Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 17 of 17
  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    2,291

    Default

    Sorry for your loss Daze... Dogs ARE Family! Mine's 12 and a dread the day...
    Brad

    2011 Launch 21V Sold... boatless replaced with a Jeep JKUR
    2006 Moomba Mobius LSV sold
    2004 Outback sold

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Vancouver, WA
    Posts
    5,456

    Default

    Daze, my condolences to you and your family. My brother lost two dogs the same day about two yrs ago and shared this story with me that helped both him and his kids.

    Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owner, his wife, and their little boy were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

    As we made arrangements, the owners told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old boy to observe the procedure. They felt he could learn something from the experience.

    The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. The little boy seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.

    Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

    We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

    The little boy, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

    Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year- old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."


    (From http://www.all-creatures.org/stories/whydogs.html )
    So when is this "old enough to know better" supposed to kick in?

    2001 MobiusV - Slightly Modified...

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Tuscaloosa, Alabama
    Posts
    815

    Default

    Dang Daze. sorry to hear that. Pets can be the same as a child nearly/
    Jack Beams
    '05 Outback DD
    325HP EFI Indmar

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Belton, Texas
    Posts
    2,607

    Default

    My condolences Daze
    Jason

    Go Hard or Go Home.......it's MOOMBA time!!

    2009 Moomba Mobius LSV

  5. #15
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    North End Lake Lanier GA
    Posts
    8,155

    Default

    Our prayers are with you friend, Me and Claudia only have dogs for kids, and we have 1 who is very old and sick, its hard because each week i can tell hes getting worse, hes almost blind now, going deaf but he still moves like a trooper. I have had him for 11 years now and i know ill be a mess when hes gone. I get all choked up thinking about it even now.

    I can only imagine the pain in your loss man, just know that you can depend on your family and friends in times like these. This is when you really find out who is real or not.

    Mike
    Malo <--- Means--Evil or Mean One. This explains a lot.
    2013 Mojo 2.5 Skylon Tower. Bestia < Beast >
    [COLOR="#696969"]

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Land O Lakes, Florida
    Posts
    6,377

    Default

    Thanks for your thoughts guys, really do appriciate it. The last couple months were really hard to watch her go down slowly. The last night I had her I was listning to her labored breathing while she slept and then getting up to check on her when I didnt hear her I just knew the time had come.

    Pat has the story correct in that we took her in as a stray off the road-covered in flea's and stinkin like a sewage treatment plant and with what looked like a broken leg when she was puppy. I have many fond memories of the last 14yrs together with her and am very gratefull for that. I Enjoyed taking her fishing many times, walks around the block and just hanging out, she allways stayed close by.

    I swear I catch a glimps of her running out of the corner of my eye in the yard still.

    Sandy, I miss you terrible and look forward to seeing you on the otherside of the rainbow bridge, in the meantime sniff out Ebony and Fritz and enjoy running as fast as you did when you were a pup with no brakes.
    Hey, Its Moomba time

    Its all about the dash - enjoy the dash, as that is your time between the dates
    13 Mobius LSV-sold
    08 Mobius LSV-sold
    03 Mobius LSV-sold
    life is about finding the balance between being a responsible adult and staying young at heart

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Land O Lakes, Florida
    Posts
    6,377

