about it and decided that who ever goes first between the three of us, will have plenty of company.

 

[nittany dave]

Sorry for blubbering to everyone, but I find this board can be very therapeutic at times like this. November 2003 we went to look at miniature schnauzer puppies to get a family pet. There were two left in the litter ... a black one and salt/pepper one. We decided to get the black one since he was a little cuter and a little friendlier. We knew we wanted to name him Nittany. Then my wife gets all emotional and doesn't want to leave the salt/pepper all by himself and talks me into getting both. Driving home with both dogs we struggled to come up with a name for the other until finally settling on one.

His health rapidly declined the last few days and spent last night in the hospital after getting a lot of fluid drained from his chest cavity. The prognosis is not good as the fluid came back quickly and we have made the difficult decision to euthanize. My younger daughter wants to drive back from Altoona where she is a freshman to say goodbye in person. My older daughter is in Boston and will have to Face Time with the family later this afternoon as we say our final goodbye to JoePa.

These are the first dogs I have owned (parents were cat people) and wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby? I never thought it would be this difficult.

You are not being stupid! We have an almost 12 year old beagle named Max, and while he is in good health, I know he has been with us longer that he will be in the future. I will be very down when it is his time. I think I will be comforted by the fact Max has had a very good life, and I hear so many stories of animals being mistreated. I stopped being a Steelers fan, and never will be one again, after they signed Michael Vick. Don't care if he served time, he is a monster! To everyone, if you can't or won't care for an animal anymore, please take it to the Humane Society/Shelter. Don't dump them in the middle of nowhere, or in the garbage. Hope things go as well as possible for you and your dogs. Take care.

Sorry for blubbering to everyone, but I find this board can be very therapeutic at times like this. November 2003 we went to look at miniature schnauzer puppies to get a family pet. There were two left in the litter ... a black one and salt/pepper one. We decided to get the black one since he was a little cuter and a little friendlier. We knew we wanted to name him Nittany. Then my wife gets all emotional and doesn't want to leave the salt/pepper all by himself and talks me into getting both. Driving home with both dogs we struggled to come up with a name for the other until finally settling on one.

His health rapidly declined the last few days and spent last night in the hospital after getting a lot of fluid drained from his chest cavity. The prognosis is not good as the fluid came back quickly and we have made the difficult decision to euthanize. My younger daughter wants to drive back from Altoona where she is a freshman to say goodbye in person. My older daughter is in Boston and will have to Face Time with the family later this afternoon as we say our final goodbye to JoePa.

These are the first dogs I have owned (parents were cat people) and wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby? I never thought it would be this difficult.

 

[kgilbert78]

My Squeaky. Lost him to throat cancer a few years back. Hadn't realize until I looked that it had been 4 years almost now....

 

[Diego Badman]

Sorry for blubbering to everyone, but I find this board can be very therapeutic at times like this. November 2003 we went to look at miniature schnauzer puppies to get a family pet. There were two left in the litter ... a black one and salt/pepper one. We decided to get the black one since he was a little cuter and a little friendlier. We knew we wanted to name him Nittany. Then my wife gets all emotional and doesn't want to leave the salt/pepper all by himself and talks me into getting both. Driving home with both dogs we struggled to come up with a name for the other until finally settling on one.

His health rapidly declined the last few days and spent last night in the hospital after getting a lot of fluid drained from his chest cavity. The prognosis is not good as the fluid came back quickly and we have made the difficult decision to euthanize. My younger daughter wants to drive back from Altoona where she is a freshman to say goodbye in person. My older daughter is in Boston and will have to Face Time with the family later this afternoon as we say our final goodbye to JoePa.

These are the first dogs I have owned (parents were cat people) and wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby? I never thought it would be this difficult.

Two of the worst days I had in my life are those when I've had to say goodbye to our dogs.

We have "Rainbow Bridge" hanging on our wall. I read it frequently.

 

[Diego Badman]

https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

 

[Alphabets]

My two dogs aren't getting any younger either. Jesus, I am not looking forward to that day. At all. My wife and I will be a mess.

