Last Day with my Best Friend

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fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Cob:
All of the good guys came out here to commiserate today/tonight.
I know your loss and I will pray for you and yours tonight, tomorrow and the night after.
You're in my thoughts, pard.
Try and be strong as you can be.
Fnord

 

oldreddog

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 4, 2014
921
7
My little pal Star is 13 next month and I really don't envy you Cobguy having to make, what may soon become an inevitable choice for me.
I hope you bear up well.

 
Apr 26, 2012
3,619
8,477
Washington State
Sorry for the loss of your friend. Its heart breaking for sure. Its never an easy thing to do, but when its time you know and you know its the right decision. All the best tomorrow.
I've had to put down a couple of my dogs, with the most recent this year. We had him 11 years. My dogs are like my kids and it just tears me up still. I still think about my past dogs on a daily basis as there always different things that remind me of each of them. I'm not sure how some of you feel about this, but I know someday when I pass and I go to heaven my dogs will be waiting there for me with a big smile on their faces and be ready to play like we didn't miss a day.

 

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
172
Beaverton,Oregon
So many condolences posted here in a short period of time shows how many of us have loved and lost our pet companions. They fill such a large space in our hearts it does hurt when they are taken from us.
I recently suffered the loss of Aries, one of our two cats. Aries was the smarter one and played hard to get just for the point of getting more attention. When an age related illness robbed him of his ability to take care of himself I knew it was time to get him to the vet. He gave Aries a tranquilizer to settle him down so we could have a few minutes of relaxed time to say goodbye. The vet returned and pushed the final barbiturate. Aries looked at me, sighed, closed his eyes and passed. I can only hope for as dignified an end as I was grateful to have afforded him. Still brings a tear to my eye.
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Cobguy, I wish you fond memories of Bubbalou!

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,379
10,018
North Central Florida
We all seem to share your loss in some way.

I won't bore you with stories of my awakening sense of mortality as I witness the demise of dear friends, but I wish you all encouragement, strength, wisdom, peace, and, let me see, what am I forgetting?...oh LOVE.
mike

 

petes03

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
6,212
10,659
The Hills of Tennessee
That sucks. Sorry for your loss.

I've lost actual family members that didn't hurt as much as some pets I've lost.

My parents just had their 15 year old Chihuahua put down a few weeks ago, my Dad was devastated.

My little dog is about 2-1/2 now, and I think I'm more attached to him than any other pet I've had. I don't look forward to the day I lose him. Good Lord willing I live that long.

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
10
Im sorry, dogs are part of the family.

Im so attached and I dread the day of my own dogs passing.
My condolences

 

apiperisdown

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 28, 2014
114
2
So very sorry for you and Humphrey @cobguy. You have my sincerest wishes for his quiet passing into rest. He is a grand looking old boy.

Having been blessed by the companionship of my own "best friend" I can safely say I will never be without a hound in my life.

After a time, when it’s right I hope you can invite another to make his or her own place in your heart, right along side Humphrey.

 

tennsmoker

Lifer
Jul 2, 2010
1,157
8
Cob, I had to put down my Black Lab Babe a few years back. I'm still at a loss without her. She taught me all I know about humanity.
I'm very sorry for your loss. Dogs are majestic in their unflinching love and affection.

 

cobguy

Lifer
Oct 18, 2013
3,742
17
Everyone ... thank you so much.

Your condolences and shared stories mean a lot to me.

It was a difficult day but went very peacefully.

This afternoon, I took my other two boys out for a walk by a local creek.

They jumped and played like nothing was wrong at all which really lightened my mood.

I sat and smoked a giant bowl of Wessex Campaign Dark Flake and just relaxed.

Another page turns, another chapter begins.

Again, thank you all and have a great Turkey Day!

