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Sarge

Good bye to an old friend

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c-series don

Thank you.

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WVHillbilly520H
4 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

These helped me a bit, maybe they will help you too.





5a3546666fe3b_puttingpettosleepdogprayer.png.94b20cc4bccc86af14a205034880db13.png5a35469b8babd_thewaydogpoem.jpg.992d51b31a9786dd887f3719e756bb7e.jpg

I must say the first hits closest to home with me and an Elkhound I had for 11 years that had to be put down because of cancer as I held him he looked up at me and wagged his tail as if he knew I was doing what was best for both of us...thanks for posting this, Jeff.

4 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

These helped me a bit, maybe they will help you too.





5a3546666fe3b_puttingpettosleepdogprayer.png.94b20cc4bccc86af14a205034880db13.png5a35469b8babd_thewaydogpoem.jpg.992d51b31a9786dd887f3719e756bb7e.jpg

I must say the first hits closest to home with me and an Elkhound I had for 11 years that had to be put down because of cancer as I held him he looked up at me and wagged his tail as if he knew I was doing what was best for both of us...thanks for posting this, Jeff.

4 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

These helped me a bit, maybe they will help you too.





5a3546666fe3b_puttingpettosleepdogprayer.png.94b20cc4bccc86af14a205034880db13.png5a35469b8babd_thewaydogpoem.jpg.992d51b31a9786dd887f3719e756bb7e.jpg

I must say the first hits closest to home with me and an Elkhound I had for 11 years that had to be put down because of cancer as I held him he looked up at me and wagged his tail as if he knew I was doing what was best for both of us...thanks for posting this, Jeff.

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Sarge

Yeah - same way with this old guy - one last look into my eyes and he said good bye , went off with the vet tech like he knew ....that hurt .

 

Sarge

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r356c

I've owned dogs my entire life Sarge.

I have a very good one at the present, and I hope he is around for many more years.

Over the years, I have learned a lot on how to be a better dog owner.

 

Sadly, that includes letting them go.

If your vet trusts you to take what I assume is controlled medication home with you,

ask for the pills they give to the dogs before the big shot on that day.

 

Whatever they are, they will knock a dog out cold.

 

The last three dogs I have had to put down I did this with.

I give them the pills at home and let them go unconscious in a familiar setting while I said goodbye.

The pills take about 15 or 20 minutes to kick in.

The final drive to the vets office with an unconscious dog is still bad, just not as bad.

 

This does not ease our loss and pain, but I think it is better for the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sarge

I considered that and most vets if you ask will allow it - but he was more than willing to go and had zero anxiety about the whole thing , his way I guess of letting us know it was time . He had been trying to tell us for awhile now he was ready - it's crazy how animals can communicate with you but if you've ever owned an old dog you'd understand as they all do it . In the last few months he'd lost a lot of weight - like 35lbs or a bit more . Talked to my daughter yesterday and gave her a big hug - she's taking it ok but is also in the middle of moving to a new place they just bought so she's keeping more than busy - that helps . The shepherd is moping around the house most of the time - he's lost his buddy and pack member so the change has him down in spirit some - we have some outside work to do yet so that should cheer him up and he needs the workout anyway . At least he's getting some sleep now and that should help but I hope his appetite comes back to what is normal again - he hasn't eaten much since last Thursday . We'll be gone most of today to get some errands done and finish up some shopping - hope he'll just sleep and take it easy instead of pacing on guard duty so much . Life goes on and I'm sure he'll adjust with time .

 

It is so oddly quiet around here and just feels wrong . Almost glad the holidays are here and having a lot of people around will help my wife a lot .

 

Sarge

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jonw440

We all feel the loss from our best friends. It gets a "little" better with time but it will never go away the loss of our beloved pets. Your GSD will get better with time too. Just give him big hugs and kisses and let him know everything will be fine.

We lost our ROSCO this past June. He was a big lovable 130lb GSD who would give ANYBODY the biggest kiss! He was 10. Our other dog  took a few months to come around. Just pay attention to them and give them all the love while they are here.

Thoughts and prayers to you and your family!

