Goodbye old friend....

Friends,

I knew it was going to happen some day but I hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. I just returned from the vet where I had my old pal Jet put to sleep. He was nearly fourteen years old (ancient for a Lab) and has enjoyed good health all his life. But late yesterday afternoon Jet lost his ability to walk. The vet said it was likely a stroke.

I couldn’t bear to watch him try to get up and not be able to keep his balance, then look at me as if to say, “What’s up with this?” I stayed in the family room with him last night because evey time I left the room he’d struggle to get up and try to follow me. Now that the deed has been done and I know he’s in a better place, it still breaks my heart to have lost him.

Thanks, friends, for giving me the opportunity to gain some closure by getting this off my chest.

Will

Will

My heart aches along with you. Next to my wife, our black lab Molly is the love of my life. Jet’s in a better place, but will never be that far away from you.

Dave

Greyfox,

If you haven’t go to a recent similar thread and you will find camaraderie and some very meaningful quotes.

My thoughts are with you and the loss of your good friend. My last lab has been gone for over a year now. I still miss her. The joys that they provide to us day in and day out are often taken for granted until they are gone. The same for all of the other blessings that God gives us. Our health, family, friends and our faithful hairy pals. Let’s vow to enjoy them all and to be a good friend.

May God bless us all.
xfc

We get so attached to our dogs, these loyal, at-the-ready beings. Take care.

greyfox,

Lost my best friend earlier this month. Posted a thread on March 10. The good folks here helped me get throught the first part of the hard times. My heart is with you and I hope you get the same comfort here that I did.

Hi,

We lost our Kodiak a year ago this week, and so completely understand how you feel.

Best thoughts,
Kat

greyfox,
I feel your loss I’m walking in your shoes.
My English Setter is rapidly loosing her legs and the end is very soon. I watch her fall while hunting tweety birds in the yard and struggle to get on her feet and it brings tears. I wish that I could make it better but I know that I can’t turn back time. All that I can do is thank her for the good times we had together and hope that I can recognize when all of Sally’s dignity is gone and be strong enough to stop her suffering.


Don

It hasn’t been but 5 weeks ago we had to do the same with Max…our thoughts are with you.

greyfox

i lost my yellow labrador (aka mickey or the man) about 8 months ago very unexpectedly. he was 6 yo at the time. my wife and i rescued him when he was 2. he was almost dead from malnutrition and bneglect when we found him. next to my wife, he was my closest friend - hiking and fishing companion, running partner, or simply going for rides in the truck and playing fetch, he did it all with me. since we don’t have children, he was really like our first child. our chocolate labrador, maggie, is our second child.

i cried like a baby the day it happened. for several weeks afterward, i would think about him, expect him to greet me when i got home from work, or just see his collar and leash hanging in the garage, and i would have to fight back tears, or sometimes just let them come. as a matter of fact, it’s hard to type this right now without becoming a bit teary eyed.

so to sum it all up, i know exactly what you’re going through right now. it’s very hard to lose someone so near to you, but it will get better with time. for me, it really helped to think about all the times i gave him a bone, or played fetch with him, or just took him on a walk, and made his tail wag. i know that he led a good life, as i’m sure your labrador did, and that made it a bit easier.

hang in there. times will get easier eventually.

chris

Will, its tough right know and tough for us. Our hearts are as heavy as yours. Jet will be around, his collar, his pictures and more, the wonderful memories of days gone bye. He’s looking down thanking you and keeping a nice spot warm for you in gratitude.

philip

[This message has been edited by old geezer (edited 21 March 2005).]

will, my thoughts are with you. it was difficult, but you made the right decision for jet. he’s in a better place now, free of pain and discomfort. this pain you now feel will fade with time, but jet’s memories will grow stronger.

my wife and i put our beloved chesapeake to sleep last june - she was a fantasitic old girl of nearly 12 years. i got her as an eight week old puppy, and she lived quite the life.

this past friday night i was in the basement, tying flies for saturday’s day-trip. my gear was laid out in the floor behind me, in a spot that chessie would lay. out of the corner of my eye, this pile of fishing gear somehow morphed into the form of an 80lb chesapeake, laying patiently. i was comforted by this. the next morning, quite mysteriously, there were two brand new tennis balls in our back yard, near her burial place. she had really been for a visit - i guess she wanted to go fishing :slight_smile:

you’ll get through this difficult time - your boy jet will always be with you.

godspeed jet.

greyfox;

I feel your sorrow. I had to take my 12 year-old 105 pond lap-dog rottweiler/shepherd mix to the vet last summer. We got a chocolate lab in the fall quite by chance and she is another perfect family fit. Not a replacement (not nearly the dubbing machine), but a perfect fit with our family and previous dog’s spirit.

