God please forgive me

[johnny68]

i just had to do one of the hardest things ive done. My dog sammie who was 13 a black lab shepard was at the point of not being able to walk or controll anything was sent to watch over us he was a great dog and will be missed by all who knew him. you could see it in his eyes he wanted to be free from the pain. i buried him up on a small ledge over looking our master bed room and my oldest sons room im sorry for telling you guys this but had to get it off my chest. the wife and kids know its for the best and that he is in a better place and understand it had to be done i had no idea i would feel as bad as i do. i guess all who have dogs just give them an extra hug and belly scratch for me and say thats from sammie. boy a 40 year old guy tearing up like a child
john
:angel:

[mc84_zz4]

Dang it man, I feel for you and your family.
We lost our 13 yrs old Weimaraner; Bruno, just over 2 yrs ago, and we still get misty-eyed remembering him, my dog was 1 yr older than my son, so he was his buddy and protector for his entire life until then.
You know Sammie had a good life, a good family, and you kept your obligation to him, to not suffer.
Hang in there, share stories, and funny things he did. It doesn't get easier for a while, but you may be able to laugh, and remember some great times.
Your dog is in doggie heaven, running around, and chasing frisbees with my dog.
:cheers:

[moreHP]

Boy do I ever understand how hard that is. To me losing one of my dogs is as bad as anything can be. I still feel bad over a dog I lost 4 years ago to cancer. And of course I am even more attached to the dog I have now.
I am sorry you have to go through this, but you know he had a great life with your family and you just have to remember those good times.

[mikey]

I know exactly how you feel I had to do the same thing 1 year ago today. Try doing that and then going home and calling your sister to wish her a happy birthday and she asks how your dog is and you can't talk. So you are not alone I had him cremated when I went in to make arrangements they took us in like a display room full of urns and coffins I had to walk out and let my wife handle it for me. The best part was when we got home my other dog jumped on me and knocked me back about a foot and gve me a big lick accross the face I think he knewwhat had happened

[Bryce]

Sorry to hear that John. It sounds like you did the right thing.

My dog just got diagnosed with cancer. She is fitting hard, had three surgeries and three chemo treatments. Its so sad.

[dontlifttoshift]

I feel ya, I was closer to my yellow lab than most of my family.

[critter]

Same here. And I'm over 50 now. I cry like a baby every time I've lost one. Two belly scratches in Sammie's name will be administered tonight when I get home.

[68KMARO]

I feel for you all. we lost our 10 year old rescue neopolitan mastiff santino in august and our 14year old pitbull pucino in october. My wife has cancer and having those two boys pass is devastating. we rescue our dogs right off the streets of south central los angeles where we have a warehouse. just remember all the great times, every day you shared with them.

rich

[Samckitt]

Been there, done that. It is tough John I know. Dreading when I have to do it for the other dogs we have.

[jy211]

I feel your pain...I just had to do the same thing to one of my Staffy's... :(

[Ron.in.SoCal]

No shame in crying John. Your Sammie was a member of the family and much loved. It's never easy letting go and he will be with you forever. Having had to do this a couple of times - one was very similar to yours - I was somewhat comforted by the advice given to me: you hang onto the dog and long as he has his dignity; he'll tell you when it's time.

Saying good-bye and returning to an empty house is so very hard. It took me a year to get over it last time.

The good news is I currrently have a dog named Sammy, and tonight I'll give him a rub and tell him his brother says hi...

43424

[6'9"Witha69]

Not only does God forgive you, He and Sammie thank you. Dogs are family, like another child. It is VERY hard. But you did the right thing.

[CarlC]

Forgiveness is for when you do something wrong. No forgiveness needed, you did the right thing.

One year ago next month my wife Kris and I stood in the vet's office and said our goodbyes to Gringo. She was the best companion dog I've ever had, and Kris' first dog. We could have stretched out the end, but it would have only been for our benefit, not the dogs. They entrust us to make the right choice for them. You did, and it hurt, but that means you cared.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

We got another dog in less than two weeks. It helped my wife a bunch to have another one to fill the void and my young boys now have a young playful dog too.

[Kenova]

You have my heart felt condolences.
I've had to do the same thing twice. The last time was so hard that I haven't been able to even think about having another dog.
Tearing up just thinking about it.