 

[Safety Blitz]

I wonder about people who are not terribly upset when the time comes to put their pet down.
We had to say goodbye to our 13 year old Golden recently. It came as a shock. Took him to the vet because we thought he had an injury. We were expecting him to get a steroid shot, which cured a similar problem several years earlier. Vet took x-rays and found he had advanced cancer. Vet said he may last a month, but it would be a painful month at best.
I held him while the vet gave him the injections. My wife and daughter were there, too. We all sobbed uncontrollably. I'm getting a bit misty eyed as I type this. We had another flood of tears when we called the other daughter at PSU to break the news to her.
I still look for his face in the window nearly every time I pull in the driveway. He was a huge part of our family and was with us nearly every place we went.
I'm sure most here will agree it takes some time to get over the loss. You will never forget all the good times your dog was a part of and you will never regret that very difficult decision to do the right thing in putting him down in a humane and loving manner.
Out thoughts are with you and your family.

 

[Norm Petersin]

They are a family member. Don't talk back and ask for money like kids do. Remember the great life you gave your pets, focus on All those great times.

 

[katchthis]

Had to put my second Akita down at age 12 1/2. Clover was an amazing girl, all love all the time. Seems like females bond to the Alpha male in the house. When I got home she was always at the door with a big smile and tail wag waiting for her hugs and eventual biscuit. I was the only one she would get up to greet every time. She suffered from Cushing's disease, an over production of cortisol steroids. She lived for about 3 years, with this diagnosis, but muscle wasting occurred, as well as many urinary tract infections due to suppressed immune response. As is typical of many pets, she was always positive and loved everyday until the very end. It was two weeks ago tonight, that I had to say goodbye. It is the hardest thing I ever had to do. But you know when the time comes, that there is just nothing left. It is a gift to let them go back to the creator. Got her ashes back a week later, and spread them out over her yard. A urn cannot contain her love and energy. Take comfort in knowing that you shared your whole life together sharing a bond that cannot be broken.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Remember the great life you gave your pets, focus on All those great times.

So true, Norm. Pets provide some really good memories. When I was a kid, we had a pug ("Augie") who carried a teddy bear pretty much everywhere. The crazy mutt would occasionally try to screw that teddy bear, which invariably (1) drew comments from my little sister (then age 7 or so) about his "pink thing," (2) in turn inducing my parents to get up and go separate Augie from his teddy/paramour. My sister got in a scrap with her best friend (Brenda) and, in a fit of pique, declared that henceforth, Augie's pink thing would be known as his "Brenda." We still use that term to this day.

 

[Lionsburg]

I'll agree that getting another pet helps in the healing process. Last year we lost both of our Basset Hounds, our horse and then our cat. I will never wish that heartache on anyone. We recently adopted a dog and she has quickly found a place in my heart and has helped to ease the pain of losing my best friends!

 

[kgilbert78]

They are a family member. Don't talk back and ask for money like kids do. Remember the great life you gave your pets, focus on All those great times.

They do beg for treats all the time, tho....

...and if you think they don't talk back you've never met a cat....

 

[Thorndike2012]

I will keep you and JoePa in my prayers tonight. God bless you and your family in this difficult time!

Not sure why we continue to ask this question...these animals are chosen by us to be a part of our families. We don't 'own' dogs and cats, we choose them as life partners. Fellow, domesticated, earthlings who share our life's pathway...of course they're family members. So, naturally, we mourn them when they pass away.

Strange that I must remind my students and my 'rookie' staff members to count 'pets' in BioPsychoSocial assessments as parts of mezzo-support systems for clients. We have older citizens getting Meals On Wheels meals and losing weight because the furry members of the family get first choice of delivered meals. Why are we surprised that often the ONLY member of the family who's unconditional love cannot be done without has four legs?

Man is a lonely creature, cursed with the knowledge of his own mortality.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

My first dog was in the family before I was born...he was a mutt stray that my parents had taken in. I was 11 when we put him down...still remember how much that hurt. 2 years ago (and 30+ years later) I finally got my second dog...my wife and I got a "fur brother" for our young son. He's such a joyful part of our family, and I'm welling up reading all of these beautiful tributes, knowing that one day we'll be in the OP's shoes...and if we're lucky, and he lives a long life, we'll also have seen our son grow up with him. We mark time with our pets...they truly do get us through our lives, and we're truly blessed to have them.

 

[fkkkjm]

Man this thread is brutal on the eyes. Two saddest days of my adult life were putting my cat to sleep and when i found out my ex fiancé was cheating.

