A fine read for both pet owners and non..
a very very well written article from a Vet in the UK
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 113157.ece
Dog gone: Mourning a pet
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Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
I must admit, that even though I'm a very tall, very heavy, grown up man, I had a teardrop in the corner of my eye while reading this.
We have always had dogs, and the feelings he describes are no different from the ones I've had through the years.
Up until now I have laid 4 dogs to rest, and I hate it equally each time.
Our current German Shepherd has just passed 4, but being a big guy as he is, we do not expect him to be very old. Sad will be the day when his time has come. Despite the fact that he barks at each and every person, fictitious or real, that passes our house ;-)
Nice find Joe.
We have always had dogs, and the feelings he describes are no different from the ones I've had through the years.
Up until now I have laid 4 dogs to rest, and I hate it equally each time.
Our current German Shepherd has just passed 4, but being a big guy as he is, we do not expect him to be very old. Sad will be the day when his time has come. Despite the fact that he barks at each and every person, fictitious or real, that passes our house ;-)
Nice find Joe.
Last edited by DanKH on 01 Nov 2007, 10:32, edited 1 time in total.
Best Rgds
Dan
Who's General Failure, and why is he reading my harddisk?
Dan
Who's General Failure, and why is he reading my harddisk?
Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
Could not agree more Dan.
I had my last little fella for 16 & 1/2 years. The last six months due to the great vet we had, kept him going after a massive stroke. He is now at rest in my back garden.
Graham
I had my last little fella for 16 & 1/2 years. The last six months due to the great vet we had, kept him going after a massive stroke. He is now at rest in my back garden.
Graham
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
We had a Belgium Shepherd for thirteen years, although she was attached to my wife more than me (the female species stick together you know) :roll: .....She was very much part of the family and when the day came (after 2 weeks treatment for a stroke) it was decided in her best interests to put her down.
One can become very selfish in these situations as animals are very much part of family life and you don't want to lose them, you just want them to get better even though there is no chance you can be put into a position of wanting to try just a few more days/weeks with the treatment as it might just work.
I am not ashamed to say that I cried as I held her in my arms as the injection was administered whilst she looked into my eyes, for I was holding an animal that was very much part of the family and more than anything else.....gave love.....was loyal......and trusted us completely, after she passed away I felt that I had betrayed that trust but knew it was for the best.....Four years on I still have her lead!!
Nigel.
One can become very selfish in these situations as animals are very much part of family life and you don't want to lose them, you just want them to get better even though there is no chance you can be put into a position of wanting to try just a few more days/weeks with the treatment as it might just work.
I am not ashamed to say that I cried as I held her in my arms as the injection was administered whilst she looked into my eyes, for I was holding an animal that was very much part of the family and more than anything else.....gave love.....was loyal......and trusted us completely, after she passed away I felt that I had betrayed that trust but knew it was for the best.....Four years on I still have her lead!!
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.
Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
I know this thread is about the man's best friend, but we are also so lucky to have cats and rabbits as well, all living in perfect harmony. Even the rabbits has free access to our garden and comes and goes just like the dog and cats.
Last year we also had two mice. Although the didn't had the same liberty to examine our garden, we still took every opportunity to take them out of the cage and pet them. One of them died during our summer holiday, and the remaining had a few good months after that. The both lived to be approx. 3 years which is pretty high in "mice-standards".
Sadly one day the old git developed cancer and developed quite a lump at the chin. We decided to free it from its pains and instead of doing the deed ourselves I went to the vet and let them do it. His last deed was to bite my index finger. Not hard just a kind of reaction from the uncertainty I guess, and then he fell quietly to sleep.
I can seem rather ridiculous the pay money, and quite a lot I might add, instead of "just" fetching a hammer or feed it to the cats ..... but they were part of the family as much as our other pets. Though we don't normally speak pout loud about this (you can imagine why) we still think it was the right thing to do. The price of putting on mouse to sleep could easily be spend on buying 10 new ones..... but still, I think it was the right thing to do. If you are prepared to take on the responsibility to have an animal, you must also be prepared to take it the whole way, including letting them go when its time with decent respect for other life.
Well this went a bit OFFTOPIC sorry. :-)
Last year we also had two mice. Although the didn't had the same liberty to examine our garden, we still took every opportunity to take them out of the cage and pet them. One of them died during our summer holiday, and the remaining had a few good months after that. The both lived to be approx. 3 years which is pretty high in "mice-standards".
Sadly one day the old git developed cancer and developed quite a lump at the chin. We decided to free it from its pains and instead of doing the deed ourselves I went to the vet and let them do it. His last deed was to bite my index finger. Not hard just a kind of reaction from the uncertainty I guess, and then he fell quietly to sleep.
I can seem rather ridiculous the pay money, and quite a lot I might add, instead of "just" fetching a hammer or feed it to the cats ..... but they were part of the family as much as our other pets. Though we don't normally speak pout loud about this (you can imagine why) we still think it was the right thing to do. The price of putting on mouse to sleep could easily be spend on buying 10 new ones..... but still, I think it was the right thing to do. If you are prepared to take on the responsibility to have an animal, you must also be prepared to take it the whole way, including letting them go when its time with decent respect for other life.
Well this went a bit OFFTOPIC sorry. :-)
Best Rgds
Dan
Who's General Failure, and why is he reading my harddisk?
Dan
Who's General Failure, and why is he reading my harddisk?
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Harry Basset
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Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
I read this article with my eyes brimming. My Basset, Harry, died at Easter, his ashes are in an Aga shaped ornamental teapot on the mantelpiece in our living room so he is still with his pack. We have kept the pack up to strength with Rosie,now six months old and full of fun and mischief. She has given 6 year old Daisy a new lease on life.
Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
Not at all Dan
I took more from the story than the loss of a pet.
I saw the joy of sharing a home to a animal that probably
would have never known a good home or a caring master.
Joe
I took more from the story than the loss of a pet.
I saw the joy of sharing a home to a animal that probably
would have never known a good home or a caring master.
Joe
Re: Dog gone: Mourning a pet
Lovely stuff. What a wonderful piece of writing.