    Default

    Recieved this in a email from a friend and thought I would pass it on

    Grieving: When Your Dog Mourns the Loss of Another Dog





    Life can change drastically for a dog who loses the companionship of another dog. We don't know how much dogs understand about death, but many dog lovers have experienced a dog who became lethargic, upset, or even ill after a dog companion dies. It can be heart breaking, just when you are also grieving the loss yourself.
    Helping your dog adjust to this loss will help you at the same time. Realize that without the other canine pack member, your dog's position in life has now changed. You may now have a former leader dog without a follower. Or you may have a former follower dog without a canine leader. You will need to help your dog find the way to a healthy new position in the social order.
    If you've previously done positive training with your dog, you're in a great position to help the dog now. In fact, you may not even have a problem now. Positive training to a reliable level of response usually creates a strong bond between handler and dog. It also creates clear communication between the two of you. The bond and the communication make it completely natural for the dog to look to you for leadership. In this situation, some dogs' personalities will actually blossom after the loss of another dog.
    Why would this happen? We don't always realize how much stress a relationship with another dog is placing on one or both of the dogs. When one of them is gone, either through rehoming or death, the other one may do much better.
    How to Make Things Better
    If you've not done positive training with the grieving dog previously, this is the time to start. Get some help, either from a class that uses positive methods or from a private trainer, to learn the training skills yourself. Dog training is a skill, and it's a lot of fun to learn, especially if you use positive methods. Punitive methods can backfire, and certainly would not be appropriate for a grieving dog. It's a good idea to go observe any class before you decide it's a positive atmosphere for you and your dog.
    If the grieving dog is not in good physical condition, private instruction will probably be a better idea than a class, because the training can be customized to the dog's limitations. It's amazing how much you can use training to help you take care of a dog. Dogs can keep learning for their entire lives. Those who do are happier and easier to help, just when they need it the most.
    Take the grieving dog on more outings, if the dog enjoys outings. Maybe it's just a walk to the mailbox. It could be a ride along in the car to a drive-through window at the bank or fast food place. Maybe it's a stroll in a pleasant park, or down the block to chat with neighbors. Outings deepen the dog's bond to you, and make the dog's life more interesting.
    Create rituals the dog can look forward to each day. Spend 15 minutes grooming the dog or, if the dog has short hair, giving it a rubdown. Using your positive training, teach the dog a little trick or-even better-a little task the dog can do for you in your daily routine. The genuine pleasure you will take in the dog's help will come through clearly to the dog. Play games together, such as hide and seek.
    Feed some of the dog's daily calories through some kind of active process. You could put the food into a food-dispensing toy. You could hide pieces of the food around the house or yard. Or you could use food during training for tricks or other skills.
    Adding Another Dog
    If it's not the right time for you to get another dog, don't get one. Your dog can almost certainly adjust to being without a canine companion in the home, and might even be happier. You could provide canine companionship for your dog by finding someone else with a dog who would enjoy meeting your dog for play dates. But truly, many dogs live perfectly happy lives with humans as their only pack mates.
    If you do get another dog, try to work out any behavior problems with this dog first. That way the dog you have helps in training the new one, rather than being a bad influence! Select a dog with the best chance of getting along peacefully with the dog you already have. Even if this dog previously lived with another dog of the same sex, consider a dog of opposite sex this time. That one choice greatly reduces the risk of fighting.
    The same things you do to help a dog through grief will be the things you do to help the dog adapt to the addition of a new dog. Each dog needs individual outings, away from home and away from the other dog. Each dog needs individual grooming time each day from you. Each needs training, one-on-one with you. Only when you have individual response control with each dog as an individual will you be able to handle them as a pack!
    If you need to use a crate with a dog, it needs to be a crate for one dog, rather than crating two in the same crate. The dogs need to be kept away from each other when eating and when enjoying highly desirable toys. It's important to consider all this in the decision to add another dog, because again, you're looking at huge changes in the life of the grieving dog. Managing the situation well will be better not only for the dog, but also for you.
    Healing for the Whole Family
    Strengthening your relationship with your dog and helping the dog make a transition to a new stage in life and perhaps even a whole new personality is healthy for you, too. It takes time to work through grief. What you do to help your dog adjust to the life changes of losing a canine companion can be wonderfully healing for you.
    Different family members will deal with the loss in different ways and may need different lengths of time to feel better. Before getting another dog (if indeed getting another dog is in the plan), it's best if everyone has first had the time they need to be emotionally ready. Some people want another dog right away, but most seem to need time to mourn the loss first. For all family members, helping the dog you already have is the perfect way to use this time. When you have done the work of grieving, and helped your dog deal with grief and life adjustments, you can come out of even a very hard loss, ready to truly open your heart and love again.
    Hey, Its Moomba time

    Its all about the dash - enjoy the dash, as that is your time between the dates
    13 Mobius LSV-sold
    08 Mobius LSV-sold
    03 Mobius LSV-sold
    life is about finding the balance between being a responsible adult and staying young at heart

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •