Heaven Sent: A Legacy of Love from Human, to Angel, to Canine

I eventually left for college and Missy stayed behind, having grown very attached to my Mom. As the years passed she remained fairly healthy, but as the end neared everything started to fail. She had CHF, breathing problems and finally kidney problems. Fall came and Missy seemed to be doing better. A storm rolled in quicker than my parents thought it would and they were stuck at the camp grounds.

Missy had always been scared of thunder, but since her health had gotten worse so had her fear. She looked up at my mom one last time, my mom says she moved closer to her and then let her breath out for the final time. I never got to say goodbye and my mother blames herself to this day, even though Missy was well into her golden years and had suffered longer than she probably should have. It has taken me nearly 30 minutes to actually type this between bouts of sobbing spasms at the memory of a lost friend, but also because my big dog is laying next to the couch with his head on my foot and one big black paw draped over his nose.

So much of what you say about Luke reminds me of Sirius and I have no doubt that when the day comes that he must leave me forever, all the oxygen will definitely be removed from the room. What a beautiful post, and what beautiful comments. I only wish we humans could have a loved one give us our last ice cream cone and hold our hand and help us to the other side when the time comes. In July my dog Sophie and I were driving to the beach for an early morning swim and I saw a small orange cat on the road — weaving unsteadily.

I stopped to take a look and saw that he was in very bad shape. At first he walked away from me but I waited and he came back and I picked him up. He weighed just about nothing, his eyes were sunken from dehydration, his hair completely matted, and he was full of fleas. He was close to death. I brought him home and the first week he just slept — only woke up to eat and drink. He was very weary — he needed to rest deeply and find some strength. My vet thought he was about Oh Trisha, a knife was stabbing me, when I read your blog!

Last year, our Donar, a Bernese running hound, and I left home for our daily two-hours morning trip. He happily ran in front of me through the woods when we met another dog owner with two dogs. They played so cheerfully together. I tried heart massage and mouth to snout breathing, but … too late. I phoned the animal ambulance which took us home to my sick husband who nearly broke down seeing our beloved Donar lifeless lying in the ambulance car. Donar was the healthiest dog he has seen, so it must have been a sudden heart death.

I thought of so many people who say good by to their beloved, not knowing that it was the last time! We have now a one year old Bruno du Jura and he is the best medicine in the world!!! I lost my Grace, the first dog that was really mine and my responsibility in March. She got me through college and vet school and getting married. She was the pup that I learned all the wrong ways to train, and then inspired me to learn all the right ways. She was gentle and fiesty and the best dang puppy raiser ever.

I thought I had another few years with her at least. But i went home for lunch one day and she was not hungry. And Grace was only not hungry one time before- when she had a spontaneous lung collapse! So i knew it was serious. I got her up to the clinic and found a large bleeding splenic tumor. I kept my wits about me until i got in touch with a friend that is also a vet and handed over the information to her. Then I just cried as my husband drove us to her clinic. That even if she survived it would most likely still kill her within a few weeks or months. I took 3 days to lay on the couch eating only pizza and crying.

My profession means that I know far too well that things happen far outside our control. I can be the level headed professional in the white coat, but I know only too well how it feels on the other side. She was half pyr, and she loved it when the cool weather hit. I cried as I watched the other dogs run the yard. I made sympathy cards with Grace on them to use at the clinic.

The cards have a short blurb on the back explaining who she is.

I feel like this way I am sharing something personal with the clients. I hope it lets them know I understand. Do you guys like it when the vet includes a paw print or claw paw impression of your dog with your sympathy card? I do paw prints on colored card stock, but i know a lot of clinics that make clay impressions and paint them. Are these helpful momentos? Lots of love to Lassie…maybe she continue on with the heart and soul of a pup for a least a few years more!

He was a challenge, he was a liability. He was a godsend. He lived because we could keep him. He hated kids we never wanted any , he hated motorcycles, bicycles, and things that moved we lived in the country on three acres , he hated mean people we were very kind. I always joked that Lucky would live forever because he was doing it to spite me.

Because he was just to ornery to die. As he aged, his heart murmur became more of a threat to his life. On the last day of his life, he had a great morning, ate a full breakfast, then went to sleep. I went out all morning for errands and he awoke as I came back in. He looked up expectantly as I knelt to give him a chance to sniff my whereabouts and to rub his fur. A few sniffs later, he had a fatal heart attack. I will never be able to thank him for 1 not making me decide and 2 waiting for me to come home to help him cross.

I was with him, held him, cried into his fur as he left me. Thank you for this. My girl has lymphoma and was diagnosed almost 3 weeks ago. She is slowing a little and every nite she cuddles up close and sleeps with me. But I know the steroids are amost at the point of not working…. Is it today, tomorrow, next week? And how will I know….. But it will be done when it is time, with her curled in my arms as my beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback Karma and stay close in my heart always…. Thank you, thank you so much for this post. I lost several people, a pet rat, and 2 ferrets in the last year. I kind of shut down for a time.