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Sarge

Granddaughter stopped over yesterday after school - she was pretty upset since that dog was her buddy when she stays here over night but the GSD did a great job making her feel better . It seemed to help him a lot too as she's his play buddy when she's here and he helps walk her over here after school at times . The school is only half a block from us and he's limited to our property line - so he sits there , laser focused and just waiting to pounce on her and go play . The whole town gets a kick out of it , he won't move until I let him go on command . He ate a pretty good supper with us last night as the granddaughter stayed for dinner , as usual , lol . I'm sure the excitement and activity of the big family coming this weekend will do him a lot of good - he loves making the rounds and getting handouts from everyone and hugs .

 

Sarge

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wheelhorser

Very sorry for your loss, I had a pal for 18 years and lost him 5 years ago,and have yet to replace him.

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Sarge

There's been a rash of dogs passing here in town lately - 6 that I know of and two were very old . One at 16yrs , the other at 17yrs and both of those lived outdoors all year round . Plenty of new puppies coming soon as well - buddy that owns the nice Kubota mid compact is getting a really good looking Husky in January when it comes of age . We're trying to avoid that and keep it down to one dog - he's enough activity for us and then some...

 

Sarge

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Chris G

sorry for the loss. 

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c-series don

Sarge, it's been two years ago today that I had to put my best friend Wallace down. I just sat out in the back yard in the dark with a candle at his gravesite. I cried. Yup grown man 47 years old and I'm not ashamed. Dogs become part of us and we are fortunate for that. May the holidays take your mind off it for a little while and bring your family health and happiness for the new year. 

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r356c

Other than working K9s, I don't see too many GSDs in Florida these days. It really is too hot in the south for double coated breeds to be comfortable.

 

Sarge, your property line comment had me remembering a big beautiful all white GSD I met one day out bicycling.

 

I was probably holding 16 mph or so in a residential area. Next thing I know I was being paced by this big guy 2 feet away.

 

Our eyes met for a moment, and I was glad Shepherds are a disciplined breed. He had the jump on me and we both knew it. :D

 

 

 

 

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Sarge

GSD's require training - without it they get the stigma they've gained through years of owners that do not invest the time in them , a bad rap the breed doesn't deserve . I'd imagine the large white one was just getting some exercise and making sure you went on past instead of invading his territory - they are known for that . At least you didn't try to stop and challenge it - that would result in a bad day as they are fearless to a fault .

 

They are probably the most adaptable dog ever bred and are still today highly regulated when it comes to pure breed lines . Mine is an all German line - both his parents were some pretty expensive imports and it shows . Many of the American bred lines have lost the traits that are so important , it's a shame and a lot of them end up in shelters or worse . Toby is an Old World shepherd and extremely intelligent  - which requires my time in keeping him mentally challenged as he gets bored easily . He wants to work as they all do - if they don't have a "job" they will find or create one - and that's how they can become a problem . The nice part - they are quite easy to train and very eager to learn , he can pick up a new command in less than a few minutes and never forget it , most are just hand signals as his line is designed more towards that end instead of voice and are geared towards search and rescue the most . He's always within 50' of me outside - generally positioned between me and the "border" - that is what they were originally intended to do - guard their owner's perimeter . Hard to believe that he was slated to be euthanized due to his long coat - it's a fluke that shows up rarely and the breeder's don't want them out there - so he became our "pet" and is an excellent dog . He is fully registered with line verification but no breeding rights , which was fine with me and the extra costs involved are pretty extreme - my wife picked him out of a litter picture due to that coat . When I spoke to the breeder they said he couldn't be sold due to his "oddity" but I talked them into him being slated for just a house pet/companion as most of theirs are either show dogs or working search and rescue dogs as well as Law enforcement . He could easily handle any job and I'm glad I got to him before they got rid of him - that would have been a shame . He adapted easily to having a senior buddy in the Lab mix and he kept that old dog going strong , even at the end when he got really bad . Now that his buddy is gone I have to work harder to keep him busy but winter is easier as I'm home a lot more so we'll invent more "jobs" to do - keeps me busy and in shape for the next work season and at my age that part can get tough .

 

I do appreciate all the well wishes - normally I don't post stuff like this to a public place but here I know many of our members if not most are dog owners and it feels like being among the best of friends . Both dogs always loved it when one of the tractors come out to play - they think very much like we do...lol .

 

Sarge

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