Pets 🐕 Losing a pet

[Maister]

I remember ZG saying one time that RJ didn't want to get a dog because he didn't want to deal with the end stages of their life again. In some ways, that's understandable. Pets are funny, they're not people, yet they clearly express emotions and often demonstrate trust and even affection for 'their people' so there's a strong tendency to form bonds with these beings. When they pass, the emotional impacts are sometimes not unlike losing a family member.

Anyone have any particularly beloved pets? What were your childhood experiences with the loss of a pet?

 

[The Terminator]

Family cats:

RIP Lucky 1 197X-1985

RIP Lucky 2 199X-2000

RIP Lucky 3 2000-2014

Lucky 4 is still alive at 12 and I'm hoping he'll make 20!

will share pic's later

 

[ursus]

When my girls were little we had a basset hound we called Gracie. She went everywhere with those little girls and loved them all ferociously. She loved kittens and babies and the little hummingbirds that would come to our front walk. She died young, in an accident. I'll never forget burying her under the pine tree in our back yard. I still think about Gracie and the tears will come. We loved her so much.

 

[michaelskis]

I think it hits differently for different people. Sure, it hurt when we had to put down our dog when we lived in MI, but she was struggling to breathe and I knew that it was the best thing for her.

On the other hand, not everyone can have kids, so their "Fur Babies" effectively take that role. My sister and her husband have a golden retriever that has lived a life better than any other dog I have ever seen. He gets Halloween costumes every year, has birthday parties with other dogs, frequently goes to work with my sister, and when they are out of town a friend takes him and she brings him to work at her store that sells construction clothing. He even has a yellow safety vest with his name on it and was named employee of the month at one point.

However, he was born in 2012 and is really getting up there in age. He can't go for walks anymore, so she puts him in a jogging stroller and she pushes him around the neighborhood. They have done just about every medical intervention possible to extend his life and enjoyment. He gets custom dog food that is kept in the freezer (no dry kibble for this dog) and has checkups at the vet every couple of months.

When it is time to say good bye, it is going to crush her because to her, he is so much more than just a dog.

 

[bureaucrat#3]

My father was big proponent animals are not people and just animals. His father raised hunting dogs. They were friendly and treated well, they were working animals. All the livestock, chickens and goats were tools and products. He treated them well and humanely making sure they were well feed, safe, and sheltered when necessary. He also ran a cost benefit analysis when they were injured, sick, or starting to age rapidly.

We had lots of family pets growing up. The two that were mine were a cat when I was five and a beautiful sheepdog when I was 10. The cat unfortunately got out and was run over a few months after we got it. My first experience with loss. I was devastated. The dog lived for six or seven years. She was an idiot but sweet. She had a genetic predisposition to spinal issues and I let her suffer to long. My dad finally called me out on it and he made me put her down. That had a dramatic effect on me as well. I've never wanted any pets since. I love animals and always get along with them. We have some family pets because my wife cannot stand to see a hungry animal. I don't really consider them mine even though I take care of most of the tasks associated with them. I'm the one who winds up taking the pet to vet for their final visit. We keep our animals up to date on shots and medicine. I don't mind letting them age in peace, but I won't spend money on major surgeries that don't have clear outcomes.

I'm sure these are things I should be talking to a therapist about along with a few other issues. I also have a great story about buying and raising a show cow and my dad didn't tell me years later when I home from college that we were eating.

 

[jumbach]

Lucy’s service was beautiful. She laid in repose for three hours at our house. Then, we both wrote notes to her and put them in her bag, then we both put her in the ground in our front yard under the tree as the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” played. Once the song ended, we filled in the hole, replaced the rocks, and planted her flower light. We paid our respects to Jensen, as well, telling her all about her new neighbor.

They will get a lot of birdie visitors: we see doves and quail at the tree regularly.

I know it’s weird, but I got just as emotional as I do at a human funeral.

Lucy’s death hit me a lot harder than previous bird deaths, even though she was so young, probably because it came so rapidly.

(I took this picture at an angle that would not show the actual remains, for obvious reasons.)

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

There has been dog in my house for most of my life. College and the first two years of marriage are the exceptions. My first dog that was truly mine was Princess which came into our house in 2000. I would often go to the county for plat work. The animal shelter was nearby and since we just moved into our house, would stop by to look for a dog. One day I stopped, Princess was just brought in and I was able to put a request in and then waited the seven days for the owner to claim. Never happened. Picked her up as a puppy and she spent 13 years with us and one move in 2002. In 2012 she developed a tumor on her shoulder and we had it removed. It came back the next year and while on the farm sliced it open. When we mentioned “farm” or “harness” she would go ballistic. She had other health issues and so we decided that it was best to do the inevitable. Took her to the shelter for the last time and I was told I could not go back with her. This devastated me and still does. I promised our current dog, Koda, that this will not happen with her. She is now 13 and seems to be in good health for her age but I suspect in the next two years we will be facing the same. That day was the most painful of my life. Still is. I should have been there holding her and be the last person she saw….damn dust in the air…it will never happen again. Interesting tidbit, Koda uses the same dog dish all the previous dogs have use and is date stamped to the early 1970s. The joy of the years we have with our pets heavily outweighs the dreadful day.

Chico, Pomeranian 196X-1974 (I do not remember Chico)

Taffy, Cockapoo 1974-1987

Princess, Manchester Terrier 2000-2013

Koda, Mini Aussie 2013-present

 

[Gedunker]

I've had cats in my life pretty much the whole of my 65 years (college and grad school the only exceptions). My first cat was Sam (short for Samantha) who was born on my chest while I was home from kindergarten with chicken pox. The kittens were afterwards kept in the basement and my mom would bring other kittens up to me when I asked for Sam, testing whether I really knew which was the one I would get to keep. She was a sweetheart that lived past her 20th birthday when we recognized she was suffering from kidney failure. Mom and I took Sam to the vet knowing what was coming - the vet walked out of the room after giving us our options (they could hydrate her, but it was only postponing the inevitable) and over the office sound system came Barbra Streisand singing "Memories". The vet came back in and Mom and I were bawling like babies. The vet was very apologetic ...

 

[kjel]

My mom had a cat who went to live with my uncle’s friend after she died. I adopted Captain when RT went to college, he was a senior kitty whose owner passed away. I had him for 4 years and he was a classic orange tabby, dumb but loving. He lost his vision and seemed to do ok for a while and then just started declining. The vet said I could do a bunch of tests and intervention or take him home and spoil him, that I would know when it was time. That day came and I called the vet, they reserve the last bit of their day for these goodbyes and allow you to stay with them as long as you want. RT and I both cried, little RT was super sad. We had adopted a kitten Buttercup about 9 months before he passed and she’s a gorgeous brown tabby that’s now 11 and hopefully she’s got a long while with us still.