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,215
11,842
Southwest Louisiana
Cob I buried Ki under my old oak tree, I have a glider there and talk to him a lot. Here's hopeing you get peace with your other 2 friends. My heart is heavy for you.
2EAFDD6F-0B25-45D2-8489-3A64E30E92A6-22349-00002F6F23DB8628_zps6b178d51.jpg


 

frank13

Can't Leave
Oct 5, 2014
410
2
Bakersfield, CA
Ugh... Just lost a cat, yesterday. His name was Barluse. He was just over a year old... He seemed a little "off," from the time I trapped and rescued him. He was still a very small kitten and he was always just a bit of a "special" boy. All the same, he was as sweet as the day is long. Over the past couple of days, I'd noticed that he was listless and just not himself. By the time I got him to the vet, his kidneys were already shutting down. I've been a little misty-eyed since yesterday afternoon. Returning from the vet with the empty carrier was like eating a spoonful of ashes.
Cobguy, I'm glad the day ended on a brighter note. And yes, the beat of life goes on, and all we can do is just keep dancing. I am sorry for your loss. My condolences to you, my friend.

 

johnnyreb

Lifer
Aug 21, 2014
1,961
614
Even though they were 16-17 yrs apart and never knew each other in life, I have two dogs who now rest side by side on my place.