Ken

[johnny68]

you guys are the greatest thank you all for you thoughts and support my son cole made an old time stick and rope cross for sams grave and sandy put flowers up on it. ok gotta stop this screen gettin blury ok change subject. they say when you grive it helps if you um (eat) noo,, spend money so i called up blake and ordered my rear end and torque arm set up today i feel i tad better at least till sandy gets the visa card statement. anywho thanks again all
john

[rfalker1]

Big Support too you guys, they just found my dog, dead yesterday, my 5 year buddy, always rode in the car with me. They say somebody tried to steal him then he got a way, and was found dead about 2 miles away from home.
Its so sad, he was one of the nicest dogs. Period

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/n37618799_34225065_272-1.jpg

[neki67]

Feeling your pain even across the pond . . .

[JEFFTATE]

I feel your pain too , John .
I had to put down my 15 year old Pitbull . ( This happened in 1996 )
She would not eat , would not move from the same spot , and could not control herself .. She could not get up and move any more.
It was time for her to go to Heaven .
I hated to have her put to sleep , and I held her while it happened ..
It's a memory I can't forget ..

My current dog ( Australian Shepherd Mix ) is so nice and well behaved .
He's like a well behaved mature kid.
He's my buddy , and I dread the day when he gets too old ...

[1969CamaroRS]

I feel for ya John. We lost our black lab Abbey a several years ago as well under similar circumstances. Ended up getting 'Bruno' a German Short-haired pointer as a birthday present last year. A new dog does help, but you do never forget or stop loving them, still remember my first dog as a kid.

[The Stickman]

We all know it was for the best. It kills me to see suffering. My dad was always taxed with that job a few times, even though they weren't our dogs. Must have been hard for him too.

[johnny68]

hey randy im sorry and feel for you,, you and he will be in our thoughts prayers
john

[Damn True]

That's part of the contract. They take care of you when you need it, and in the end you take care of them when they need it.


In October of 1991 I decided that my new home needed a dog. I ventured out from Brooklyn N.Y. to the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, Long Island. The NSAL is a “no-kill” animal shelter. I made about five trips out over a few weeks looking for just the right dog. On my last trip I found a 1.5 year old English Pointer / German Shorthair mix.

He was skinny, underfed, and had been abused by his previous owner. He was barking at everyone that passed his kennel and jumping around excitedly. I knelt in front of his kennel, told him shush, and he did, told him to sit, and he did. He became very calm as I sat in front of him and quietly looked me in the eye as if to say, "take me out of here and I will be your friend forever." I didn’t realize it at the time, but rather than me choosing him, he chose me. Dutch came home with me that afternoon.

His abuse had some profound effects on him. He wouldn't let me touch him for at least a week, and it was over three months before I could touch his head. It took nearly a year before anyone but me could touch his head. He was afraid of grass. Apparently his previous owners lived in an apartment or kept him in a paved run. But he never once made a mess in the house, or chewed any sort of furniture or shoes. He always sat when told to, never barked excessively.

When I brought him home he had a small open sore on the tip of his whip-like tail. It was caused by banging it on the sides of his kennel while he was at the shelter. It would never quite heal. When I would come home from work, he would sprint through the house wagging his tail and whack it on something, re-opening the sore. Eventually, we had to have about 6" of his tail bobbed because the tip was getting infected. This made his coffee table clearing whip-like tail into a billy-club. He would walk up behind me while I was cooking or doing dishes and hit me with it behind the knees and buckle me. Often amusing, but it resulted in the breakage of a lot of dishware.

He had some strange eating habits though... I made a few mistakes and left things within his reach that I should not have. Various defrosting dinner items such as an entire chicken, a package of pork ribs, styrofoam, saran-wrap and all. He once at 5 dozen hazelnut-snowball Christmas cookies. He ate a pound of See's Chocolates that was wrapped under the Christmas tree. He ate an entire bottle of Zantac (he didn't eat anything for about 5 days after that). But he taught me the dog-owner lessons I needed and eventually these things stopped happening.

He liked to run. A lot. Somewhere in the back of his walnut sized brain was something that told him, "You are a pointer. You are a vastly superior animal. You must remain 50yds in front of humans to show the dummies where the birds are." which often made it difficult to rein him in if he got off the leash. Additionally, something in his brain told him, "You are a pointer. You are a vastly superior animal. You are not required to "fetch", leave that to those slobbering Labradors. Besides, if that human dummy really wanted that ball he shouldn't have thrown it all the way across the field."