My guilt and grief culminated after I lost my heart ferret in March unexpectedly. I was beating myself up for still grieving him and the others when I came to this blog to check in as I have for the last year. It reminded me that grief is not something you can decide is over. It reminded me about all the good things I enjoyed with each of the lost.

To those still raw from a loss my heart goes out to you. May she live forever. Less than a month later, dear Lucky another maremma was released… he was always an anxious lad and had a terrible first year of life until he came into rescue. After Lucinda passed he became increasingly anxious and unsettled..

I let him go without waking him.. Then in april maremma sisters Angelina and Margali both died……. My pack is diminished without them but but life has been immeasurably enriched by their presence. Even though the blog and comments are primarily aimed at dog people, I noticed a few cat persons posting, too. My cat has terminal mammary cancer. Last night DH and I made the decision to save her from any suffering and say our goodbyes while her quality of life is still just that: Instead of a last-minute frantic rush to the ER hospital, we opted for a house visit from a vet who comes to the home.

Oh Linda, my heart goes out to you. You only have to decide one day at a time. Then spend the day making it the best day you can for her. And one more thing…. If it helps, the last 2 times I put dogs down Tulip and Pippy Tay , we made the decision and then spent days giving all of us what we needed.

I took lots of time off, spent lots of time with them, did their favorite things as best we could. It was still incredibly hard, in part because I guarantee you they will get better on at least one of those days , incredibly hard, but it helped me tremendously to have that focused time to help prepare myself.

Please think of yourself too. Bless you, Trisha for commenting on my way-to-long post, The pre-bereavement counselor suggested I automatic write my thoughts each day in he form of a letter to or about Sandy. On those bad days I still dote only it comes closer to hovering and I think that tends to make her nervous, so I back off. One of her wounds has ulcerated even more and she is licking it constantly and moving less.

I examined it closely. Of course I want to hold her another day,…but not at the risk of this getting even worse and causing pain. Its comforting to know that we all grieve intensely when we lose a special animal. And I worry about all the ones that I want to get into that very special home. The grief is no less for the shelter dogs than it is for my pets at home or for even the wonderful people who have graced my life and passed on.

I do think I grieve more intensely for the dogs that I feel were cheated on life. It was easier to say goodbye to my 14 year old coonhound who was retired from SAR work and therapy dog work and who had bone cancer. He never even looked up when the vet pulled in the driveway. He was ready and content and had lived a long life. My SAR dog who died from lymphosarcoma at age 8 I think I grieved for 5 years or more until I broke down bawling at a compassion fatigue seminar. Shame on someone for belittling the gifts we give our pets in their last moments. I bought my SAR dog fresh bread when the bakery opened before the vet got to the house.

He ate the whole loaf. I euthanized him and buried him in his working harness. My hound was buried with two rawhide chewies between his paws. He only ever got them once a year on his birthday and he never chewed them. He simply lorded over all the other dogs for 24 hours till I took them away the next day. Interesting is that despite him being gone for more than two years now, not a blade of grass, flower or paw print graces that grave. I tried to plant flowers and they always got kicked out.

I blamed squirrels even though squirrels rarely dare to step into our yard. Grass never grows there. Odd to see them sidestep at a full run. The rituals that give us and our beloved pets peace should be valued with utmost importance. I was out of town with the other two dogs and it was the best gift I could give him…ten days to treat his girl like the princess she deserves. I hate to acknowledge that her clock is ticking louder and louder with each labored breath. The pain and it is definitely a physical pain of losing a beloved pet is made so much worse by the guilt of trying to decide when the right time is for euthanasia.

And we all decide differently. In some, we decide to end their lives on a more positive note, believing that extended life without quality is useless. Despite the fact that I truly believe we made all the right decisions for her, my husband and I both still suffer bouts of guilt and anger about some of the events of her last week of life. Some words that were shared with me after having to make the decision to put down one of my horses rang loud and clear.

It is interesting to substitute the word control for affect as well. I hope this simple message will bring some peace in your heart if you are struggling with the decisions you have had to make. It did to mine. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma and my vet had him on predisolone and antibiotics for the last 6 months of his life. I decided not to put him thru chemo because of his age and he hated going to the vet. I cooked for him every morning and night and took him in the car everywhere that I went.

Obituaries

I tried to make him as happy and comfortable as I could. I have incredible guilty feelings that I should have gotten a second opinion, I wonder if I should have had him on predisolone for so long, did I put him to sleep too soon. My beloved Golden Retriever, Ellie, was a God-send, and endured heart surgery and cancer with me over the last 2 years.