 

[Mace54]

I feel you. I bought our first Boston Terrier, Kijana, during Penn State's magical 1994 season. He was kind of nasty but we loved him. He grew up with our three kids who all came after him. He was twelve when a routine vet visit revealed that he had a tumor behind his eye and he would be suffering. At the time, my daughter was 10, one son was 8, and the other was 6. We decided that Kijana would spend one more night with the family before he would be put down the next day. I can tell you that night was surreal. We have all kinds of pictures with him. We took him to his favorite pond where he loved to chase frogs. None of us wanted to go to bed. We all slept in the same room with him. The next day we let the kids stay home from school (it was National Pet Day). We all said our goodbyes. I remember my daughter holding back my 6 yr old who was screaming from the front porch, "No ! Don't take Kijana ! Bring him back !" We got to the vets office and I took him for one last walk around the block. The vet assistant came into the waiting room and said, "OK, we'll take him." My wife and me said we were coming in with him. We held him as they shaved his leg and inserted the needle. It was quick and painless. We cried for three days. That was before we ended up finding the runt of a litter of Boston Terriers in Shamokin Dam, PA. Kijana-Junior. Or otherwise just known as Junior. He's now 10 yrs old and you can see he's getting frail. He has a companion Jack Russell/Pug known as Belle who is 5 yrs old. They're part of our family, and I regret the day that we will part ways.

 

[Mace54]

Man this thread is brutal on the eyes. Two saddest days of my adult life were putting my cat to sleep and when i found out my ex fiancé was cheating.

Either way, pussy did you wrong.

 

[uscgPSU]

Three years ago I had two dogs; a boxer named Bradshaw and some mutt. Bradshaw was the greatest dog I had. Four cross country trips, a failed engagement, and some of the lowest points of my life and the only one with me was this stupid dog.

I had to put my boxer down due to heart issues. I remember laying on the vets floor with him as he started to slip away. The vet told me to take as much time as I wanted and tell them when I was ready for them to administer the remaining drugs. As I looked at him and cried as hard as I ever have, I thought of all the shit I did with him. I thought (and still think) I will never be ready to let him go, but I had to do it. That day I was left with one dog and said I would do that one more time and never again. Two months after putting Bradshaw down, we took in another boxer and a mini schnauzer so I'll be doing that dance again three more times at least.

I thought I had moved on from Bradshaw l, but this post brought up every repressed feeling I had. Thanks dicks!

 

[Spydersgirl]

Sorry for the loss of your beloved dog Nittany. I am currently watching my wonderful cat Max, age 14, deal with advanced age. When the time comes I will meet my final obligation to him and hold him in my arms as he departs this planet. Having said goodbye on 4 other occasions does nothing to lessen the heartache. In my heaven, they wait for me. A quote from one of my favorite authors:

We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth. Henry Beston

 

[joeparules]

Thank you everyone for your posts. I can clearly see why it is so difficult saying goodbye to someone who has been a big part of your family for the past 13 years. I had another good cry reading through them all a second time.

JoePa went peacefully while we were holding him, petting him and telling him how much we love him and how much love he gave us. He was clearly suffering with each breath he was taking and now is at peace.

 

[Fac]

Put my part Manx cat "Faluka" down 17 years ago yesterday, she was 15. Only regret was that I didn't hold her. I took her to the vet as she was showing signs of being old. Vet said we could give her some shots to see if she would improve and I asked him if it was time. He said yes. I started to tear up and without thinking I asked him if I could come back in a couple of days and pay. Went home empty handed. Didn't realize until later that I should have stayed with her and held her. I still regret not being prepared for that day. Faluka and I spent many a holiday together as being from Pa and living in New Orleans I didn't have many friends for a time. I currently have a almost 14 year old Bischon that is showing signs of decline. The day is coming and you can be sure that I will be with her until the end.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

A view from a DVM. If at all possible... be there from him/her. The pet will be calm and relaxed with friends.

On the other end..... I have had 6 hunting dogs (ALL FAMILY) and trust me I cry all the time. Heck I even cry when I have to euthanize a pet that I have seen many times at the clinic.

The last part: "REMEMBER THE GREAT TIMES & MEMORIES" (don't dwell on the last day). By the way, my avatar is "BROWNDOG" who left me last summer. Too many great memories to take that avatar down

 

[m48tank]

Sorry for blubbering to everyone, but I find this board can be very therapeutic at times like this. November 2003 we went to look at miniature schnauzer puppies to get a family pet. There were two left in the litter ... a black one and salt/pepper one. We decided to get the black one since he was a little cuter and a little friendlier. We knew we wanted to name him Nittany. Then my wife gets all emotional and doesn't want to leave the salt/pepper all by himself and talks me into getting both. Driving home with both dogs we struggled to come up with a name for the other until finally settling on one.

