Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.

I think you made the right decision, as painful as it is.

A dog that we had for 6-years snapped at my son (2 years old at the time)
and bit him just above the eyebrow and forehead. It just barely broke the
skin, but that same day we surrendered him to a shelter (that eventually
found him a new home).

He also was a very good dog up until my son started to get to close to him.

You just never know and it just isn't worth the risk. It was very hard for
us to make the decision to get rid of him, but I think we made the right
one.


--
Stoutman
http://www.garagewoodworks.com/index.htm
(Featuring a NEW look)

Greg D. wrote:

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

I think animals get some kind of Alzheimer's, too.

A FoaF's cat, at the same age, would absolutely flip when it walked in
front of the floor length mirrors on the closet doors in their bedroom.

They taped foil to the bottom of the mirrors.

A pity about the dog, my condolences.

er
--
email not valid

Sorry about your dog. Mine are AWOL right now. Man, you post a lot! Tom

Sorry about your buddy, Greg. I know when I put my old Shephard down,
it was harder than anything I could have imagined. Until he couldn't,
a snap of the fingers and that dog was at my side, no matter what.

I do think they get senile, and suffer from mental imfirmaries just as
humans do. So does the vet that takes care of our little mini cockers.
After 12 years of being together, they are starting to fight like hell
and actually hurting each other. The vet told me that they are indeed
old, and they probably are hurting to some extent (one has pretty bad
back problems we are controlling with meds) from different joint aches
and pains.

They are getting meaner and crankier, and I am wondering how much
longer this will go on.

But once again for you, I am sorry for your loss. The best thing about
it though, in just a short while you won't remember anything at all
negative about him and he will always be the pet you love so much in
your memory.

Robert

wrote in message
But once again for you, I am sorry for your loss. The best thing about
it though, in just a short while you won't remember anything at all
negative about him and he will always be the pet you love so much in
your memory.

Losing a pet is really tough. Having to take your pet to the vet to put it
down is even harder, but it's helping to end the pain that your loved one is
in, much as you hurt. Most of the hurt will eventually go away, but not all
of it. I adopted a cat I'd seen online at a local animal shelter six months
ago because she looked so much like the one I had that died twenty years
ago. When I called the shelter to inquire, they told me she was pretty sick
and might not make it. All those two weeks waiting to see if she got better
was hell. But, she did get better and right now she's sleeping between my
arms as I'm typing this message.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
But once again for you, I am sorry for your loss. The best thing about
it though, in just a short while you won't remember anything at all
negative about him and he will always be the pet you love so much in
your memory.

Losing a pet is really tough. Having to take your pet to the vet to put it
down is even harder, but it's helping to end the pain that your loved one
is
in, much as you hurt. Most of the hurt will eventually go away, but not
all
of it. I adopted a cat I'd seen online at a local animal shelter six
months
ago because she looked so much like the one I had that died twenty years
ago. When I called the shelter to inquire, they told me she was pretty
sick
and might not make it. All those two weeks waiting to see if she got
better
was hell. But, she did get better and right now she's sleeping between my
arms as I'm typing this message.


If I could trust my best friend to make the call to put an end to my
suffering when the time comes, then my last memory would be of love.

Sorry for your loss, but you have done the right thing by your son and your
dog.

Scott

I too am very sorry for your loss. People who have not had to make
that difficult decision, and have not allowed a pet into their hearts
have no way of knowing the depth of pain afater their loss. May God
grant His healing to your heart, and may you feel His love, as you seek
Him. God bless, Richard

Was there actually anything medically wrong with the animal, or was the
animal put down due to an inexplicable change in behaviour?

Just curious

Searcher

"Searcher" wrote in message
news:tgGIf.4199$Nj7.1938@trndny09...
Was there actually anything medically wrong with the animal, or was the
animal put down due to an inexplicable change in behaviour?

I think the OP mentioned in another post that his dog had bad arthritis and
was in pain causing agression.

"Greg D." wrote in message
...
Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".


I have a Choc Lab working on 14. Before her a Great Dane that made it to 10
with similar symptoms that you describe. Before that a 7 year old
Weimeraner. Be happy that you had so many hears of friendship and move on
as soon as you can.

On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:42:50 -0500, Greg D. wrote:

Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.

Sorry about that. It's too bad, but 15 is a long life for a dog.

