Give Your Fur Babies an Extra Hug (Had to Say Goodbye to Our 2)

[Jer]

I was having a hard time bringing myself to post this but some were following the story on the other thread (https://www.ar-15.co/threads/38691-For-anyone-with-a-dog-or-pets-please-read) so I wanted to update. We made the decision this weekend to put both of our dogs to sleep. They were aging & having some issues so we decided it was time since neither one of us wanted to wait for something traumatic to force our hand & make us feel better about the decision. My wife & I are pretty broken up right now but the one shining light in an otherwise dark situation once again was Home to Heaven. It's a home euthanasia service that's run by angels. It's our second experience with them & I can't tell you how good these people are. Please take a mental note of them if you have pets. They are truly amazing & I can't imagine going through that in a sterile vets office. I had to do that once when I was 18 & I will never forget that experience for all the wrong reasons. Being able to be with your dog in someplace comfortable is priceless. It is the best approach to an awful situation.


I also feel the need to get on a soap box in London's memory to say please don't buy dogs; adopt. She was rescue #3043. Her tormented life served as daily evidence of what puppy mills do to dogs. She spent the first 5 years of her life in a tiny cage cranking out puppies for someone to make money on. We got her from a puppy mill rescue (National Mill Dog Rescue (http://milldogrescue.org) out of Peyton, CO NE of Colorado Springs) after four failed forever home attempts. We quickly found out why but fought through urges to take her back. We knew if we couldn't give her a home nobody could. The 5 years with her were difficult but watching her slowly emerge from her shell & learn to become a dog over the years was very rewarding. Ultimately this one was broken beyond repair & her health began failing at an early age due in large part to what she likely went through at the puppy mill. The stories that come from them are truly heart wrenching. If you want a dog please rescue one from your local shelter. If you want a pure bred dog check out a place like NMDR as they get TONs of pure bread dogs of every type & age that need rescued. No matter what they tell you, most purchased puppies (even from smaller shops claiming to be rescues) are funding a puppy mill somewhere. Do your part to help end puppy mills: adopt & spread the word.


Koby is probably being greeted by his his sister Gixxer & his best friend Winston who went before him at that Rainbow Bridge now. May you forever run, play or just lay in the sun.

Rest easy Koby & London. You will be forever missed.

[sniper7]

Very sorry to hear about your pups

[Dave_L]

Sorry for your losses. :(

Nothing can replace the fur babies.

[Great-Kazoo]

Sorry to hear once again of your family's loss.
I cannot agree more, ADOPT, ADOPT, ADOPT. For the $$$ one spends on a puppy mill / AKC etc pet one could have adopted 2 and fed 1/2 dozen more.



And yes to HtH whop have helped a few of our friends when it was time .

[hurley842002]

Sorry for your loss Jer, may your furry family members rest easy.

[O2HeN2]

I'm so sorry and I truly know how you feel. All I have to do is read the words "Rainbow bridge" and all my memories come flooding back and I start tearing up.

You gave them a wonderful life and as dogs will do, they gave you far more in return.

It's never an easy choice, but I can tell from the tenor of your post that you did the right thing.

O2

[Justin]

Having to put down a dog is the worst. I'm sorry for your loss. :(

[newracer]

I am sorry to hear this. Thanks for giving them a good home.

[Bailey Guns]

Sorry for the loss of your family members, Jer. We all know what you and your family are going thru and feel your pain.

[MarkCO]

Sorry to hear. Yes to your soapbox. One of our dogs was bought from a friend, but the prior and other current...both adoptions and one was in a kill shelter.

[buffalobo]

Sorry to hear the news. Good on you for helping and caring for those that may have been cast away otherwise.

[DenverGP]

Sorry for your loss, they knew that they were loved.

Just had to say goodbye to Mugsy last week. He had bad bronchitis for a while now, but came down with pneumonia and couldn't beat it. He was a rescue, actually came from a bunch of dogs relocated following katrina.

69383

[Monky]

Sorry for your losses Jer. I can't even think about putting either of mine down when the time comes without allergies kicking in..

As for adoption, I really support it. The thing is, you do end up with the problem dogs... the one I got from Foothills last year... obviously had a rough life. She's got issues a plenty.. and I now need new carpet. Can't seem to get her on a schedule. I'm fairly certain she was bred, either at a mill or a backyard... she definitely doesn't dog very well... it took 6 months to get her to accept treats, about a year before she'd take a carrot.. she's still very strange when it comes toys. She's ok with bones but has no idea what to do with plush toys.. which my pit doesn't mind because then he gets double toys..

