On December 28th 2012 we had to put our 11 year old beloved dog, Hunter, to sleep. It was one of the hardest things we have ever done. The night before he had a seizure in the middle of the night and couldn't get up or even lift his head for a very long time afterwards.
My husband took him to the vet the next day and they said that based on his age and symptoms leading up to the seizure, he most likely had a brain tumor and would continue to have seizures.
Hunter was a black lab/golden retriever mix. He had a very good life full of long walks, a warm home and a family that loved him. He was such a calm and patient dog. We could take him for walks off leash and he always stayed with us. My 2 year old son could even walk him on a leash.
Our home seems very empty without him. I keep expecting to see him whenever I turn around. At least our sons are too young to be hurt by his passing because my husband and I sure feel it.
Rest in peace, sweet boy.
Have you ever lost a pet? How did your family cope?
It's been 7 months for us and we are still grieving ours. I miss him like crazy. It's even harder when they go before they've had a "full" life. Our guy was only 7 when he was diagnosed with stage III Lymphoma. We made the very tough decision (financially and emotionally) to fight until we/he couldn't. He ended up going naturally just 1 month before I gave birth to our daughter. The near $15k was absolutely worth the 9 months extra, but we are still reeling from that decision as well as what fighting meant/did to him. There is a selfish part of me that wishes we "humanely" put us all out of our misery at the time of the diagnosis, but the Christmas and Easter (and several other non-special days) I got with him were worth all the emotional turmoil. I still grapple with a lot of my feelings from this past year. I get angry that him and my daughter never officially met (they were bonded though, the second Teko would put his head on my belly or be within barking distance was the only time our daughter would act like a Mexican Jumping Bean.. for comparison's sake.. we also have 2 other dogs whom I love that it never happened with). I get sad when that little tail doesn't wag when I come downstairs in the morning, hurt that I have no one to have "conversations" with (I'd talk to him and he'd talk with me, and often I'd copy his barking/talking but for long stretches of time.. it was amazing), upset that I lost my walking, eating, and soccer partner, mad that he left so much sooner than I would ever be okay with, and just heartbroken that he's just not here anymore. I admit I'm the crazy lady who still talks to him though. We have his ashes up on a shelf with his paw print and a beautiful statue of a dog with wings. When I let our other pups out I usually look over at him and glare a little bit and tell him he should be out there with them. It helps with the process. I miss him like crazy and nothing will ever take that away. But it is getting better. Our new crazy puppy (who found us!) helps a lot too. He has a lot of the same mannerisms and quirks that our Teko did, so it's comforting knowing that we have this new soul in our lives that brings his new, adorable personality to the table, but we still get to see a little bit of our little guy every so often and that helps too.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to your family on your loss. He has to be one of the most gorgeous dogs I have ever seen (and that's coming from a biased fur-mommy!). You are all in my thoughts as you begin the healing process.
So sorry you are still suffering. Hopefully it will get easier as time goes on, for all of us.
DeleteHunter really was so pretty. Thank you for your thoughts.
I am so sorry for your loss! The loss of a pet can be so hard. They truly become part of the family. :(
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteOne of the worst memories I have is having to put one of my dogs down, he had Cancer and was on oxygen...I was pretty young :( so sorry your family had to make that hard choice.
ReplyDeleteI' m sorry. I have never had to put a pet down but I can't imagine how hard it must be. we had an old dog who just wandered off one day, presumably to die. That was hard enough :(
ReplyDelete*can imagine
DeleteWe have not lost a pet since being 'grown up', so I can't imagine how you feel. I will be praying for your family during this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss. :-(
ReplyDeleteThe last time I'd lost a pet was in November of 2000. It was my beloved Chihuahua of 13 years. I was heartbroken. I've had other pets since then, but I still cry over that dog from time to time. For me, the only way to even start to cope was to get another puppy. At that same time, my parents (registered Min Pin breeders back then) had a litter that was about ready to go and there was one that I was particularly fond of. They gave him to me and he was my side kick right up until I left the country. (He stayed with my family after I'd left.)
It wasn't a replacement. My MinPin was entirely different than my Chi. Having that new friend really did help, though. Hopefully you guys can find a solution that helps ease your own grief.