She patiently waited and watched, and comforted me. The hemangiosarcoma was a shock, at 7 yrs! She had the tumor removed, but was so advanced that they told me months. It is has been over 2 months. I am seeing her less active, and the tumor has regrown. She it showing some signs of stress, and I know that it is time. Thank you for this article. I know that it is time to end the pain for her. Please pray for my children, they are devastated. I did get a puppy this last week to help bridge the gap, and that seems to be helping.

I will miss her, but I know now that I owe her the gift of peace. I feel so guilty. I feel like I murdered him. He was nearly blind and pretty deaf, he was on 9 pills in the morning for his thyroid problem and 1. He couldnt stand up for any period anymore, he had to lie down to eat, and hadnt been able to go for a walk for two years. Yet even though it sounds a hell of a list he was still my Fudge one minute and gone the next. Oh Sarah, my heart goes out to you.

You could have done nothing, and let your dog begin to suffer terribly and perhaps die a terrible death, but you did the brave, courageous thing and helped him into another world. I hope it helps to remember what I said in the blog: Cyber hugs to you. I am so grateful for websites such as this that help immensely with the healing process. He could no longer walk and had accidents in his bed. I know that I made the right decision, as I would not want to have such a poor quality of life myself.

I named her Sophie because she was such a pretty girl. Sophie loved to run and run and was such a free spirit. However, part of her running included chasing cars. My husband hooked her up to her rope in the driveway and we both knew that on a couple occasions the clasp would fail when she hit the end of the driveway, breaking away and running.

She was only on the rope for two minutes while I prepared breakfast for all of my cats. That all it took for her to dash off and get hit by a car and killed. She had gotten loose in the past, but stayed on our private road. If I could only turn the clock back and not make that fatal mistake again.

We just put down our beloved Westie, Scruffy. She seemed to be a little less active age 7. She was found to have hepatic and renal failure. What do you do? Refer to referral hospital…she has renal failure…can they alter the course of end organ failure???? She is now in dog heaven we believe…. May God bless our Scruffy…. I am going through this right now.

Today is Friday, but on Monday we will be putting our dear puppy 11 months down for behavior problems. He loved to go retrieve bumpers in the yard and play with the kids in the backyard. But every once in a while, for some reason, a dark cloud would come over him. Now, after several bites we have had to make the hard choice. We know it is the right thing to do, but it still hurts sooooooooo much. Thank you for the above post and all the heartfelt responses. You feel like you are the only one that has ever had to go through this…I see that I am not.

We will love our Orion forever, just as I know he loved all of us too. We will place him in the backyard so we can visit him. I hope the pain ends for all of us, and we remember only the good times. We look forward to seeing him at the bridge someday. He was a good dog. She was an 8 yr old black lab. She was going down hill really fast.

On monday, she was eating and drinking, but she was vomiting and had poops. Tuesday was more of the same, but she would eat only treats. By wednesday she stopped eating all together, but drinking like no tomorrow only to throw most of it back up. I took the day off to be with her. She laid down beside me and I rubbed her tummy. She was sooo content, but still not eating and vomiting water. Friday came and the vet called us back saying to get Shadow to her office as quickly as possible. Thursday night, was when I knew something else was wrong.

Shadow had blood in her urine. Never a good sign. I picked up my husband from work and we drove to vets, both thinking that she would be coming home. The vet gave us grave news. Shadow had hemangiosarcoma canacer of the blood vessells and arteries. A tumor that was on her spleen had ruptured and started to bleed internally. Her heartrate was up! My poor baby had basically hours to live. With my husband standing behind me, I gently took her head into my hands, told her what a wonderful girl she had been for the 9 months that we had her.

She was in my heart always and that soon her pain would be over and she would be free. I hope that she understood, still no tear shed my eye. Strength from deep within, held the tears in check. As I watched them inject her, time seemed to slow. I closed her eyes and softly kissed her brow. I pat her for several minutes until the vet checked her heartbeat one last time. With that the barrage of strength left my body and was replaced by waves upon waves of tears. I kissed Shadow one last time. I told her that I was sooo sorry and that I hope she could forgive me.

I was crippled by sooooo many emotions all at once.

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Guilt, shame, horror, grief, hopelessness just to name a few. My head knew that there was no other choice for my decision to euthanise Shadow. The vet gave her merely hours left and those hours would increase in pain and discomfort. She lungs would close up on her and she would literally try to gasp for air.

Is that what I wanted to her? Gone are the days were a wagging whip of her tail greeted me as I came home. No more kisses to give. I had to show her my greatest act of love for her was letting her go quietly and without more pain. A week has gone by. I miss her terribly so. I sleep with her collar wrapped around my wrist at night, just so that I know she is near.

