OT- Man's Best Friend

[familytoad]

It’s a duty most of us had to deal with before.
It’s a lot tougher than it sounds.
It’s as heart wrenching as just about anything I have had to do, in fact.
Tomorrow morning we are putting down our beloved dog.
Sammie has been with us nearly 11 years.
He’s hurting with a very quick onset of cancerous tumors and cannot breathe very well.
I tear up thinking about me driving him in the morning to his “appointment”, because he has some good hours and some bad. Mostly bad in the past couple weeks.
He was very cheerful in the past hour as we drove to McDonald’s to buy him a softserve.
It’s a 16 mile round trip to spend that $1.08 but it’ll be a priceless memory for us as we lose our best buddy tomorrow.
I have to type this now, because I doubt I will be able to tomorrow.

I’ll share a picture, feel free to share pics of your pals.
Sorry to go so far off topic from baseball cards…Thanks for understanding.

[E93]

That's got to be tough Brian. I am sorry.
JimB

[jcmtiger]

Yes, that is very tough, had to do this with 3 dogs, Sunday, Vanessa, Pandora, and my cat Milford. No more pets for me.

Joe

[deebro041]

Brian, I am sorry to hear about your pal. I have had dogs for a companion most of my life. I have never had to put one down and feel that must be one of the toughest thing to do. Dogs are great, they never get mad at you no matter what you do or say to them, they listen(most times) to what you have to say without judging you, they make you smile when they act goofy and everyone is ok with that. I have always said dogs are man's only friend!
Best wishes. Here is a pic of my pal Pete who is 8 on Sunday.
Dan

[Matthew80]

Been there... Like all tough things, time will make it easier, and you'll soon have nothing but happy and funny memories of your beloved pal.

I trust you'll love Sammie up and comfort him tomorrow , which will be very hard to do, I know. But it's what he needs and deserves as family.

[away from my computer, so afraid I can't post pics of my Lucy]

Kudos to you and yours for making the right decision for Sammie despite how dreadful it is.

[Bicem]

Sorry to hear this Brian, have 2 myself and can only imagine how tough it must be.

[wonkaticket]

Sorry to hear this Brian, tough tough thing to deal with.

John

[barrysloate]

I've had to do the same Brian with several pets, and I have an 11 year old cat who is a part of our family. I know how difficult a day it will be. I wish you the best and understand what you are going through. Peace.

[jp1216]

Owning my first dog finally. Grew up with cats. Words can't explain what she means to our family. She is only 2, but I know someday the time will come. Good Luck today Brian. I sense a trip to McDonald's in our plans today...

[yanksfan09]

Sorry to hear this, I've lost dogs before and know how tough it is. Wish you the best.

[vwtdi]

Very sorry Brian. I've been a dog and animal lover my entire life and have always tried to return as much of a portion of the love they give to us as I can. My Jessie has been battling Lyme since she's been adopted and is now facing arthritis..I love her up and cherish every day with her.

[Mark]

Like everybody else, I am sorry to hear about your dog. It is a pretty tough thing to have to do. For me, I suppose it has something to do with the fact that the dog seems innocent of a lot of things, including knowledge of the fact of death. When we had to do it about 7 years ago, when my 12 year old collie was dying of cancer, I tried to remember that we did everything we could to give the old boy as happy a life as possible.

[kmac32]

Brian,

Never an easy thing to do. I have put down many pets in my career for various reasons and it never gets any easier. The day it gets easy is the day to leave practice. Rest assured however that it is painless for the pet if done correctly. I usually give the pet a sedative and place an I've catheter if a family member wants to be present.its better for the pet and the family.

Ken McMillan DVM

[emmygirl]

scan0011.jpgSorry to hear that Brian.... yes I too have had to put down my very best friend "Emmygirl". Hope you recieve lots of support from family and friends as I did. God Bless, Jim

[dlfallen]

I had to put down our dog, Malcolm, many years ago. I can still remember that day clearly. I wish it would fade . . .