Don

These threads always leave me tearing and at a loss for communicating. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sorry Will…and if you are young enough, it WILL happen again. and
…lee s.

Like Lee S. sez, I’m always at a loss for the right words when someone has to send their best friend over the Rainbow Bridge. To help alleviate the pain, try to remember the many years of pleasure as you go through these moments of extreme pain.

My very best to you Grey Fox.

Silvertop


Snow on the roof with fire in the hearth

Friends,

Thank you all so very much for sharing your thoughts and your compassion. I now realize the pain of Jet’s loss will eventually subside, but also that his memory will live on until we meet again at “The Rainbow Bridge.”

My very best to you all,
Will

Greyfox and all of you that have posted on this thread. I posted on “Our Dogs” earlier today. Please check it out to get a perspective on my situation. My wife and I currently have Abigail, a Black & Tan Cocker Spaniel. We both agree it’s scary because we are definitely more attached to her and love her more dearly than any other pet we ever owned. She has such an incredible personality. If she were a person she would definitely be a comedian! The thing that really bothers me sometimes when I think about it - is that Brindle, Muffet, Samantha, and Molly, all died without me there to say goodbye to them. That all happened between 1984 and 1999. Some rather sad stories that I won’t get into right now.
Greyfox, you have my deepest sympathy. Remember you were priviliged to be present at Jet’s final moments of life.

I do not think there is an animal that shows so much affection and love for us, as a dog displays.

They greet us when we come home, tail wagging, body quivering with excitement, as if you were never going to return.

They nuzzel your hand, looking for a friendly pat on the head, some scatching behind the ear, or best of all a belly rub.

They bring you balls and stick, so you will throw them, so they can bring them back. They will play “Tug of War” with a thick rope, holding on with a death bite, never giving up in the game.

They lay at your feet, when you are reading, watching TV, just wanting to be near you.

They guard your house, letting you know, of anyone that comes near the place with a loud bark.

They also will eat your sandwich, the minute you turn your back, that you left on the counter. Then give you that, “I’ve been a bad dog look” as a sign showing you they are sorry.

They behave, and mind your commands, better than your children do. Yes they are family, and anyone who says different, never had a dog.

It hurts when you lose your “Best Friend” and that is as it should be. To Love is to make yourself vunerable to the hurt, when that Love is lost, with their passing.

One of the member of FAOL, always closes their BB coment about if Dogs are not allowed in Heaven, they want to go where the Dogs go. I agree, Heaven cannot be all that great if Dogs are not allowed! I know when it my time to die, that when I get to Heavan, there will be some 4-legged friends waiting for me, tails wagging and bodies quivering. As if to say, “Where have you been, thought you would never come home, I have been missing you…”

~Parnelli

[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 22 March 2005).]

Greyfox,
My deepest sympathy for you. It is truly awful to lose a loved one, man or beast, but always rember that someday you wil be able to play with jet any time you like. I’m only 16,so people may not think I have had enough time or experience to feel what you do,but I have, a few times.It hurts for a while, but jet will always remain in your heart. Your in my prayers
God Bless- David

[This message has been edited by Flytyer317 (edited 22 March 2005).]

Greyfox and Bluehackle,
I’m so sorry to hear about your losses. I believe it was Roy Rogers who said “if dogs don’t go to Heaven, then I don’t want to go”, or something to that effect. They are such special additions to our lives. I’ll never forget an awsome day of fishing destroyed by the the news that our bull terrier mix, Tiger, had died while we were out. We grow to love our dogs so much. I guess the best we can do is to enjoy every minute we have with them, and thank God for all of the joy they give us. I do give thanks for my Mulligan on a regular basis. When your ready, get another friend. Never to replace your lost buddies, but to bring that joy back into your lives.
I feel for y’all, GREATLY!
May God comfort the both of you,
Swamp