The Last Walk

[Ed Kennell 35,829]

My neighbors dog and I became best friends for 14 years.  The neighbors were both still working, but I was retired, so I was happy to take the dog walking 1-2 times a day.

This was my last walk with Groovy earlier this week.          This morning she passed on.

 

 

 

[WHX?? 46,810]

Reminds me of my cousin. He inherited a neighbors dog when it was young. Dog spent his whole life with cousin Tom and he loved it so much after 30K in hip surgeries it passed at the ripe old age of 10. 

[pfrederi 17,147]

[c-series don 7,844]

Ed, I’m terribly sorry to hear this. I’m sure that even though it was not your dog, you certainly became attached. They become family. The rainbow bridge is a great poem for anyone that’s lost a dog. 
 Three weeks ago I lost my little Cocker Spaniel buddy Griffin, he passed peacefully on my couch with me, my wife, daughter and our other dog Lucy. He was 12 1/2 . Strange as it is but Lucy my Springer Spaniel is 6 and I’ve never heard her cry. As Griffin was taking his last few breaths Lucy started crying and licking him. We were all already crying, but that’s when we started sobbing uncontrollably. He always slept under my bed so I moved the bed and took a sheet rock knife and cut out a big piece of the carpet where he slept so he could rest on it forever. Nobody is ever going to look under my bed and I need new carpet anyway, he deserved it. The rest of my family then came over for the burial. As I was laying him to rest in the hole, Lucy came down and tried to rip the blankets off Griffin. I was so overwhelmed with emotion I almost collapsed. Since then Lucy has not been the same, she is still very sad, as is the rest of my family. 
 Sorry Ed, I didn’t mean to highjack your post. Regards to Groovys parents. 

[WHX?? 46,810]

8 minutes ago, c-series don said:

sheet rock knife and cut out a big piece of the carpet where he slept so he could rest on it forever. 

Did  the same exact thing Don with a Chesapeake I had named Lexi. Her oily hair ruined the carpet at the foot of my bed where she rested every nite. 

Cried like a school girl when I lost her. 

I gotta bow out of this thread sorry Ed. 

[tunahead72 2,343]

Yeah, this is going to be a hard thread to follow, but I will.  All you guys who have posted so far here, I'm really sorry.  I've lost my share of pets over the years, every single one of them hurt then, and I still get emotional now when I think about them.  My son's dog has some sort of incurable cancer and has less than a year to live at this point.  She's always been such a cool pup, I try to make every moment I have with her count for something.  This past Christmas I realized was probably her last, and it hurts.  Life goes on, and then it doesn't. 

 

[D_Mac 8,234]

 

[Ed Kennell 35,829]

[Mickwhitt 4,155]

So sad to hear of your little buddies passing, when my dog passed recently a member here posted words that really hit the spot....

"A dog will give you some of the best days of your life, but also one of the hardest."

Groovy will still be taking those walks with you in your memories of her, so carry on walking her. 

[kpinnc 10,767]

It's so sad how that much love, dedication, and loyalty can be wrapped in a package with such a short life. Seems almost unfair. 

 

No words can help with the loss. Just remember that dogs truly LIVE every minute they have on this earth, and this one chose to share some of that with you. They don't care if we're young, old, poor, or sick. They don't care where we stack up in society. For them, YOU are the center of the universe. 

 

And you took the time to walk with this girl each day. I assure you it was appreciated! 

[Treepep 446]

13 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

My neighbors dog and I became best friends for 14 years.  The neighbors were both still working, but I was retired, so I was happy to take the dog walking 1-2 times a day.

This was my last walk with Groovy earlier this week.          This morning she passed on.

 

That is a damn good run and thanks for sharing Mr. Ed Kennell!   Beautiful pup

 

 

[Ed Kennell 35,829]

8 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

so carry on walking her. 

I plan to Mick and did just that after her service yesterday. 

 

     Thank you and all my WH family for the kind words.

[Ed Kennell 35,829]

Looking back thru some vintage pics of some of our pets that have passed on.   

These Springer Spaniels were amazing AKC pedigreed field trial animals that loved to hunt and flush ringneck pheasants. 

I bought them both as pups and trained them to respond to voice, whistle, and hand commands.    They grew up with my two infant sons and went everywhere with us.  They really enjoyed our annual vacations on the ocean.

 

Barney

Brandy

 

Several years after these two passed, I started raising and training Beagles.

Jenny and her first litter of eight pups.

 

Jenny and Jimmy baying on a rabbit track while a few of their pups join in the chase.

 

Sorry for the poor quality pics.   Long before digital.

 

 

 

[c-series don 7,844]

@Ed Kennell I can relate to so much of this. I too had a Springer that I trained to voice, hand and whistle commands. In fact I even got paid to run my dog at two separate game preserves doing old style English driven pheasant shoots. It was truly a great experience. Watching the dog do what it was bred to do was amazing. We too enjoyed our trips to the ocean. The last picture is of me and my boy Wallace about 10 years ago at the ocean, dunes in the background. I don’t hunt the Springer I have now, we are just best friends. Thanks for posting your pictures!👍🏻

[Ed Kennell 35,829]

Wonderful pictures preserving many great memories.  Thanks for sharing Don.

[PWL216 411]

@Ed KennellEd, can totally relate. This is my Jesse I lost 3 years ago. He went everywhere with me. We did a lot of pheasant hunting. The first pic is our first bird. The last pic is the day I had to put him down. Heartbreaking to say the least. I think about him every day. Can’t bring myself to get another dog. I have his ashes that will be buried with me.