floor cleaning is the best reason to keep a dog after all the other best reasons
I feel like every dog owner is intimately acquainted with the feeling of being away from home, dropping food on someone/somewhere else's kitchen floor, and just staring at it like, "What the fuck, no automatic cleanup?"
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
The hard part has been to look at her, she looks ok. Fur looks good, eyes are clear, fur is shiny, she still moves with some speed and grace. But then, you look closer.
Her fur is falling out in spots, she hasn't eaten more than a few bites at a time and hasn't actually finished food in weeks, she doesn't bother going outside anymore, she's stopped even trying to get to her litter box. And when you pick her up, you realize that most of her full look is her fur. She's basically all bones. She's lost so much weight that if you stroke down her back, you can feel the microchip beneath the skin. Her breathing is ragged and laboured, all that speed and grace comes at a cost which you can see when she finishes her grooming.
We don't want her to suffer. We don't know how much longer she has. We could keep her drugged on steroids for a while, but will that actually be helping her? Are we talking days? Weeks? Could she go on for months? We don't know. But we do know is that she's fading, and fast. And we want her to still have some dignity and feel like we are doing the best thing.
So tomorrow afternoon at 2pm, were taking her to the vet to go to sleep. We are not bringing our kid. We've tried to tell her that Shadow is very sick and not getting better, so the vet is going to help Shadow go to sleep and Shadow won't be coming back home.
Which is about as far as we get before she stops paying attention and changes the subject. So who knows. We've told the teachers at daycare, so they at least know something is happening.
I've told my boss and she understands.
This is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and I'm a terrible terrible fur mom and human being. Maybe? I don't know.
We're going to get an apple tree to plant in the backyard asa memorial, but we're not bringing her home, or getting her ashes returned either.
I just don't know what type of apple to get. Yes I'm fixating on the wrong thing. I just got the kid to sleep and I don't want to wake her by sobbing.
The hard part has been to look at her, she looks ok. Fur looks good, eyes are clear, fur is shiny, she still moves with some speed and grace. But then, you look closer.
Her fur is falling out in spots, she hasn't eaten more than a few bites at a time and hasn't actually finished food in weeks, she doesn't bother going outside anymore, she's stopped even trying to get to her litter box. And when you pick her up, you realize that most of her full look is her fur. She's basically all bones. She's lost so much weight that if you stroke down her back, you can feel the microchip beneath the skin. Her breathing is ragged and laboured, all that speed and grace comes at a cost which you can see when she finishes her grooming.
We don't want her to suffer. We don't know how much longer she has. We could keep her drugged on steroids for a while, but will that actually be helping her? Are we talking days? Weeks? Could she go on for months? We don't know. But we do know is that she's fading, and fast. And we want her to still have some dignity and feel like we are doing the best thing.
So tomorrow afternoon at 2pm, were taking her to the vet to go to sleep. We are not bringing our kid. We've tried to tell her that Shadow is very sick and not getting better, so the vet is going to help Shadow go to sleep and Shadow won't be coming back home.
Which is about as far as we get before she stops paying attention and changes the subject. So who knows. We've told the teachers at daycare, so they at least know something is happening.
I've told my boss and she understands.
This is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and I'm a terrible terrible fur mom and human being. Maybe? I don't know.
We're going to get an apple tree to plant in the backyard asa memorial, but we're not bringing her home, or getting her ashes returned either.
I just don't know what type of apple to get. Yes I'm fixating on the wrong thing. I just got the kid to sleep and I don't want to wake her by sobbing.
This is a billion% not the case. You're in the roughest place for any pet owner but you've done all the right things here. Much hugs (if you're cool with that) and much love.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited August 2019
Ahava, you sound like the best fur mom.
When Bebe passed, we knew it was time. I spent the day with her before she was put to sleep, and you could just... tell. She was ready, and while I wasn't, I knew I had to put her ahead of my own desires.
It's okay to sob and cry. Just remember the joy, and the good times.
Edit: Also, something to consider. My mom kept Bebe's collar after she passed, and keeps it in the curio cabinet to remember her by. I love the idea of the apple tree too.
Blake TDo you have enemies then?Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered Userregular
I can't speak with first hand experience as an adult who has made the decision, but when my first cat was unwell and my parents made the decision to put her down I was that upset (I called the cat had a lump over a year before and no one listened to me) I put the cat outside so my parents couldn't get her. It didn't work of course. The second time I was 23 and left work to say goodbye and that was tough, it really is a balance to their dignity of life versus our self interest (that isn't the best word to use but I can't think of a better one) of wanting them to stay because we love them and dont want them to leave us.
While I'm not a parent, I talked a lot to my friend who just lost his father, it was tough for him talking to his kids because they're young and they really don't understand what death means. His kid said it's fine that his grandfather was gone, cause he could just go get another one, so I wouldn't worry too much about having Ellie understand because at that stage kids don't really get the concept.
UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
We made a similar call with our old boy Cormic last week. His last vet appointment is this Friday. I had a moment of doubt when I was walking him on Saturday - he still gets excited to go for walks, and as he started practically skipping down the street I wondered if maybe we were wrong, and it was too soon. But as we walked I thought about it and realized I don't ever want him to get to the point that he's not excited to go for a walk, and even beyond that, I could see how quickly he got tired, even on the short walk we took. He's having trouble with even a few stairs at a time, sometimes when he lays down he needs help standing back up... it's time. So, one last week with the best, handsomest* boy around.
My neice lost a puppy when she was about 4 and I dont know if my brother handled it the best way but he tried to explain best he could. Shes lost other pets since and she handles it pretty well though.
Age matters I guess but just try your best to be honest about it and he'll cope.
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
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AnialosCollies are love, Collies are life!Shadowbrook ColliesRegistered Userregular
We made a similar call with our old boy Cormic last week. His last vet appointment is this Friday. I had a moment of doubt when I was walking him on Saturday - he still gets excited to go for walks, and as he started practically skipping down the street I wondered if maybe we were wrong, and it was too soon. But as we walked I thought about it and realized I don't ever want him to get to the point that he's not excited to go for a walk, and even beyond that, I could see how quickly he got tired, even on the short walk we took. He's having trouble with even a few stairs at a time, sometimes when he lays down he needs help standing back up... it's time. So, one last week with the best, handsomest* boy around.
Who the hell is cutting all these onions. Hugs man.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
fuck it I'm going to brag a bit here because dangit my boy deserves it
so last year the national specialty show for the Collie Club of Canada was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, the first time it's been in Atlantic Canada in over a decade. Cormic was long since retired from shows, but we decided to take him out one last time. They have a Veterans class at the national specifically for older dogs, and his breeder that we got him from was going to be there. We figured he had a decent shot of winning best veteran, and it would just be nice to have him see his breeders, get some love from the crowd, etc.
okay cool, he won Best Veteran, now he technically gets to compete with the winners of the younger dog classes, but we don't really expect him t-
oh, crap. Really? That's amazing, he's the top Rough Collie at the show, that is so coo-
He won the Whole. Damn. Thing.
The big national show for the breed, and my boy won it all. The best part, the absolute coolest thing about this? His breeder, who was getting ready to retire from shows himself was his handler. They got to go out on top together.
UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
edited August 2019
oh and that face in the first picture? Where he's looking up at me with excitement with the messy closet in the background? That's because I had just put socks on. At some point he made the connection that prior to taking him for a walk I would sit on the bed and put on socks and he just decided that one invariably led to the other. He'd see me put socks on, get excited, and how the hell am I going to disappoint that face? So even if I wasn't originally planning on going for a walk right away I would, further confirming his belief that socks == walks.
Absolutely not. In fact, by considering your cat's quality of life and personal comfort level, you are streets ahead of folks who get selfish and force their dying pet to suffer far longer than they should ever have. I've known people who were keeping animals alive for months and in one case nearly a year and a half longer than the point at which I would have taken that poor animal to the veterinarian to be put out of its unending misery. I still feel bad for that poor dog and I've not been friends with the human responsible since.
They give us so much comfort during our lives, the very least we can give back to them is comfort and dignity at the end of theirs.
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
Welp.
She's gone. We had them give her some sedation before the injection. We were with her the whole time. Both of us sobbing our eyes out, but we were there.
Gods this hurts. This hurts so damned bad. I don't know that I can go through this again.
Thank you all for being here. You don't know how much I appreciate you all.
Putting down Simon was super hard because he wasn't even 6. His spirits were the same as always, his body just failed him because the cancer spread to his chest and filled it with fluid. He never lost his appetite or anything. He just went from a clean vet exam in February to not being able to breathe in June.
She's gone. We had them give her some sedation before the injection. We were with her the whole time. Both of us sobbing our eyes out, but we were there.
Gods this hurts. This hurts so damned bad. I don't know that I can go through this again.
Thank you all for being here. You don't know how much I appreciate you all.
Love y'all.
It's never a bad idea to take some time after you lose a pet. I waited about 3 years before I found Lola. You'll know if/when you're ready.
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
Take all the time you need but remember that getting a new pet isn't replacement. You're a good person with a lot of love in your heart and there are a lot of animals in the world that need homes and deserve the chance to be loved by a person like you.
You should invest in a dog wagon if she cant do long walks yet. Bonus it can store water and treats
King Riptor on
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
FYI the guidline/recommendation for walking puppies is 5 minutes per month of age, twice per day - more than that puts a lot of wear on joints that are still rapidly growing/developing
Off-leash play time beyond those walks is totally fine, as the puppy can take it easy or rest as needed, but when on-leash can push themselves past what they would normally do because their human is asking them to
You should invest in a dog wagon if she cant do long walks yet. Bonus it can store water and treats
Not my dog, I ain't investing shit.
But yes the dog wagon concept did come up.
Edit: re walking, yes, I know. I've raised many large dogs. Like I said, it's not my dog, nor my routine.
I've mentioned the potential issues of overexercise to the owners and realistically she's walking about 20 minutes total (in bursts) on this trip, so frankly I'm not terribly worried about it. Part of the reason I volunteered to help out was to make it easier for her owner to get her there without over-exerting either of them.
