Today has to be one of the worst days that anyone can imagine and full of sadness. My best friend (Adek) was a 9 year old German Shepherd that has lived with my wife and I since he was a puppy only 8 weeks old. In this time he has been the most loyal and obidient dog that I have ever owned. He would never run away and was always there for me in all times of happiness and sadness. Today it was my time to be there for him. He had a medical condition and when I saw today that he was deteroiating rapidly I immediately took him to my vet. It was at this point where he recommended to me that we euthinize him to prevent any further suffering. For me to keep him alive would be selfish on my part and was only delaying the inevidable. At 5pm today I held his head in my lap and stroked his head as the euthinol was administered. After a very short while my best friend and loyal companion was gone forever and I absolutely lost it. Even as I write this now I can't help but cry about it. I'm sure that in time it will get better but right now, nothing that anyone can say or do can ease the suffering. Even though my friends and family know how difficult it was to do, those that have only been through it with a dog that they considered their family member can know what it is like. For all of you that have a "best friend" hold them in your arms and cherish these good times that most of us take for granted. RIP Adek, 04-15-98-/06-14-07 I will miss you forever.... Here is a picture of Adek "play fighting" with Cappo, our other GS
Sorry to hear that. A professor of mine lost 2 cats recently and the 3rd is currently sick. It appears that Adek was probably the best dog you could ever have. My condolences.
I am very sorry to hear of your loss. Pets really can become a family member. We have lost many cats and have held them as the went to sleep for the last time. My wife wrote a great poem that may help you a little at this time. I will try to attach it to this post.
You sound as if you've been a good companion for HIM all these years. Give yourself a hug in the knowledge that you made his life the best it could be.
sorry to hear about your loss, he will be much happier & he'll look down on you and protect you from afar
I am so sorry for your loss. I have been there. Go ahead and cry. I still do, three years later. It's especially hard on the anniversary of his death. As odd as it sounds, you're lucky you could be there for him. You did the right thing. You acted out of love. And there is no greater act of love than to let go. You put his welfare first and that is the noblest of deeds. Cry. It's a natural part of grieving. And dog owners understand that the bond goes beyond owning a pet. They are family. My forever dog, Caesar. "I will always love you."
Brian- so sorry for your loss. I have always wondered why God gives us these wonderful friends that we have have for such a short time... He will be remembered.. Barb
Brian, I am sorry to hear about the loss of your "family" member. I too had lost a dog due to a medical condition, it is very hard to get over , but as they say time does heal the pain. It just takes a long time and we never forget the times we had with them. They truley are best friends most of the time. You have my sympathy
Although I'm currently a cat owner, my pets in the first half of my life were all dogs (Springer Spaniel, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever). I still miss them when I think of them, although it's been so long now the memories make me smile rather than cry. I sometimes still run into them in dreams, and wake up in a good mood. It gets better, but time is the only medicine in this case. My condolences--Scott
I am sorry for your loss. One of my dogs got hit by a vehicle last year and died (this was in Sri Lanka), and I wasn't even there to say goodbye. It's always difficult to cope with such a loss.
BT Tech Your message made me tear up. I have two (white) German Shepherd (3 yrs and 6 months) and I love them to death. They are family and my best companions. I know I will have to someday (years from now) make the same decision as you did. Every time I think about it I cry. It's one of my biggest fear. It has been shown that loosing a dog brings as must sorrow as any other family member. So it's ok to morn! I hope Cappo, your family and you can cope with this! You are in my thoughts! /Robert
aww, i'm so sorry. losing a pet is very hard under any circumstances, but at least he went peacefully with his lifelong pal by his side to comfort him. i'm sure he wouldn't have chosen any other way.
I am so very sorry for your loss. You loved Adek until the end and gave him the gift of loving him enough to let him go. I had to make the same decision for my Tigger four years ago. He was my orange boy from the moment he was born and was 20 1/2 when I let him go. Holding him while he went to sleep was without a doubt one of the hardest and most heart wrenching things I have ever been through. You don't ever forget, but it does get easier. I just had a dream about Tigger a few nights ago. He was young again and racing around the yard. Adek will always be with you...
Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of being in your shoes. It never gets any easier. I completely understand as I am 48 and have been through many pets in my life but a couple of them stand out... One, a cat named unimaginatively "Snoopy" when I was a child who followed me around like a dog was lost when I was 12. I still miss that cat. A bird I had in college... My first bird... Named something not allowed to say in this board but it started with S and ented with T.... This bird, an english budgie, learned to speak and say things like "pretty boy" "cheeseburger", and "cutie pie", along with a few unmentionables. He liked to drink budweiser from the rim of the can and would chirp on my cb radio in the car (I was pretty redneck back then). I buried him behind my mom's house on the bank of the Kennebec River. I had him for seven years and one day I got home from work and he was feet up in his cage and the hallway smelled like paint (the landlord used pilfered lead based paint to paint the hall). I had plenty of pets after that but now I have a four year old english budgie (my first budgie since S..T), and he and I take car rides together, take showers, and he has even been on an airplane in a flexible chest cage... Fortunately he is healthy and listening to tunes in the next room as I write but birds are very fragile and I certainly dread the day when he goes to the great seed dish in the sky. We become very attached to our pets. The best thing we can do to honor them is when we are ready... I repeat... When we are ready... To find another creature who tugs at our emotions and invite them to be part of the family.
{{{{hug}}}} We had to say goodbye to a beloved cat two years ago. It was hard. Don't be surprised at the upwelling of emotion, when it comes.
I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind messages during this very difficult time. It's the simple things that get to me now; Like when I walk past his food dish or look at his bed we had on the floor for him... How when I walked out of a room in the house, he would always be right there. In fact, if my wife ever wanted to know where I was in the house, she would just look to see where Adek was laying down. All of these things go through my mind and brings back all of the sad emotions. When I try to block them, it seems to hit me even harder later like now when I write this. Unfortunately I have been through this before with a Golden Retriever I had. While it is true that time does seem to make things better, you never forget these special companions whose only role in their lives is to make their owners happy. Your social or economic status means nothing to them and as long as they feel love it is recipricated 1000 percent.... Thanks soooooo much again everyone for being there!!!! It really means a lot...