 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,874
7,591
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
He was a little fellow, but never acknowledged that fact. A small mostly white Rat Terrier with a black patch over his left eye who reminded me of the Our Gang dog, and so it was that he was christened Petey.
He literally dropped into my life one cold November night as my wife and I were returning from a show downtown. Traffic was heavy for that time of day, gaining speed as it moved from one signal light to the next. As far as we could tell he was pushed out of the passenger side of a car ahead of us, for he hit the pavement, rolled, and then was up giving chase northward.
“Did you see that?” she asked, and then screamed as he darted across the two southbound lanes, barely being missed by an oncoming Cadillac. I pulled into a parking lot, jumped out, and instructed her to follow me, then took off running after him. For three blocks he raced, and then turned west down a dark alley. I stopped for this was not a particularly good part of town, and I could see nothing save the light from the intersecting street at the far end. Mustering my courage I pocketed my wedding ring and watch, then plunged in, calling for him as I ran.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw him in the next block north, and on I ran. He seemed to have lost whatever trail he was following, and was pacing anxiously back and forth on the sidewalk. I called to him and he looked up, then made to run again, but only went so far as to put 10 feet or so between us.
My wife took station in an empty parking lot across the street from us, and waited in the dark car as I tried to talk away his fear and calm him. Bathed in orange from the streetlight he seemed even smaller than I first guessed. Some ribs showed, and he shivered in the cold. I sat down on the sidewalk, talking quietly to him, and plotted my next moves. If I grabbed for him I was certain that he would run again. If I caught him, then there was the distinct possibility of being bitten. And so I just talked.
In the pocket of my coat was a half-eaten bag of M&Ms. I took it out and rattled it, extending it his way in offering. He looked at me and sat down, but made no advance. On I talked, trying hard not to look directly at him for fear of scaring him further. I don’t know how much time passed thus, but he eventually looked up and across the street, and so did I. An elderly gentleman with a cane was on the sidewalk, passing quietly to the west. He gazed at us, but said nothing. I imagined him shaking his head and wondering what this fool was doing, sitting on the sidewalk at midnight talking to a dog. Probably drunk. This area was right for it.
He moved out of sight, and the dog again turned his attention to me. On I talked, low and soothing as I could manage, although I was now shivering, too. I noticed that his ears stuck straight up, the right one all black, and that between them on his white head he had a black smudge. On his rump was a black patch that resembled Africa in outline. He had but a stub of a tail.
My monologue was interrupted by a low, warning growl. I looked up and saw what he did: two dogs, a Chow and a Pit Bull, both dragging chains, and which had appeared from a north-south alley across the street. They stopped, took us in, and then started to cross the street. The little dog growled again in challenge, and the hair along his spine stood up. I stood, too, wondering what to do. Surely there would be a fight, this little man would be killed, and I might be injured. Now what? In the deepest, meanest, growliest voice that I could muster I looked straight at them and shouted, “You go home!” They stopped, turned as one, and then went back up the alley, disappearing in the dark.
The little fellow whined and kicked with his back feet as they left, but again sat down, so I did likewise, and resumed my patter. Time seemed to stand still as I cajoled and praised him for his bravery.
Eventually we were again interrupted, but this time by a police cruiser. It came to a stop in front of us, and the passenger window lowered. Inside a female officer peered from the driver’s seat and asked, “Are you ok?” “Yes, Ma’am,” I answered, “I’m just sitting here talking to this dog.” The absurdity of my response hit me before I had completed the sentence, and so I quickly explained to her the events which had led to this pass. As I did, I noticed that the dog had moved closer to me. She smiled and wished us luck, then departed. As she did I imagined the conversation later in the locker room at the end of her shift. “You won’t believe what I saw tonight…”
Once again the street was empty, save us two. The dog had risen to his feet, and watched the cruiser fade into the dark. It was late and I was running short on conversation, and so looked at him and said, “Little dog, I’m trying to help you, but it’s time for you to make a decision.” As the words left my lips he sat down, with his back to me, and so I rolled over onto my right side and gently wrapped my arms around him. He made no struggle as I pulled him to me, but as I got up and lifted him to my left side his head wheeled toward my right hand which was on his chest. “Great,” I thought, "I’m going to get bitten." But he didn’t. This was simply a display of what I was later to learn was classic Terrier bluster.
I carried him across the street to the warm car where my wife had patiently waited all this time. As soon as we were situated in the passenger seat, the dog vomited, but I couldn’t be mad at him. I knew just how he felt. On the trip home weariness compounded by sadness overcame him, and he nodded off periodically as I held him close in my lap.
As we learned to love each other I discovered that he was terrified of brooms, enjoyed playing a roughhouse game of tug-of-war with a braided rope toy which I purchased for him, and would not sleep atop the bed, but had to be with my wife and me under the covers. When particularly joyful he would jump up and down, and seemed to delight in my catching him in my arms in mid air.
He was an excellent watch dog, and I could tell from his bark if what he saw was something which should concern me, or if he was just editorializing on the passing scene. Once when we were on the floor together playing he got a bit too rambunctious and accidentally pinched my hand with his mouth. I yelped, and he stopped short, then came to me and put his head upon my shoulder as if to say, “I’m sorry!”
From the start he was a good listener. No matter what slings and arrows the ensuing years volleyed my way, he was always excited and happy to see me, and could lift my mood with a glance. Our love wasn’t predicated upon toys or play, but simply the joy of being together. When my Father passed I poured out my grief to him. He understood my sorrow and responded by snuggling close, quietly wicking away the pain.
Age came suddenly on Petey. Forever he seemed a sprightly, bright-eyed youngster, and then he was old. He died in my arms the day before my birthday, his valiant heart completing the course for which fate had set it some 15 years earlier. We never really knew how old he was. He sleeps on a sunny hillside on my wife’s family’s farm.
Do animals have souls? I cannot answer the question, but it is my fervent hope that when I get to heaven Petey will be there waiting, jumping up and down in greeting. And wouldn’t that be just like God to arrange it so?

 
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ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
3,040
12,561
82
Cheshire, CT
Cob, we've all been there. It's the best thing we can do for a best friend. I still weep when I think of them. The pain will subside--the love, never.

 

dsollars

Lurker
Mar 25, 2014
48
0
What is it about our dogs ... When I read about someone committing animal cruelty, i can't help but think it is somehow worse than what we humans do to each other. Our pets love us no matter what, they always come back to us with tails wagging. Pure love. We had to deal with the death of our cairn terrier a few years ago, he died from the cancer while the vet was preparing the concoction that would put him to sleep. So sad. My dogs will get a special treat tonight, laying in the bed with me. So sorry.

 
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