The thing I miss most about Malcolm is sharing breakfast with him. Nearly every morning I would toast two blueberry Pop Tarts. I would eat the centers and Malcolm would eat the crusts. It was a special time for us to start each day. To this day, I cannot walk by a Pop Tart display at the grocery store without thinking of Malcolm. And I don't eat them for breakfast anymore. They just don't taste the same.

[Gradedcardman]

I put my Sampson down earlier this year and still dealing with the loss.

[calvindog]

Brian, very sorry to hear this sad news. It's been 18 months since my guy has been gone and it still hurts the same.

[pgellis]

Brian,

Sorry to hear about the bad news. I know exactly how you feel.

We just had to put down our 8.5 year old German Shepherd in March. It was extremely painful. I said, "I'm done, no more". But about 2 months later in May, my wife emailed me a bunch of photos of some shelter dogs and then I was on a mission.

The house was just not the same without a dog. Very quiet, no more walks, etc.

We found a rescue dog in May and both my wife and I are absolutely enamored with him. Dogs change your life, they make you smile.

We are so in love with our new guy, Boomer. It feels wonderful to rescue a dog and give it a loving home. Our Boomer was abandoned in Georgia and was in a high-kill shelter. He was supposed to be gassed 2 times, but for some reason they missed his pen both times.

Brian, you may be saying to yourself "never again" because of the incredible pain of today, but once a dog lover, always a dog lover.

[k-dog]

Breaks my heart too. I think I love dogs more than I do people most of the time! I had Kali(a Pharaoh Hound) that was poisoned that I had to put down in the late 90s and Sunni (a Samoyed) that I had for 12 years that I also had to make the hard decision to say goodbye to. So sorry about this. Here are a few pics of our pups in support and a poem:

Klondike:


Delilah(Klondike's Daughter):

And our newest family member Simba:

[scooter729]

My heart goes out to anyone losing a beloved pet, as these guys really do become family members. Good luck Brian, and that picture of Sammie with the ice cream cone is precious.

Our "first-born" is my avatar, our 5-year old Wheaten Terrier, Murphy. When my wife became pregnant, we were nervous as to how Murph would react, as he's been the only one on the scene for five years. Little did we know how lucky we'd be, as Murphy has taken to being the ideal protective big brother!

Murphy will often sit and stand guard by his now 3-month old baby brother Alexander, enjoy licking a toe or two sometimes, and gets nervous if "strange people" (friends he doesn't recognize) come over and want to get close to the baby.

This has just made Murphy so much more important to us, and he is as much a member of the family as anyone else.

[Prof_Plum]

Brian, I feel for you and your family. It's never easy. As with others here, I've had to make that dreaded trip to the vets on a couple of occasions. I even turned back one time because I just couldn't do it - until a couple days later.

After the last vet's visit, I wasn't going to get another dog for quite awhile. But then unexpectedly the vet called a couple of months later and said they had a family from Chicago return their puppy to the breeder here in Missouri and that he was now looking for a new home. Me living in St. Louis while being a Cub fan and the puppy's name being Wrigley seemed too serendipitous to ignore. He's 3 yrs old now and I couldn't be happier with my decision to take this 'rescue' on.

[CubsFanCurt]

Originally Posted by Prof_Plum

Brian, I feel for you and your family. It's never easy. As with others here, I've had to make that dreaded trip to the vets on a couple of occasions. I even turned back one time because I just couldn't do it - until a couple days later.

After the last vet's visit, I wasn't going to get another dog for quite awhile. But then unexpectedly the vet called a couple of months later and said they had a family from Chicago return their puppy to the breeder here in Missouri and that he was now looking for a new home. Me living in St. Louis while being a Cub fan and the puppy's name being Wrigley seemed too serendipitous to ignore. He's 3 yrs old now and I couldn't be happier with my decision to take this 'rescue' on.

Wrigley is adorable!