I'm a runner and have run with my dog since whe was about a year. We
run on woods trails and it is what she lives for. She is going on 11
and I dread the day that arthritis sets in and she can't run any more.

Frank

wrote:

Sorry about your buddy, Greg. I know when I put my old Shephard down,
it was harder than anything I could have imagined. Until he couldn't,
a snap of the fingers and that dog was at my side, no matter what.

I do think they get senile, and suffer from mental imfirmaries just as
humans do. So does the vet that takes care of our little mini cockers.
After 12 years of being together, they are starting to fight like hell
and actually hurting each other. The vet told me that they are indeed
old, and they probably are hurting to some extent (one has pretty bad
back problems we are controlling with meds) from different joint aches
and pains.

They are getting meaner and crankier, and I am wondering how much
longer this will go on.

But once again for you, I am sorry for your loss. The best thing about
it though, in just a short while you won't remember anything at all
negative about him and he will always be the pet you love so much in
your memory.

Robert



What do you do with a large dog after it has passed?? I had a little
dog and a couple of cats that had a special place in the back yard, but
something like a German Shepard is pretty big. Not sure if I'll be able
to keep it together when my ol' buddy goes. OP: sorry for your loss!

I know how hard it can be to lose a pet, especially hard when you have
to put them down. One thing I can't imagine is how hard it would be to
live with the burden of having a child attacked by an animal I
suspected was capable of such things.

Lenny

On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:42:50 -0500, Greg D. wrote:

Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.

Greg D. wrote:

Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.

Greg, I had to put down my elderly dog more than a year ago and I know
how difficult and painful it must have been for you, in spite of knowing
it was necessary. Last night I wept like a baby over recalling the
moment I held her in my arms as the vet administered the shot that
nearly instantly quelled her beautiful life. Yesterday my wife gave me
a book for Valentine's, "Marley & Me", by John Grogan. I started to
read it, and then re-read the first couple of pages out loud to her,
when I was overwhelmed by emotion for the loss of my sweet little bundle
of joy.

Your pet has joined mine and I'm sure they are running around having a
great old time!

You'll always have the memories of having had him around for those 15
precious years.

Dave

Sorry for your loss Greg. I just had to put my cat down - had him since he
was 6 weeks old - he was 21 - which is very old for a cat. It talking to the
vet, he mentioned that animals can develop mental issues as they age, much
as we humans do. Sounds like your pal was doing that also. I am 69 and even
with all the times that I've lost a pet, it does not get any easier. Cried
like a baby. Fortunately, have two more cats that occupy my time. Had a dog
also be he passed several years ago and I'm just not up to introducing a new
dog to two old cats

In a year or two you might want to consider getting a pup for your baby to
grow with.

As someone else said, time will heal the pain.

I expect your pal is chasing my pal all over the heavens and having a ball.

Vic


"Greg D." wrote in message
...
Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.

"Greg D." wrote in message
...
Well, it was his last day today... My 15 years old dog and workshop
best friend was put to sleep today. We had a baby last year and he
never really accepted his new rank in the family. What made him happy
a few years ago didn't make him budge of an inch today. He started to
bark and show his teeth whenever he didn't appreciate what was going
on around him. He's never done that before and never had any form of
aggressivity. Unfortunately, it's was a very bad mixture with a one
year old baby trying to grab him every minute... An accident waiting
to happen.... The question was not "if it will happen" but more "when
it will happen".

I couldn't recognized him anymore, he became an animal you just feed
everyday but can't really touch anymore. He used to always be in the
same room as us but during the last year he was avoiding us as much as
he could. Not him anymore.

Ah crap... you wish those moments will never happen but they do and
when it happens it hurts like you would never suspect. He's been such
a great pet always there and close by when things weren't going right.
I think memories of all that good time with him hurts me more than
anything else. Fortunately, I have a wonderful son and I'll have many
years of joy sharing all I know with him about woodworking and...
life.

Ô well, I just felt tonight like saying goodbye to a good old friend
and I hope he appreciated his life with me as much as I appreciated
mine with him around.

Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.