Last night, I even cuddled with her favorite ducky toy. Just to be near her. Still have those waves of pain and loss and guilt. Would I take away that decision to let her rest peacefully without a tragic death? Not if my life depended upon it. Tonight, I will still sleep with her collar around me wrist, but knowing that there are others out there that have the same intense love for their dearly departed pet, calms me. I am not alone! The promise that I made to her last friday have been fulfilled!

Last year in June we had to let his sister go to cancer. He has congestive heart disease and is increasingly becoming more uncomfortable, especially at night. Years ago we lost a 4 year old westie right before our eyes. Is one pain greater than another? The guilt regarding Duke is proving to be the greatest. But thru it all and with blogs such as this, I can know in my heart, if not in my mind, that Duke will rejoin his family over the rainbow and will always be with me.

I chose for him what he could not ask for; I grieve for what I will lose but cheer for all the unconditonal love he has given and for the joy he brought when our 4 year old passed so suddenly. No matter what, thanks for offering this site…. To Linda, and her Duke: No guilt, no guilt, toss it away, truly. Yes he could still wag his tail, but you prevented him from dying a painful death, and greater love hath no person than that.

Vets tell me all the time about dogs who were let go too long, who ended up suffering terribly A good friend of mine who is a vet let one of his dogs go too long, and found her in a horrible state when he returned one day. I think I let Lassie go too long, wish now I had helped her on her way the night before she died. So no guilt, no guilt. Take care of yourself. Lucky boy, that Duke. Thank you so much for this post and the many others who have added their stories.

We sought help from many vets and trainers to help him overcome his issues, but unfortunately after an incident involving a child we had to make the decision to put him down. The guilt has been overwhelming as are the almost constant moments of missing him. I have a constant ache in my stomach of guilt and sadness. Everyone else in the family seems to be coping better than I have. Knowing that time will heal and that others have experienced what I am going through helps as well.

Hopefully, the guilt will subside. I can only hope that our sweet Teddy is running around in Heaven while waiting for the rest of us! Thank you for your post. It was very encouraging to me. We had to put our 9-year-old lab down…it was so quick and unexpected — tumors on her spleen. I felt so guilty, like I killed her — causing her cancer some how. She had an infection of the uterus — took her in for that first, then they ran tests. She lost lots of weight in a week — not eating, lethargic. We thought it was the bordeom of her food or a bad tooth.

But, then in my motherly gut I knew it was something more. Somehow I knew when my husband took her in — she would not be coming home. Our other dog is so sad. She is about 4 years old. Our girls — 12 and 8 — were heartbroken to hear the news. We said our last goodbye. Now, I am feeling guilty not being with her when she actually received the injection.

I gave her a bath last Sunday — she loved it, forever I will treasure that moment. I know you have tons of emails and comments to read and you may never get to this one, but your writings about the loss of your dogs has touched me deeply and I wanted to share with you my tribute to our 14 year old collie, who I had to say good-bye to yesterday. He came to us in the summer, a wee little collie man, with a scratchy old nose and bumpy old body. I remember the first time I gave him a bath and how pathetic he looked, dripping wet and skinny with lumps all over. But I sat with a brush and blow dryer and a little while later he looked magnificent with his silky, shiny collie coat and striking white ruff.

He bounced on his front legs and barked, knowing, I think, how beautiful he looked. Merlin loved his back yard. He spent many hours laying on the back porch, watching over his world. Even when his old legs ached, he jumped up each time someone passed the yard and ran to the fence with his awkward old gait, his raspy bark warning intruders that it was his area and he would protect it. Then he lumbered back up to the porch, eyes shining, and tail wagging, proud that he had defended his family and warded off danger.

Sometimes he chased birds out of the yard. Sometimes he barked at birds that tried to fly through the air space above his yard. He took very seriously his job as guardian of his home. The things kozmo and i have done. He was the first ducking dog i trained. I made allot of mistakes with him,but the mistakes i made helped me to be a better trainder. He and i learned to hunt fowl together. I have ownbed him since he was 8 weeks old. Should i send him to the other side b4 he starts to decline or should i wait a few months until he gets visibly ill?

I know that if i do this ,i will kick myself for not letting him go with dignity and grace. Please help with some input on my plight and point me in a direction i can live with. For shane, I putting my 14 year old Lab mix down Wednesday morning.

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His seizures are becoming more frequent and more voilent. The vet suggest Phenabarb but that will only make him sleep and get fat. Otherwise, he is healthy and active. I AM going to spare him the indignities of incontinence and blindness that are sure to come in the next few months. And many of my friends say they waited too late.

Thank you for writing this. In two months time she had gone from always ready to play ball and frisbee to being worn out by a walk around the yard. I truly would have done anything to help her but hemangiosarcoma is cruel and in the end all I could do was spend time with her doing what she loved for as long as she could, then help her ease out when life became increasingly difficult for her. How good that you could be there one last time for your dear dog. What a blessing you gave her.