I've thought so many times after burning out one carpet cleaner about returning her, but the dogs have bonded and I can't do that to my boy. She's slowly, and I mean slowly turning into a real dog... There is hope yet.

[3beansalad]

Deepest condolences.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[StagLefty]

Sorry to hear,my son lost his rescue bulldog about a month ago during surgery.

[BigBear]

my pup is a rescue and his time is soon. I couldn't imagine the last 12 years without him...

Sorry for your loss.

[TheGrey]

I'm so sorry to hear this. My heart aches for your loss.

The hardest part of having fur kids is the goodbye.

[wctriumph]

Sorry to hear that. My wife and I have gone through this many times and it never gets easier to make that decision.

[jslo]

69384
Had to do the same thing last Tuesday evening. First time in over 35 years with no dog in the house. Didn't think we could go through it again but have come to realize the many, many years of joy far outweigh the few days, hopefully, of pain his passing has brought.
Condolences

[GilpinGuy]

RIP for all the pups in this thread. My last guy went down just over a year ago. Still get all wet thinking about that day. He was from a rescue and was the best dog we ever had. Lasted 18 freakin years and the doc said his heart was so strong, that was the only reason he lasted that long. The rest of him was worn out.

[Bailey Guns]

These threads really break my heart.

I've only bought one dog from a pet store and that was a long time ago (1988), before I knew how so many puppies came to be in pet stores. Yes, puppy mills are a real problem. But I've always struggled with saying "don't buy puppies from a store" because they need love and homes, too. I know the cycle needs to be broken but that cost could be high for some unfortunate pups. I don't have the answer.

We've adopted or fostered so many dogs now, many of them special needs, that I'd have to really think to come up with a number.

[ChadAmberg]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've had to post this same kind of message here twice, and was always thankful for the support I received.
Thank you for giving them such a great home, and for doing the hardest thing but doing it for them.

[Jer]

Thanks for the posts everyone. Reading your words has helped me in this difficult time. It's been a little over 24hrs now and still feels pretty fresh. The wife and I both took the day off and I'm glad we did. Tomorrow starts our first day back to 'normal' so the hope is that I'm busy enough to distract me from thinking about it too much. All of the 'firsts' have been difficult and I imagine that the 'seconds' 'thirds' and 'fourths' of some items will continue to be difficult. My allergies have been getting the best of me so the only hope is that once I'm back in the swing of things I don't think about it too much and can focus on the task at hand. I'm hoping that I can return as much to normalcy as possible. This is the first time in about 15 years that my wife and I haven't had a dog in the house. It's quiet. Very very quiet. Man, I miss my dogs.

I know that in time this will get easier but that doesn't seem to make it any easier on us right now. Again, thanks for your words and a special thank you to those who also opened their homes to rescues.

[GilpinGuy]

Thanks for the posts everyone. Reading your words has helped me in this difficult time. It's been a little over 24hrs now and still feels pretty fresh. The wife and I both took the day off and I'm glad we did. Tomorrow starts our first day back to 'normal' so the hope is that I'm busy enough to distract me from thinking about it too much. All of the 'firsts' have been difficult and I imagine that the 'seconds' 'thirds' and 'fourths' of some items will continue to be difficult. My allergies have been getting the best of me so the only hope is that once I'm back in the swing of things I don't think about it too much and can focus on the task at hand. I'm hoping that I can return as much to normalcy as possible. This is the first time in about 15 years that my wife and I haven't had a dog in the house. It's quiet. Very very quiet. Man, I miss my dogs.

I know that in time this will get easier but that doesn't seem to make it any easier on us right now. Again, thanks for your words and a special thank you to those who also opened their homes to rescues.

It's been a year and I still go to get dog food for the bowl that's not there in the morning sometimes. The unused dog door in our back door is a constant reminder too. When I feel bad I try to think about all the good times we had - them running in front of us 4-wheelin, looking at us like "come on man, what are you waiting for?!?!" and tossing a ball in lake over and over again. I've had dogs for the past 20+ years, it's just part of you. My 2 guys are buried in my back yard...it'll kill me when move away from here.

[vossman]

Tough call Jer, they bring so much to our lives.

[rondog]

My condolences Jer. Unfortunately, I think our oldest beagle is coming up on the end of her journey too.

[Mercula]

Having a drink for your pups tonight ! Sorry for your loss , I dread the day.....
the good in all this ? Go save another life ! Or two !