His health rapidly declined the last few days and spent last night in the hospital after getting a lot of fluid drained from his chest cavity. The prognosis is not good as the fluid came back quickly and we have made the difficult decision to euthanize. My younger daughter wants to drive back from Altoona where she is a freshman to say goodbye in person. My older daughter is in Boston and will have to Face Time with the family later this afternoon as we say our final goodbye to JoePa.

These are the first dogs I have owned (parents were cat people) and wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby? I never thought it would be this difficult.

I cry every time I lose one and I'm 71 so a lot of dogs through the house. I lost my female Irish wolfhound three years ago, have a male who is getting old but the best of the whole bunch! I feel for you buddy!!

 

[old&tired76]

I cry every time that I think about losing our golden retriever and then our miniature poodle. We have one left and she has cancer so I know her days with us are short. I'm tearing up now. The unconditional love and loyalty that they give to you warrants nothing less than the same in return. My thoughts are with you and your family.

 

[AZCat]

 

[Fairfax Lion]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, but I have an idea what you're going through. Our corgi, Baxter, was diagnosed with lymphoma and we lost him a couple of years ago right before Christmas. I still get emotional thinking about it. The whole family was there at the end and there was not a dry eye. Suffice it to say, we did not have a particularly joyous holiday season. And while I had to do it, I still feel guilty about driving him to the vet that last time.

Everybody copes differently. We created a list of all of Baxter's lovable traits and quirks and there were many. It helped. Just try and think about all the great times and fun you had. My thoughts are with you.

And some words to live by (author unknown)... "Always try to be as good a person as your dog thinks you are!"

 

[MontereyLion]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, but I have an idea what you're going through. Our corgi, Baxter, was diagnosed with lymphoma and we lost him a couple of years ago right before Christmas. I still get emotional thinking about it. The whole family was there at the end and there was not a dry eye. Suffice it to say, we did not have a particularly joyous holiday season. And while I had to do it, I still feel guilty about driving him to the vet that last time.

Everybody copes differently. We created a list of all of Baxter's lovable traits and quirks and there were many. It helped. Just try and think about all the great times and fun you had. My thoughts are with you.

And some word to live by (author unknown)... "Always try to be as good a person as your dog thinks you are!"

Best saying ever......may I use it?

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

We had to say goodbye to our 13 year old Golden recently. It came as a shock.

13 years for a Golden is actually very good. They are prone to developing spleen or liver cancer around the age of 10; hence why it's important to get their abdominal cavities ultrasounded every 6 months so that you can catch any tumors early.

Best dogs ever.

 

[Manxome_Lion]

Not at all. Lost my faithful canine companion about a year and a half ago, had him by my side for 16 years since finding him on the street as a pup.

I think it's especially difficult because they're so pure of heart. That bond is remarkable, sorry to hear of your loss. Treasure the memories; the loss you feel is as great as place they filled in your life, in your heart.

Sorry for blubbering to everyone, but I find this board can be very therapeutic at times like this. November 2003 we went to look at miniature schnauzer puppies to get a family pet. There were two left in the litter ... a black one and salt/pepper one. We decided to get the black one since he was a little cuter and a little friendlier. We knew we wanted to name him Nittany. Then my wife gets all emotional and doesn't want to leave the salt/pepper all by himself and talks me into getting both. Driving home with both dogs we struggled to come up with a name for the other until finally settling on one.

His health rapidly declined the last few days and spent last night in the hospital after getting a lot of fluid drained from his chest cavity. The prognosis is not good as the fluid came back quickly and we have made the difficult decision to euthanize. My younger daughter wants to drive back from Altoona where she is a freshman to say goodbye in person. My older daughter is in Boston and will have to Face Time with the family later this afternoon as we say our final goodbye to JoePa.

These are the first dogs I have owned (parents were cat people) and wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby? I never thought it would be this difficult.

 

[wensilver]

wanted to know if I am being stupid for crying like a baby?

Not at all. Pets are part of the family. It doesn't matter how small or how big - they are a part of you & it's a loss. My condolences.

 

[Fairfax Lion]

Sorry for the late reply, Monterey, but yeah, feel free. I can't remember where I first saw those words, but I always thought the sentiment was profound. Every time I looked into Baxter's big brown eyes, I could see that he thought I was something special... probably more than I deserved. Ain't unconditonal love wonderful?

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Fonzie's usually barking for Barkley.....but today he's barking for JoePa.