My heart goes out to you…. I made the decision to put down a beautiful rescue that had been abused. I worked with his fear aggression and it decreased but it seemed that he was then developing dominance aggression. He had bitten times, when I rescued him. Once just snapped when he was startled out of sleep, caught the skin.

Once bit the abusers hand, had to see dr but no stitches and clamped down on coowners had when she was trying to move him from kennel. Soon after I got him, he snapped, growled and bit me on reflex when I once startled him. Not thinking the person walking him smacked him on his snout trying to get him to release it. Poor dog, he released the object and attacked the person.

Understandable…he had been abused and he never should have been touched at all. I then got a trainer in to evaluate him since I have decades of dog but no experience with abuse or aggression. He turned on the trainer, who as far as I could see was not hurting him…but WAS preventing him from moving away from him. I tried to find someone with experience to take him, and was willing to do what I knew I was capable of doing. I ended up putting him down. This dog was a perfect angel otherwise. I am now certain I did the wrong thing, based my decision on fear and I am tormented by guilt and remorse.

The pain is really excruciating, I feel like a murderer. He had bitten 3 times, out of fear, snarled and growled warnings many times, and postured growled defensively a few times. This is just awful. Please be as kind and gentle to yourself as you would be if someone else told you this story. What would you say to them? That they tried their hardest, and finally did what they thought was best at the time? That the dog himself would no doubt forgive her? And then, re-read the part about taking care of yourself, because you are grieving and your brain is telling you that you have been badly injured.

You have, and you need kindness and comfort and nurturing. Right now your job is to take care of yourself, or find someone to help you do it for you. I will surely bring a deeper level of empathy and compassion for others that go through this. We had to put our best friend, Bear down last Tuesday. We had him for eleven years and he was the best dog we had ever had.

He went everywhere we went, slept with us, ate with us and was a huge part of our lives. He was a big Black Lab and he had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to play tricks on us. Wednesday afternoon, after I got off work, I told my husband I needed to get out of our quiet house, as all we had done was sit around and cry. I talked him in to going to a casino and renting a motel room and having dinner with our kids. When we came home the next day, we decided to try to retrieve his body and it was too late, they had taken it to the county dump the day before.

Had we asked for it then, we could have had him. I called the dump and they had already buried him and would not dig him up so we could claim his body and bury him at our house. We are both so filled with grief and guilt for treating our faithful friend that way that it is all consuming. Thank you so much for these healing words. We were the 4th rescue family for a very special dog. Her first owners had let her run and she was hit by a car.

Someone turned her into another rescue from which we adopted her from. She was 3yrs old and only weighed 32 lbs 58 lbs is her normal weight now , had demodex and fly strikes on her ears. We nursed her back to health took her for obedience classes and worked very hard to teach her better manners. She jumped the 4 ft. She was food aggressive so we put up gates in our doorways and fed her separately. She would jump those gates so we put up another set above the other ones. For the first three years we had her things were improving and she was such a happy girl.

About a year ago things started getting bad. She started challenging our old boxer girl and would not stop the attack until we physically pulled them apart. We kept them separated at all times since the attacks were starting to yield blood drawing injuries to our poor old girl. We truly loved this dog but could no longer keep her. We were afraid to put her in rescue again because of her past history and made the gut wrenching decision to put her down.

I feel as though we failed her but she will no longer starve, be beaten or be abandoned. You did NOT fail your dog. You gave her over 4 wonderful years, moved heaven and earth to try to help her and finally did what you had to do to protect an elderly dog from horrific injury or death. What matters is how much grace you can muster to buffer the storm. Most importantly, take care of yourself. I hope the pain eases soon, and that those around you are supportive. I had to take our older dog in to the vet today because her eye swelled shut over the last two days.

There is a scratch to the inner lid and eyeball. While I was there someone brought in two dogs that had to be put down. One was torn up to the point you could see her heart. The other one just had a couple of nip marks. God works in mysterious ways. That could have very easily been me with my old girl. I am so glad I found this site. I just put my beloved Wynn down on Thursday. I got him from a rescue shelter when he was 2 years old.

It was very clear he had been abused. The first few years were great…then, he bit my neighbors son unprovoked and and broke the skin through jeans. It was easy to write it off as a fluke. Then he bit another boy as he was coming down the sidewalk. The police were called and it was easy to rationalize that it was just a scrape…. Then he nipped at a girl who was trying to put him in my backyard…. She had simply put her hand to the fence for him to smell and he got her through the fence.

He was becoming more and more possessive and then started going to the bathroom in my house. I have been overcome with guilt and constantly second guess my decision. He was healthy and truly wonderful…. It could have been a child the next time. I battled with this decision for months and I finally came to terms with the fact I had no other option.

