An Outlet?

[Fixer6]

Sorry for the loss of your family member. Our prayers are with you and your wife as you go through this tragedy. Know that being with you both all of his life was the best thing that could ever happened to him, and only God himself could have given him better. The same joy and comfort he gave to you, you also gave to him. He would not have been who he was without you. Thank you and yours for all the love, and life you gave him. Know that he no longer suffers from any ailments any more. Rest assured it was you that made him so happy.

 

[05 Blue Unlimited]

Bob,
I do apologize for not posting sooner but when I read your original post so many memories began to flood my mind that I just could not put words to paper.

I am sorry to hear of your loss. Pets may start that way but soon become so much more as they worm themselves into the fabric of the family. Personally I am on my third Springer. The first one, Sara, was "my" dog as she bonded with me. One night her stomach turn inside and she nearly died but we were able to get her to the emergency vet in time; but she was never the same afterwards. A year later we had to put her down due to renal failure. That was the hardest day of my life. That was 13 yrs ago and I see her and it as if it were yesterday. But the pain of that day is tempered by the great times we had for 12 yrs prior in which she was an ever present friend who always understood and never judged me too harshly.

Our second, Samantha, is Jenny's and is the light of her life so to speak. But I would hate to make Jenny choose between us as I am not at all confident of the outcome. I think I would probably lose though. Sam was diagnosed with Lymphatic Cancer 8 months ago after we noticed that she was "not herself." She is currently in remission but once it returns (it always does) it will be downhill quickly and we will be facing a similar choice as with Sara. As ugly as that day will be this time we have another puppy (18 mo old Maggie) who is very different in personality but we pray will help soften the blow of that miserable day.

I do hope you take comfort in knowing that many of us here share in your pain. In times such as this my mind always remembers a letter written to Mrs Bixby by then President Lincoln as I think it is beautifully written and expresses in part my desire for you. So in part I yield to Mr Lincoln.


.... I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours ...

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Humbly,
Jamie

 

[Mike_H]

All,

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. It helps, it really does. Just being able to talk (or write) about it with others who understand makes a world of difference. Some people just don't get it. "Its just a dog," they say. Yeah, just a dog...that has shared the best of life with you, and is always there to comfort you when you upset. They are ALWAYS happy to see you, never have a bad day, and in short, are about the perfect companion to have. This is one of my Favorite pictures of my guy. He loved car rides, and Jeep rides around town were the BEST.

Some of you have shared stories to make me laugh...and relate. Someone mentioned they didn't want to broach the subject of who the wife would pick...the dog or him. I can TOTALLY relate, but I know my wife would have picked the dog . All of you have made me cry, numerous times, reading through your kind words (I've read the thread a few times now).

Nikko is buried in my backyard. I dug the hole Monday morning. @bobthetj03 mentioned that a 95 lb dog takes a big hole...he's right. Nikko was about 85 lbs. Its a tough thing to do, but I find it therapeutic in a way. You definitely get closure...at least my wife and I do. We had a little ceremony, buried him with a couple of his favorite toys and a special treat to share with his friends waiting at the rainbow bridge.

I didn't post it before, but this is actually our second dog we've lost this year. April 30, we lost a female Cavalier King Charles, Ruby, to mitral valve failure (its a genetic heart condition all Cavvies get), so its been a rough year for the two of us. She had the condition for about three years, controlled with medicines. She was an older dog that we adopted, due to her aggressive nature toward kids. She came to us from Chicago, where she was to be destroyed (for "2 strikes" of biting). My wife found out about her from a friend of hers who breeds Cavaliers and since we don't have children, we took her in. Literally, smuggled her out of Chicago...through the back door of the vets office where she was supposed to be euthanized. Anyway, we had her for 5 years and tried to give her the best life we could.

This is our Rue...she LOVED the water...would float around on rafts, paddle boards, boats, anything really.

About two months after we lost Rue, we found out about another rescue case on a Facebook group my Wife belongs to. There was a Cavalier / Cocker Spaniel mix that needed a new home. The couple that bought him from the petshop worked full time and were in college. Poor guy was in his crate for up to 12 hours a day. They finally realized that it wasn't fair to him to be cooped up like that and gave him to the mother of one of their friends. She tried to place him 4 other times before we found him. We drove to Chicago to meet him and bring him home. He is VERY rambunctious and that is why its been tough for him. We have the means and energy to work him, so after a couple weeks of very intensive training by a professional, he's turning into a very good dog.