Brain, I am very sorry for what you are going through and my heart breaks. I lost my guy, Harry in April of this year while he was on the operating table getting a small tumor removed. The loss still hits me like a ton of bricks. In July I got a new guy, Noodles (little fox terrier), from the shelter. A couple weeks back he was mauled by a pit bull but has made a full recovery. I think he has earned a spiked dog collar for that one

[rainier2004]

Brian - I am very sorry for your loss.

My whole life I actually disliked dogs. Eventually I got together with my current wife and she had a 6-month doberman and I either got both or neither-package deal. That dog turned out to be one the best friends Ill ever have had held him the day we said good-bye very similar to you from euthanization related to cancer. It was horrible. Dogs are the meaning of unconditional love.

Take your time with your loss. I'm sorry for everyone else's loss as well. In the end we are responsible for the well-being of these animals and that includes this final decision...take solace in the fact that the right decision was made and I believe our animals know that.

[forazzurri2axz]

Like Steven above, never had a dog, and never felt close til I met my wife 10 yrs ago. Fell in love with her and then her 3 yr old Maltese Prince. I freaked when I went to her place the first time and found myself in bed with a dog!!
Couldn't believe people slept witjh their dogs----Guess where Prince sleeps now---right next to me!!!Guess who goes to the office with me---MY dog Prince!! Guess who is with "his dad" 24/7 MY doggie Prince.

Prince was just diagnosed with the beginning of heart failure. Just typing that sentence makes me cry. So in honor of your Sammie, and my Princie-Doggie, I will go with him to mcDonald's today and let him have a lick of a vanilla soft serve also. Be strong Brian and grateful for the most unconditional love we ever receive

Bill Latzko

[atx840]

Sorry to hear this, sad day for sure.

A few years ago me and my wife had to put down our 5yr old Lab/Border Collie. Little dude swam in both oceans, climbed several of the Rocky mountains and flown with us on many trips...I bawld more then my 4yr old.

[brickyardkennedy]

Brian,

As an animal guy, who has lost more companions through the years than I care to recall, I've known the pain you are experiencing, well. May you find the strength to get through this and with time, the abating of the hurt.

[Tom S.]

Brian,

I am so sorry to hear about your pal Sammie. Even though he will be leaving your family soon, know that he will be done with his suffering and will be waiting for you in the afterlife.

I have a yellow Lab named Payton who is a little older (11.5 yrs), and I'm dreading the day that I will have to make the same decision. Last Thanksgiving, I got a call from friends who had a littermate of my dog - they had to put their dog down for the exact same reason as Sammie.

This June, I took my Payton in for his yearly checkup. I thought that he had been putting on some weight because he was getting chunky in the belly area, but the vet thought something else was going on. She took an ultrasound of the abdomen area and recommended immediate surgery. It turned out that he had a 13-pound splenic mass removed which fortunately was benign. He is now back in good health again, and I consider every day that he's still with me a blessing.

[Rickyy]

Wow that's heartbreaking...anyone whose had pets can relate...my prayers and thoughts to the family.... :/

Ricky Y

[olrac44]

Brian,

Sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences to your family.

My dogs are with me all the time so the thought of losing them one day is tough to swallow but it makes me appreciate the time I spend with them that much more.

C

[t213]

Brian,

Thanks for sharing. This is our dog Zack sitting by his window where he likes to monitor our front yard and the street. He doesn't do any tricks (other than he can poop on command), lacks any real dog type skills (tracking, fetching, etc), but he loves my sons with all his heart and they love him. That's all I really care about.

Andy

[Tobacco&Gum]

Sorry for you family's loss. A pets time with us here on earth is short, but the lessons they teach us on love, loyalty, and friendship last forever.

Rest In Peace Sammie.

[familytoad]

Guys, these posts really helped.
As I suspected, yesterday sucked bad. Today isn't much better yet.

Reading through this thread comforted me and encouraged me...that's why I reached out here in the first place. We have so much in common that sharing good things (like the pickup threads) and the bad things (this one and others) feels right.

I can't thank you enough, your messages are touching.
You guys have great cards, and great dogs...you must be great guys