I could not, in good faith, re-home him knowing he was a biter. This website has helped bring me some relief hearing others stories and realizing we are not in control. My heart hurts so badly. I just need to know it was the right decision. In my heart of hearts I know it was right…. Today, I am letting go of the guilt and focusing on the fact he is now free from the burdens he carried with him and I am sure he is running happy and free with my other boy Mobie…. Thank you so much for this site. You and I are in the same exact boat. Your story mimics mine almost exactly. We put down our beautiful St.

He was a wonderful family dog, only 4 years old. But his aggression had gotten to the point where I was afraid he would bite one of my children, as he bit me last week. He has probably bitten times, mostly nips but occasionally harder than that. But the truth is that he was ruining our lives. Our kids could not have friends over, in fact no one came over anymore. He was sweet with my kids but we could not control him and it was just a matter of time before he seriously hurt someone. The last straw, other than biting me, was when he attacked a neighbor while her little kids watched.

He broke the skin even. Had she not been standing right by the door and been able to get inside, I knew I could not have stopped him from hurting her seriously. I feel SO guilty and feel like we should have trained him better, maybe tried to find someone who could take him. I feel like we failed him. And he was such a good dog otherwise. It just feels like a waste of a beautiful life.

And on top of that, I miss him so much! He was a comforting presence in my house nonetheless. I loved that dog. I had Spot for almost 19 years and had to put her down last week due to failing kidneys. I look at what was learned from this very sad experience. The dog should get along well with other pets or be alone with you.

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Spot, my smooth fox terrier did not like other animals and I will always regret putting my cats before my dog. Spot was hurt by that and loved me unconditionally in spite of it. Know your breed before you decide how many pets and kids you may wind up with or they may suffer.

Many pet owners refuse to be in the room while the pet is put down. In the past, I left the room and have always felt bad. I stayed with Spot the entire time and tearfully talked to her while she went to sleep. Remember to bring a soft blanket and pillow to the vet. Insist the pet be placed on them, not the cold steel table alone. The best way to put any pet down is at home, but to some of us, that is too expensive. Most importantly is that you stay with them all the way to their forever home.

I read about half of these many comments, but nothing like my experience do I see, except, I do feel guilty, but also angry and very sad. I got her into the vet about noon. She was dehydrated and anemic. They said they needed her overnight, though she hates being alone, she was so weak, I felt it best to leave her.

Vet called that afternoon, xrays, lungs, bones were okay, no problem. Were there any pills she could have gotten into, or anti-freeze? No, she was always with one of us, usually me, and all day with me. We needed to check with them Sat, about 10 am, to see how she was progressing, and if she could go home. I slept a few hours Sat am.

No one came until we asked for a vet. Her anemia count had gone from 27 on Thurs. My husband wanted to take her home. I was worried about taking her home. I would have to decide what to do. The only other thing they said was that she had a bad bacterial infection. The staff tried to reach someone through the website, to no avail. My husband left for a little bit. While he was out, Lily threw up on the yellow fleece fabric I had cradled her in, but the back of her was on me and my coat, where she peed.

I cried for help, as I was alone with her. Finally a vet came, and soon my husband returned. He left again for a little bit. By the time he returned, the vet had given Lily the sedative. Then she gave Lily the second shot. I sobbed through all of this. I am still having some surreal moments. Then I started going back over everything…. Was this anaplasmosis, I found online? Was this cancer returning after tumor that was removed two years ago?

For the next few days, I sent out various emails, to family, friends, strangers, everyday my mind fixed on something different that caused her to be sick. If symptoms appeared, chaned diet first, then if more is need, treat with antibiotics and…. Check HMD on the internet. I had been giving her high protein snacks throughout her time with us, and the day before going in, so weak, when she had not eaten all day, I had let her have some of the canned salmon I had cooked for us.

She gobbled several pieces. Did I have her euthanized because of symptoms of HMD? She was gone from us 6 weeks to the day we had brought her home. Most of all, I want her back. I feel like I let her down, and those who cared about her. I feel like someone should have TOLD me about this. Her former foster family answered my email, saying they knew of the HMD diagnosis, but last summer their vet, after bloodwork, had said it was borderline, and did not require a special diet.

Again, I wonder, what was it? I would like to hear from ppl who have had to put a dog down for extreme behavioral issues… when the dog is physically in perfect health, or a dog only a couple years old. How does one get over that guilt of feeling that maybe you gave up too soon. Maybe more training… more behavior mgmt…. Thank you so much, reading this has really helped my grieving. My dog has struggled for years with a health condition and I have come to the challenging decision to put him down.

In the end the only peace I can have is knowing I made a decision to protect him from further pain and to keep my promise that I will be there for him till his last day. Thank you so much for this article.

Heaven's Pets | Obituaries

I just put down my 12 year old collie yesterday. I felt so guilty, having given him a bully stick that gave him diarrhea, that I thought aggravated the arthritis in his back. But I will always wonder. But it is true we cannot control everything, even though we try with our dogs.

