The downside of having a dog. Been there five times in my life and my current guy is 9 yrs old. After every dog I swear that’s it and I won’t get another. That feeling never lasts very long.
Sorry. She was beautiful. It’s hard to describe the love of a good pup.
Above I mentioned the dog we put down years ago. We got another dog a couple years later. That dog is now, I dunno, 6 maybe. A big gentle pitbull mutt. Last month, to my very great surprise, #1 wife agreed to getting a puppy. Me being an American, within 24hrs we had the puppy. A 3mo old Australian Cattle Dog. I chose it because we’re a family of runners and the pittbull isn’t much of a runner except in the coldest months of the year. I’m getting to my point, really.
That puppy is so adorable it just melts your heart. Somehow I’d forgotten the power of the puppy. I’ve worked every day with the puppy teaching basic commands. Starting 2wks ago I started training it to walk with me off-leash. Soon we’ll be running together with her off-leash. That dog’d warm the heart of the devil himself. Go get a puppy.
so sorry.
run free bella in the forever fields
I find that it helps to remember that you provided a life for her that many dogs will never have. Just as she gave you enjoyment, you made her happy and she appreciated you taking good care of her. She knew that until the last second and if you believe there is life beyond death, she is remembering those good times…as should you. It is hard, and it hurts…focus on the good times.
Go get a puppy.
Man, I want to. We put our dog down 2 years ago after he was getting more ill from diabetes & associated side illnesses. Truth be told, I didn’t care much for that dog, but had good dogs growing up, miss it, and want my kids to have the experience. It would probably be good for me as well. I’m ready, but my wife isn’t, so my task is to narrow down the best breeds for our lifestyle, start the hunt, and bring the kids in to beg with their cutest faces once we’ve found a couple. Or just bring one home and suffer the short term consequences, which is certainly an option.
She’s beautiful. Very sorry for your loss. Very, very tough.
Losing a dog always sucks so hard. Sorry you have to go through it.
My thoughts exactly.
We put down a dog ~8yrs ago. First dog that was “mine”, not my father’s. Me and that dog were tight. When we put her down at the vets, I cried like a school girl. Took a couple years before I could get another dog. That was a mistake. Go out and get a puppy this week. Darn things are so adorable it’ll win your heart in seconds.
This is the best thing I have read on St in the many years I have been here. We went through the same thing a month ago, had to put down our 13 year old lab leaving behind a five year old. We adopted a 7 month old lab last weekend and it’s been great. Nothing like puppy energy running through the house to bring a smile to one’s face.
Losing a dog always sucks so hard. Sorry you have to go through it.
My thoughts exactly.
We put down a dog ~8yrs ago. First dog that was “mine”, not my father’s. Me and that dog were tight. When we put her down at the vets, I cried like a school girl. Took a couple years before I could get another dog. That was a mistake. Go out and get a puppy this week. Darn things are so adorable it’ll win your heart in seconds.
This is the best thing I have read on St in the many years I have been here. We went through the same thing a month ago, had to put down our 13 year old lab leaving behind a five year old. We adopted a 7 month old lab last weekend and it’s been great. Nothing like puppy energy running through the house to bring a smile to one’s face. ya
Awe man, sorry to see it. Beautiful dog.
Go get a puppy.
…had good dogs growing up, miss it, and want my kids to have the experience. It would probably be good for me as well. I’m ready, but my wife isn’t, so my task is to narrow down the best breeds for our lifestyle, start the hunt, and bring the kids in to beg with their cutest faces once we’ve found a couple. Or just bring one home and suffer the short term consequences, which is certainly an option.
I totally agree. The boys, 12, 12 & 14, are now old enough to see how to train the puppy. 1000x times, over the past month, I’ve seen them handle a situation with the puppy in a manner that was not ideal, and then I asked the boy…“what did you just teach the puppy?”. I’d like to think that they are starting to understand the idea that if, when removing the puppy from the table, you fail to but some steel in your tone, that you’re teaching the puppy that it’s fine to get on the table. Or if you chastise the dog a couple minutes after some offense, the dog has no idea what you’re mad about and just concludes that it lives in a crappy chaotic environment where random chastisement has to be accepted. I’m kinda hopeful that the kids will figure out that clarity re. bad deeds and consequences, and good deeds and praise aren’t just truths about puppy training, they apply equally to humans. 2 of the 3 boys might be introspective enough to get that.
The boys got to see how a puppy is potty trained, by gradually increasing the spaces in the house that it will think of as “it’s home”. Running the risk of getting all Norman Rockwell-ish, for some inexplicable reason, every boy should learn how to train a dog. That’s the foundation they will eventually use to train their own kids. Of course, our lunatics surviving to have their own children remains iffy.
Re. wife. For both dogs, I worked on wife for months to get her from “clearly against the idea” weakened down to “I’m weary of this”. Once I sensed her resistance weakening, I launched. The puppy did the rest. Puppy jumped in wife’s lap as I told wife that she was the one that would be naming the puppy. When faced with that adorable puppy, the wife didn’t have a chance. She instantly melted.
We have mostly hardwood floors and that helped a lot with the trials of potty training. I should have rolled up what rugs we do have immed tho. That would have saved me some $$ because 2 of the big rugs got sent out for cleaning.
Summer was perfect time to get the puppy because the boys are home from school. Would have been tougher to do with no one home during the day.
Sorry to hear. Something only dog lovers can really understand.
This.
I never had a dog (or cat) as a child and our family only adopted a dog 5 years ago.
I couldn’t imagine being without him now.
I didn’t even have to read the OP to know what this was about. I have 6 dogs and cannot imagine a second without them.
Sorry to hear about your loss, she is a beautiful pup.
Nova
Sucks.
Sorry, friend…
sorry to hear that. It’s always tough.