Right now, he is providing ALL kinds of comfort. He's really energetic, but also a very happy boy, that absolutely loves to cuddle. He loves nothing more than to jump into your lap and snuggle for hours on end...which is very nice when you have a hole in your heart to be mended.

Here is Ripley.

 

[Squatch]

Incredible the way they touch our lives, isn't it? Thank you so much for sharing. It seems there's definitely a lot of folks on here who "get it". Glad you can find comfort in their words and sentiments.

My wife belongs to a group who does dog rescue "transports". That is, folks will basically do a series of relays/hand-offs to get a rescued dog from one place to another, that end destination being a "no-kill" shelter, a foster home, or straight to an adoptive home. Everyone does this at their own expense. Sometimes it involves hundreds of miles of driving, or even putting the dogs on a plane. We have personally been involved with picking up dogs at Sea-Tac Airport, and delivering the dogs up to the Canadian border. Twice. Both times, the rescued dogs came out of Mexico. The last time involved two puppies. We kept them overnight, and within that time, the little female took a shine to me, and literally slept in my lap for hours at a time. Of course, I fell in love with her, and did the one thing I told my wife I'd never do. I said "I want to keep her." Well, it turns out that while that is allowed, and does happen from time to time, both of these pups already had adoptive families waiting in Canada. I will admit to choking up pretty badly when it was time to hand her over. Here's a pic with her new family:

Anyways, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, @Ranger_b0b. I guess I just wanted to say that yeah, we get it. You're obviously one of the ones who go out of your way to give our critter friends a better life...or even a better chance at life. And your reward is in their love and devotion to you. What more could any of us crazy critter people ask for, ya know?

 

[Jay P]

Thoughts are with you. I had such a hard time with my last dog that it took me 10 years to get another. Now I regret waiting so long. I almost feel bad for not giving dogs in need a good life during that time. I now have a crazy energetic 7 month old nut job Brittany that makes me smile everyday. Hopefully you can find some peace knowing that you made his life great and you were his world. They really are amazing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Edward Turner]

It won’t take long for Ripley to fill some of that hole that’s where your heart was. And good for you that you already have a pup to help you through this, I’ve found that waiting for the mourning to end before trying a new buddy is pointless and only enlarges the grief. All of us that have been where you are thank you for sharing, it teaches us that we not alone in treasuring our companions.

 

[Mike_H]

Incredible the way they touch our lives, isn't it? Thank you so much for sharing. It seems there's definitely a lot of folks on here who "get it". Glad you can find comfort in their words and sentiments.

My wife belongs to a group who does dog rescue "transports". That is, folks will basically do a series of relays/hand-offs to get a rescued dog from one place to another, that end destination being a "no-kill" shelter, a foster home, or straight to an adoptive home. Everyone does this at their own expense. Sometimes it involves hundreds of miles of driving, or even putting the dogs on a plane. We have personally been involved with picking up dogs at Sea-Tac Airport, and delivering the dogs up to the Canadian border. Twice. Both times, the rescued dogs came out of Mexico. The last time involved two puppies. We kept them overnight, and within that time, the little female took a shine to me, and literally slept in my lap for hours at a time. Of course, I fell in love with her, and did the one thing I told my wife I'd never do. I said "I want to keep her." Well, it turns out that while that is allowed, and does happen from time to time, both of these pups already had adoptive families waiting in Canada. I will admit to choking up pretty badly when it was time to hand her over. Here's a pic with her new family:
View attachment 60958
Anyways, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, @Ranger_b0b. I guess I just wanted to say that yeah, we get it. You're obviously one of the ones who go out of your way to give our critter friends a better life...or even a better chance at life. And your reward is in their love and devotion to you. What more could any of us crazy critter people ask for, ya know?

No hijack at all. I love hearing stories like yours. Animals need our help because they can't help themselves. Keep posting!

 

[zebra12]

Bob,

I am sorry for your loss. I've had lots of dogs, and been down this road several times. It is gut wrenching everytime.