To keep them safe and healthy as long as we can. I will always miss my Levi, he was my heart dog. Though I believe I can feel him with me again, already. We will be putting our Lilly down today at 6pm for behavior reasons.

Obituaries

We got her from the pound 10 years ago. Ever since she has only been attached to people she knows. She lunges and goes insane at strangers or other animals. She has bitten people in our family before. Not in a feirce way, but has bitten. I know if we hadnt rescued her 10 years ago that she probably would have already been put down. We have tried every training known to man. Years of training, but nothing ever worked. She could never get along with anyone at the trainings and always had to wear a muzzle. We had a baby girl a year ago. She is now crawling and walking.

We never keep the dog in the same room as the baby unless we are all together. And we are always on guard and in protect mode when doing so. A few weeks ago we noticed that from about 6 feet away Lilly was staring right at the baby and showing teeth when the baby was crawling. She will look at the baby from the corner of her eye and then turn her head away. Her love and companionship filled my life and our home! Past away on Wednesday, August 22, at the age of 29 at home in Louisiana. In we became owners of this amazing animal. Mudd was a handsome Bay Quarter Horse gelded.

He had a very comical personality. He loved to go fast and boy he could run pulled the tears out your eyes. He was a May horse so he loved the water. It was almost impossible to get him…. Pet Memorial Miracle Callais I remember the day you came into the vets office, where I was working, to get your first checkup at 4 weeks old. You were the runt of the litter and your momma was trying to eat you and she had already bit off your tail, so you needed to be separated from her and the rest.

I took you in that day and called you my Miracle Puppy. We been through so much together. You even survived a pretty bad car crash with me. You lived a great life in your 7 years of…. He was my best buddy for 24 years. Morgans are known to be very versatile horses. Jack could be driven with a cart behind him; he was great on trail rides and he jumped fences with me until he was 23 years old. He is — and will continue to be — sadly missed by all who knew him. Joanna Deal joannajack att. Crayon In memory of our beloved Crayon, a beautiful lilac-crowned Amazon parrot. You were in our lives for more than 30 years, and everyone enjoyed your sweet disposition and interesting personality.

Crayon learned to imitate all of the animals he spent time around, including horses and cats. He made sure the cats knew who was boss, too. We will always celebrate her wonderful years on earth bringing much happiness and friendship to all who knew her. In her younger years, she was so spirited and loved to run, but always took care to protect her family. Sadly, Scamper left us in May , but she is still here in spirit. You brought such joy into our lives, even-though you were with us for a short period of time.

We miss your greetings at the door with such excitement with your little tail wagging so fiercely, and your frolicking in the grass, you were so cute and obedient. You packed a wallop of sweetness in all your 5. Sandy Pecoraro December 1, — July 19, Sandy was the best dog we could ask for. She loved treats, long walks and breaking out of the back yard just to sit in the front yard and wait for us to come home. We miss her everyday, but know she is looking down on us. Sandy was named after her grandmother, Sandra, with whom she shared a birthday.

Coal Aug 31, — Sept 22, You came into my life one day So beautiful and smart, My dear and sweet companion, I loved you from the start. When you left us, even the cat and your big brother dog, missed having you to play with. We all miss watching you streak across the back yard after the squirrels that you never caught. Inside your tiny body was a huge heart. You gave us love, companionship, laughs, and comfort when we needed it, asking only for food, the…. We think of her often particularly when coming home from work and school, we miss the love and affection she provided as soon as you walked through the door.

The evening we lost her there was a beautiful rainbow over our home, so we know she is always looking over us. Maggie was incredibly devoted. She loved to lay by her mom in the garden in the sunshine and would follow you up and down the stairs endlessly so she could always be close to you.

Maggie jumped into the…. She shared a home with her son Alexander, a white Maltese , born August and lived until December Both were loved and are missed by the Holmberg family. It was hard losing them both so close together. They were a match made in heaven and always together. They loved one another as much as we loved them. Branson was such a playful little guy who loved playing fetch and rough housing. My fondest memory of him was when…. November 26, — December 4, Covington, Louisiana Our precious Princess came to us in looking for a home.

We took her in and from that point forward she became a large part of our hearts. She was the most gentle, sweet and loving dog we have ever known. She constantly begged for food and was always there to be put to bed with us. She will be greatly missed, and we are sure she is in…. She went to the Rainbow Bridge on Sunday, December 16, She is survived by her birth mother, Mama Cat, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, her human mother and grandmother. She actually was trapped for a time in her garage in Metairie, when a tree had fallen on the garage door and was jammed.

A window was broken and it was believed that she had escaped and would never be seen again. Then one day a faint cry was heard. Baby was alive and still in the garage. He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds; he is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests his head against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.