I used to be required to spend one out of four nights at work and periodically had to go on deployments for up to four months. When my then wife would get home he would jump around excitedly and when he realized that I wasn't with her he would sit at the front door to the house and wait for me to come home…every night for four months, until I did finally come home.

He was with me for just about everything. I took him with me when I moved from N.Y. to Hawaii, and he came with me when I moved from Hawaii to San Jose. He accompanied me on camping trips, he rode shotgun while four-wheeling, he went fishing, he would come along on simple errands, and he often came with me when I would go to visit my Mom in Auburn, my Dad in Tracy, or my Grandparents in Santa Clara.

He knew when I was sad. When an accident happened at work that killed two friends - when I was going through my divorce - when my father was in the hospital - when I lost my job. His demeanor would change. He would quietly follow me around the house and whenever I stood still or sat he would rest his head against my leg and quietly look at me with his brown eyes and make good on his promise to be my friend forever.

On April 12, 2003 I quietly followed him into an exam room at the Vet's rested my hand on his head and returned the favor of friendship as he slipped away.https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/dutch-1.jpg

Our current girl, Roxy is 10yrs old which is pretty much playing with house money for her breed. Guessing we'll have to put her down sometime in the next 2yrs at most.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/roxy1-1.jpg

[tylers88]

Got to this late but I feel for you, November 5th I had to put down the best hunting dog I think I will ever have, Blaze. Luckily my other lab, Zoe(long E), is in VERY good health for being 8 and still has an incredible drive to hunt.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/picturephpalbumid2661pictureid13897-1.jpg
This is my senior picture with him. I was 17 and he was 9.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
He is in the front and 11 and she is 7. It ended up being his last duck retreve and her first.
He now goes with my where ever I go as his colar and my grandpas Corpus Cristy Navy access badge from WWII are hanging from my mirror in the truck

[dropit69]

John sorry for your loss i have a 15 yr old American Eskimo that is slowly starting to go down hill i dread day i have to put her down..but ill know she is in better place..hope all gets better for ya..

[johnny68]

thanks darrin tyler and true it truelly helps. was a tough day had a job at a tele pole and there was a chocolate lab at the gate by the pole waiting for her owner had to pet her for a couple min. and it brought a tear to my eye it felt good thou.
john
hey true ,,great signature love that song bud

[stage2ROUSH]

yep here I am tearing like crazy !! had to do this for our16 yr old chow, she was the most amazing dog/family member. got to where she didnt want to eat could not stand up, or control her functions, I held her paw, in my hand, told her I loved her, and it was okay to go.{ wow, its really hard to type with tears in your eyes }. but!!! we have 3 and they are the best !!!!! our thoughts with you, your kids, and your bestest bud.

[kttrucks]

John, we just went through a similar thing with one of ours... it tears your heart out.

Those of us who've been through it understand. No guilt... only love, which is what motivated you to do whats right and compassionate.

You should be at peace with your decision.

KT.

[gsxrken]

Sorry to hear about your friend. I just finished a powerful book that I suggest anyone who has lost a dog should read.
http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Sprite-Lovers-Story-Anguish/dp/1439165432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295410579&sr=1-1
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/411CvVb2BtdL_BO2204203200_PIsitbstickera-1.jpg

[68nate]

Been there as well 2 years ago with my 9 year old Yellow Lab Max. Out of nowhere a giant tumor developed on his jaw. Vet removed it, said it was bone cancer and it would probably be back within 2 weeks, which it was and his health quickly deteriorated from there. It was very hard to pick up the phone to call the vet and tell him it was time. Wife and I and the kids spent the afternoon loving on him, Then shortly before the vet arrived I took him up on the hill to his favorite spot to sit and watch over our property. We sat there watching the setting sun until the vet arrived. And yes I cried my eyes out while I dug his grave and buried him right there in his favorite spot. Still makes my heart hurt when I think about him or see an old picture.

You did the right thing- compassion for a suffering living creature does not require forgiveness. I hope you find peace and when the time is right a new furry friend.

An extra belly scratch is being administered as I type to Sid ( The humungous, too big to be a house dog but is anyway, farts like a human, and I'm pretty sure he thinks he's a cat) our Great Pyrnese who has helped fill some of the void in our hearts.

[SPCHIV]

A great book for car guys with dogs is "The Art of Racing in the Rain". It is a wonderful story.