I'am so sorry for your loss Mark Last year, I loss my little Pug ChiCho. After reading your story I started crying all over again as I write this post. I miss him so much. My wife and daughter want to to get another dog, but I can't do that. It just hurt me too much to see him die through a VET medical procedure he was going through. At least he made it to 14 years. I'am 75 now, I just don't have the energy or the health to take care of a dog anymore. Not fair to the dog. I understand the hurt you and your family are going through. I thought buy now, the pain of losing my dog would fade by mow, but it hasn't, guess the love is to strong. What I love about dogs, they only want love and they give love. They are so much better than humans. Miss you so much little guy. Take care Mark and your family. Regards Vet (Navy)
I understand your position on not wanting to get another dog, and I commend you for realizing that! Too many people get a dog, then treat it like it’s an appliance “ yeah, look at my cool dog” Yes they do!!
Yeah we tried everything to move him about, it was weird, one moment he’d walk like usual (slow) then others he’d pancake on the floor or ground, seems he didn’t have the strength. I told my wife when I brought him back inside one time “ I feel HORRIBLE scooting him along the floor with the side of my foot like he was a sack of laundry in the way” Dogs can’t talk, but I’m sure they have a sense of dignity.
Thank you, yes I console myself remembering the happy times, Sky even met some of you at the first Buick Bash at Quaker a few years back, he’d saunter off and walk up to someone’s side “Hi, I’m Sky” Or the smiles he put on residents faces when we took him to the Heights Nursing Home to visit my sister, we’d be there an hour visiting the other residents before we made it to my sisters room, good times
Sounds like he was an absolute sweetie. You guys did all you could, until you couldn’t. Sky hit the lottery when you took him in, and I’m sure he knew it. We’ll be thinking of you all… and Sky.
...there's nothing I can say that will help with your loss, except that I feel your pain. Life has taught me that the loss of beloved four-legged family members is cumulative. Speaking for myself, instead of finding a subsequent loss easier to endure, it's harder. But with each loss, I have gained compassion, knowledge, and coping skills. When we lost our last Dobie, "Sam," in the fall of '18, we decided we wouldn't have another. We were getting too old, and didn't want our last to wind up in a shelter due to our illnesses or death. Our last 3 Dobies died prematurely, Gillie literally dropped dead at 3 while we were playing ball in back yard, Truman made it from 8 to 10 as a cardiac cripple, and Sam, at 5, had same end as Gillie. I can't describe my feelings seeing 2 apparently healthy Dobies fall over dead before my eyes. Determined to find cause (with no help from breeders/veterinarians), I learned Dobies have a genetic predisposition for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (Truman), and Sudden Death Syndrome (Gillie and Sam). Statistically, all will have gene(s) by 2040 (when born, Sam had a 50-50 chance). That was the other factor in our decision to have no more. Fast forward to summer '21. "Somehow" we heard about a Standard Poodle that had been rescued from abuse/starvation in NC, that was desperately in need of fostering/adoption. Word was he was 6 years old, so we agreed to adopt, figuring we could stay alive that long. He was a bag of bones, weighing less than 40 pounds, and his shaggy white hair was red clay stained. Imagine our surprise that, when cleaned up and vetted, his age was estimated to be more like 6 months! He's a sweetheart, but has some baggage we're still working out with him. He's just recently come to understand what food is, and we're still working on regular potty breaks (he holds it for up to 18-20 hours, probably from being confined and not wanting to soil his den). Since his arrival, everyone we know/meet is being sized up as possible parent(s) if/when we may be unable to care for him...
This is my ChiCho. He is a Chug. A face you have to love - We used to call him Cat Dog, because when I called him, and he would just look at me. Just like a cat lol. I had to lure him with a "treat". And man, could he eat, wow. So how did he get his name? He is part Chihuahua (Spanish) & Pug (Chinese), he is called a Chug. My creative daughter took Chi (Chinese) & Cho Spanish) and combined the words to come up with ChiCho. It's amazing how you can become so attached to animals. As a kid my father was in the Army and we traveled overseas a lot, so we didn't have, dogs and cats to become attached too. My daughter found ChiCho through a lady in Maryland that found him walking on a dirt road, with no one living in this area. We think he was dumped because he was only a puppy then. What a terrible thing to do. Vet (Navy)
Good on you for taking in another No better feeling than giving a dog or cat a second chance! I hear so many stories of people dumping puppies People that do that deserve a bullet to the head
I'm really sorry Mark - I have been there and done that several times. I still have them though; my daughter knows an artist in Massachusetts who does beautiful portraits of dogs. I have four hung in our family room and a fifth waiting for me to put it up. I also have all of their ashes in engraved urns. I'm not getting any younger and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the remains and urns. They really have no meaning to anyone else. The paintings might be saved by someone who just wants beautiful paintings of dogs. If I ever get past my computer not doing photos, (More likely me then the computer) I'll post photos of a couple of them.
...since we've lived at this address for almost 42 years, we've decided that those that aren't buried here will soon be scattered here. This is the only home they've known...
I'm leaning towards doing the same thing. I plan to live here until they haul me out in a bag. My property can and will most likely be subdivided so I'll scatter the ashes on a part that can't be split off from the house's lot.
Not morbid at all, kinda sweet! Sounds like something my wife would want me to do if she passes before me. Ok I’m getting sad now, let’s do some burnouts