Seth was only 8 years old when he went to live in doggy heaven. Seth, my pain in losing you so suddenly is devastating, and the only comfort I feel is in knowing that you are no longer in pain. He was a devoted companion and my protector always by my side. I will miss him so much; especially at bedtime, when he would show me his stuffed toy bear. I knew it was time to settle in for the day. Mornings, Seth would, of course, snuggle in and greet me.

He was so happy that I was finally awake and…. The last years she has brought us joy beyond words. How do you say goodbye to your friend, protector and constant companion? For now we will just say farewell, until we meet again. Our lives have been richer, happier and certainly more blessed because we shared them with Chester. He came to be with us by chance.

He trained us to give him a treat every time he came inside and he only went outside to do his business! He trained us to go to bed at the same time every night and he certainly let…. He had been fighting cancer and kidney disease for the past year. I will never forget the day…. McSweeney right beside him Monday evening October 25th at 7: He had suddenly become sick and was diagnosis with a rare stomach cancer only a couple weeks after his brother Bo passed.

He was so very loved by…. Lucky passed away on Tuesday December 15, at He was 18 years old. It was so silky like human hair. He had been fighting chronic kidney disease since January. He also developed anemia a few days ago. Everyone that knew him knew that he was a fighter! I told him to…. Tio is now with his older brother and friend, Orlando Voorhies-Kovata. Tio is sorely missed by his earthly family, which consists of his masters, Jimmy and Paul, and his younger brother, Gonzo. Tio was the sweetest, dearest, and most affectionate feline even known by either of his masters.

Tio joined his masters and older brother, Orlando, in Initially, Tio joined the family as a foster feline while his second master, Robin, temporarily lived with her soon-to-be-in-laws, who were allergic to him. On the last day in May, God sent you my way.

I will cherish all the years we spent. Princess, you were truly Heaven sent. I witnessed that blessed moment when you took your first breath and stayed by your side at the time of your death. You passed away that morning in September. My love for you I will always remember. For now my sweet Princess girl, from us you had to part. You will always hold a special place in our heart. We were the best of friends. I can not wait til the day we will be…. I know we made the right decision. You were In such pain and now you are probably running around up there using those little legs that have not been used in a long time.

I know it Feels great to walk and run now. I bet you are chasing your little cow or that baby snoopy you enjoyed so very much. We will not remember the hard times, but the joyful times when you were…. September 12, — November 18, New Orleans , Louisiana Chilepupper passed away Wednesday November 18th, at 5pm after a battle with Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia and other age related illnesses, he was 13 years old. Chilepupper was the cherished companion to Dawnene and Charlene since he was a puppy.

Although Chile himself was not a show dog, he was the…. Our Melly died on Sunday December 6, Words can not express how much I have been blessed. How can it be that had God chose me to have been given from above two babies to love. I fell for your charms when I would hold you in my arms. I held you by my side the night you died. Hey little mister you and your sister will always be in my heart, therefore we shall never part. Oh how I miss that sweet little kiss. We will be together again my two furry little friends.

Our grand adventure with Puddin cat began in early l when he found us his new family. My one year old daughter Shannon and I were leaving my accountants office in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. The meow came as a tiny ball of grey fur ran up my leg and ended the climb perfectly positioned on my shoulder. Romeo was my birthday present in September, It did not take long for him to win the hearts of everyone in our family.

For nine years he made everyone fall in love with him. He was an amazing Blue Crown Conure who was always laughing, singing, and talking. He was an extremely smart little bird who loved to love and be loved. Romeo will be greatly missed by all of our family and friends. He will always have a special place…. His ailments all have been cured and he is at peace. He was a loving son, brother, companion and friend. Boston became a part of the family before many of us were here.

He enjoyed food, a pat on the head, a rub on…. Fiona Sperry was born in Pennsylvania in Her registered name is Halcyon Kinship, and she was the daughter of the legendary Whippet, Ch. Fiona was a loving, sweet companion to Ms. Sperry for nearly 10 years. Venture will be missed so much. He found his way into our hearts in March of He was such a friendly and loving cat.

He has been with us through many tough times including Hurricane Katrina. He always brought a spark of light to any situation. He will also be missed by his human family: Mugsy was a one of a kind street dog that stole my heart that was taken in by her Aunt. She was called the bearded lady and had this unique way of grabbing your finger or wrist and leading you to the back door. She liked to look for her treats and could tell you what she wanted by speaking with her eyes.

Mugsy fell to cancer but hung in longer than expected. Blue, our funny, loving bunny passed away at age eleven plus years. He leaves behind his bonded mate, Josie, and a house stilled by his absence. The remaining five Booth Bunnies had just lost their elder rabbit RB 12 plus years a month ago and now Blue is gone.

How quiet a home can be when just one family bunny is missing. As all Booth Bunnies are, Blue, was rescued and immediately bonded with Josie. They have lived together for the last eleven years.