Aw, I am so sorry. I have not lost a pet, but we have had to give some of our pets away and I was emotional. I fear the day something happens to our current dog - she and I are closer than I have ever been to any pet I have ever owned. Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteMy mother's dog that she had for 16 years died when I was quite young, and she wasn't really fond of little children, so I wasn't attached. We had another dog named Snoopy when I was 5, and ran away a few days before my family and I moved out of state. She was the most AMAZING dog, very friendly. She loved it when my sister and I would curl up next to her and would only growl when the neighborhood bully tried to hurt me. She was terrified of leaving our house/yard, so my mom administered all of her vaccines herself because she did not want to leave the house to go to the vet. She would dig holes under the fence, but would never leave. She panicked though when we began our process of moving. I was scared to move a few states away and leaving all my friends, so I "confided" in her and told me all about my fears and how angry that I was too leave. I often blamed her running away on myself. I cried for months because we couldn't find her.
ReplyDeleteOur other family dog is pushing 16 years old and has had diabetes for the past couple of years. He has his ups and downs, but we know that his time will be up soon. I am already heartbroken :-(
Oh how sad. I am so sorry. It is so hard to lose a loving pet.
ReplyDeleteWe have a cat going on 15...
May the sweet pup rest in peace. Sending you lots of love and hugs.
Sorry for your loss. Sounds like he was a great member of your family. It is so hard to loose a member of your family, doesn't matter if they have 2 legs for 4.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry - I haven't experienced this before, so I don't know exactly how it feels. But I can imagine. My cat is 11 years old and it will be a sad, sad day when she leaves us.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. When I was 10 years old my cat was killed by a dog. I cried so much...I have actually lost my love for animals since then.
ReplyDeleteOhhh my gosh! Sending hugs your way. It's so sad when pets pass on. We've had numerous pets in our lives, and all were definitely members of the family. I love our pets more than I like some people! LOL! So sad to hear your canine baby is now in doggy heaven. Hugs!!
ReplyDeleteMy sincere condolences your loss; Hunter was obviously a very beloved family member. You can definitely see the love in your photos, not only for him, but from him.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss, reading this brings back so many memories. We lost our 9 yr old chocolate lab, Lacey on 11/01/10 and it was so hard. She had bone cancer in her chest and through her neck, and we kept trying surgeries to give us more time with her. The last surgery she just didn't wake up from and she stopped breathing, the vet said her body couldn't take anymore. I didn't even think to say good-bye before they took her back for surgery. I regret that so much. My daughter is 3.5 now and she doesn't remember Lacey at all, but Lacey loved her to death, she was always so sweet and loving with her. We ended up having her cremated and she sits next to a picture. We still have a beagle who is 10 who's health is turning, so it's going to be so sad to go through all of this again, and a bit harder now that my daughter is older. It gets easier as time goes by, you remember the good more than the bad near the end...but I do still think about her daily. My husband and I are torn about getting another pet after our beagle passes. I don't want to go through all of that again, it's just too hard. They really do become part of your family, esp. after so many years with them. Many hugs for your family, I hope you all find peace in knowing he had a long good life.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss. ((hugs)) It is one of the hardest things to go through, you have my sympathy.
ReplyDeleteI am (and always have been) an animal lover so I have had lots of animals and have taken on some of the most ill. The saddest loss had to be the orphan kittens I was hand feeding. They were doing good until I had to go to the hospital to give birth. I left them in the care of someone I won't name and she did not take care of them much at all. After having a c-section and a traumatic birth I came home to one already passed and 2 who tried to keep going but 4 days without food and care they could not bounce back from. I loved those little things so much. I don't know how much of my grief was due to pregnancy hormones or just have given birth with a son I couldn't hold in the NICU but I was devistated. I still cry whenever I think about it.
Animals are a part of our families, and their loss can be just as hard to deal with. I hope you are able to get past the sadness and lost feelings to remember Hunter with a smile on your face. He looked like a great dog in the pictures. His character shines through.
So sorry for your loss! Next month we have to give the dog we've been pet sitting for the past 4 months back to her owner and we were thinking that was (or will be) rough but nothing like losing a pet the way you have. Your dog looks like he was an awesome part of the family.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a pet (other than hamsters and fish but that seemed very different) die since before I was married but I remember my past pets with much fondness.
3 years ago I lost my best friend, my dog Carmel (Carmie was his nickname)! We got him when I was 12 and we moved into our first house. He was a cocker spaniel who was the same colors as a cowtail (the candy)! He was a fat and hairy doggy who loved to be right in your way and had his own couch cushion that was his and his alone! He had epilepsy and it only got worse towards the end. He died 2 days after my high school graduation and 4 days before his 7th birthday. That summer was the worst for my family! A month before our dog died, my gramma passed away and my uncle who helped us bury our dog passed away 2 months later. We never got another dog...my sister got a cat though....two words...DEVILS SPAWN! HA HA :) I do want to get another dog someday or a cat if my boyfriend has his way. Carmel will always be with us and I think about him every time i eat something with caramel in it!
ReplyDelete