I understand and feel your loss. I have set through several times of putting
a pet down. It never gets easier. They become part of our lives. More than
just a dog or cat. Years ago I had to do the merciful duty and have my old
dog put down. He had been with me through two marriges and more that a few
moves. He was like, no he was my best friend. This was tough but old age had
set in and it was time. It was also rough on the two dogs left behind. About
3 weeks after that the puppy that the wife and I got about 9 months earlier
got sick and she lived only a week in ICU with a freaky auto immune
disorder. This was a double whammy. We gave ourselves some time to grieve
but within a month we went to the shelter and came home with a new puppy. A
new pet will never replace one that has passed. They help you to heal. Don't
wait too long before getting your son and you a new friend. Kids and dogs
are just made to be together. While setting there one afternoon shortly
after losing the puppy I heard something in my head and felt compelled to
write it down. I don't know if it will help but is sure has helped me.
"Pets are one of God's gifts to us. They prove that He loves us.



Some of God's greatest miracles are pets.



Pets are God's training for heaven. They teach us to love unconditionally.



Pets love us like God loves us. Forever and without condition.



People without pets live lonely lives, like people without God do."




--
Tom Adams

Greg D. wrote in
:
[snip]
Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.


Greg,

Sorry for your loss, but as painful as these decisions are, it sounds
like you made the best one.

We had to have our big guy put down about a while back. It was a
decision we struggled with for a long time. He had cancer in one kidney
- we had that one removed. The vet said we might have another 6 months
with him; we were lucky, it was well over a year. He finally started
getting agressive, too.

We'd lost pets in the past, suddenly; but this was a whole different
level of difficult. In talking to the vet once, about "the right time",
she made a comment that really helped. Her analogy was "How do you know
when you're going to fall in love?" - you don't -- it's just something
you *know*; it sounds like you knew this was the right time.

Again, you have my sincere condolences.
--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

Tom Adams wrote: snipWe gave ourselves some time to grieve
but within a month we went to the shelter and came home with a new
puppy.snip

It's good to hear that you went to the best
place to find a new pet. Too many animals are filling up our local
shelters, and you helped make a difference at yours. Tom

Well, he had other health problems I didn't mention in the first post.
He had a hard time climbing the stairs and he was getting very anxious
whenever he had to do it. Among other things, he was deaf at 80% and
he had a grey haze in his eyes. He would have become blind eventually.
Technically he was managing every day so it wasn't showing too much. I
doubt very much he could have live many more years.

Also, when you think about it, health is not only flesh and bones but
also what you've got between your two ears. Even though he was
physically OK, he wasn't the dog I used to know anymore. He was
obsessed by food but he wasn't interested in us anymore.

More I talk about it, more I feel it was the right decision but it
doesn't diminish the pain for the loss...

Thanks,

Greg D.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:46:01 GMT, "Searcher"
wrote:

Was there actually anything medically wrong with the animal, or was the
animal put down due to an inexplicable change in behaviour?

Just curious

Searcher

"Greg D." wrote in message
...
Goodbye boy and have a good time up there!


Greg D.
My sympathy to you for your loss of a good friend. I have had to do the same
for my extended family (they do become your family after all is said and
done) five times for dogs and four times for cats (All adopted from
shelters). I can tell you that it never gets easy even when you have them 17
or 18 years. But time will heal the sorrow and make room in the heart for
more love that can be achived with bringing home a new family member to help
with teaching your child about unconditional love. Larry (proud father of
three adopted woofers and devoted slave to four of the purring persuasion)

Well, thanks for clearing that up, My wife and I did not know anything other
than the older dog did not get along with the child.
I know what your going through, I was on a "high school vacation" with a
girlfriend when I called home, (this was before cell phones) My mom broke
the news to me that my police drug dog dropout had died.I had her (well we
had her)since I was about 10 when she did not succeed in police training and
I was 16 at the time she died. I have since had two other dogs both have
been Yellows, my other was a long haired Shep.The Yellow that we bought last
year was "for my 4y/o son" at least thats what I told my wife, she's more my
dog then his right now but those two are growing up together and I wouldn't
have it any other way! It took me 5 years before I would get our present dog
I was more heartbroken about my first yellow than any other because he and I
went through alot together and we both had 1500 acres that we lived on, and
being from a well off family I had more time on my hands to spend with him
then most. It was like a neverending hunting story, now I have more
responsibility and less money!

As everyone else here professed , I am sure our dogs are somewhere
having a grand ole time.

Searcher

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge


When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet
goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run
and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and
comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;
those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we
remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each
miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops
and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body
quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green
grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet,
you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy
kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and
you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from
your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Dammit, Clay. I knew it was coming, but that thing gets me every time.
Clay wrote:
snip Rainbow Bridge