Double edit: maybe I should also say she gets driven home and only does an on leash walk one way? Like, trust me y’all, I’m helicopter parenting as hard as I can for this pupper, given that it’s not particularly my business , and I know her owner is already second guessing every decision in case it makes her a bad dog mum.
Anyway have a pooped pup in her work crate with friend dinosaur:
floor cleaning is the best reason to keep a dog after all the other best reasons
I feel like every dog owner is intimately acquainted with the feeling of being away from home, dropping food on someone/somewhere else's kitchen floor, and just staring at it like, "What the fuck, no automatic cleanup?"
The dogs will hang around the stove when my brother cooks for that vain chance. They do the same thing but I will stand to the side of the stove or do other things which annoy them
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VivixenneRemember your training, and we'll get through this just fine.Registered Userregular
edited August 2019
Blake took these photos of our exceptionally photogenic dog.
lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
I catch myself almost telling her good night.
I catch myself listening for the cat door to slam open when the winter rain comes pouring down.
I catch myself talking to nothing but the air.
I miss her. But at least the hurt is getting better.
Blake took these photos of our exceptionally photogenic dog.
His new album Snoots to Boop, drops next week.
are the tracks L E N G T H Y
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I ZimbraWorst song, played on ugliest guitarRegistered Userregular
It's cat week again! We have a full house of five kitties this week. My favorite is Maggie, who is t-i-n-y even though she's four years old and has had kittens. She is so nervous about getting moved into the store that she spent her whole time out of her condo huddled up in my wife's arms.
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I feel like every dog owner is intimately acquainted with the feeling of being away from home, dropping food on someone/somewhere else's kitchen floor, and just staring at it like, "What the fuck, no automatic cleanup?"
@lonelyahava I'm so sorry about your kittyface.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Her fur is falling out in spots, she hasn't eaten more than a few bites at a time and hasn't actually finished food in weeks, she doesn't bother going outside anymore, she's stopped even trying to get to her litter box. And when you pick her up, you realize that most of her full look is her fur. She's basically all bones. She's lost so much weight that if you stroke down her back, you can feel the microchip beneath the skin. Her breathing is ragged and laboured, all that speed and grace comes at a cost which you can see when she finishes her grooming.
We don't want her to suffer. We don't know how much longer she has. We could keep her drugged on steroids for a while, but will that actually be helping her? Are we talking days? Weeks? Could she go on for months? We don't know. But we do know is that she's fading, and fast. And we want her to still have some dignity and feel like we are doing the best thing.
So tomorrow afternoon at 2pm, were taking her to the vet to go to sleep. We are not bringing our kid. We've tried to tell her that Shadow is very sick and not getting better, so the vet is going to help Shadow go to sleep and Shadow won't be coming back home.
Which is about as far as we get before she stops paying attention and changes the subject. So who knows. We've told the teachers at daycare, so they at least know something is happening.
I've told my boss and she understands.
This is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and I'm a terrible terrible fur mom and human being. Maybe? I don't know.
We're going to get an apple tree to plant in the backyard asa memorial, but we're not bringing her home, or getting her ashes returned either.
I just don't know what type of apple to get. Yes I'm fixating on the wrong thing. I just got the kid to sleep and I don't want to wake her by sobbing.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
This is a billion% not the case. You're in the roughest place for any pet owner but you've done all the right things here. Much hugs (if you're cool with that) and much love.
When Bebe passed, we knew it was time. I spent the day with her before she was put to sleep, and you could just... tell. She was ready, and while I wasn't, I knew I had to put her ahead of my own desires.
It's okay to sob and cry. Just remember the joy, and the good times.
Edit: Also, something to consider. My mom kept Bebe's collar after she passed, and keeps it in the curio cabinet to remember her by. I love the idea of the apple tree too.
While I'm not a parent, I talked a lot to my friend who just lost his father, it was tough for him talking to his kids because they're young and they really don't understand what death means. His kid said it's fine that his grandfather was gone, cause he could just go get another one, so I wouldn't worry too much about having Ellie understand because at that stage kids don't really get the concept.
Satans..... hints.....
My neice lost a puppy when she was about 4 and I dont know if my brother handled it the best way but he tried to explain best he could. Shes lost other pets since and she handles it pretty well though.
Age matters I guess but just try your best to be honest about it and he'll cope.
Who the hell is cutting all these onions. Hugs man.
so last year the national specialty show for the Collie Club of Canada was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, the first time it's been in Atlantic Canada in over a decade. Cormic was long since retired from shows, but we decided to take him out one last time. They have a Veterans class at the national specifically for older dogs, and his breeder that we got him from was going to be there. We figured he had a decent shot of winning best veteran, and it would just be nice to have him see his breeders, get some love from the crowd, etc.
okay cool, he won Best Veteran, now he technically gets to compete with the winners of the younger dog classes, but we don't really expect him t-
oh, crap. Really? That's amazing, he's the top Rough Collie at the show, that is so coo-
He won the Whole. Damn. Thing.
The big national show for the breed, and my boy won it all. The best part, the absolute coolest thing about this? His breeder, who was getting ready to retire from shows himself was his handler. They got to go out on top together.
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
Edit: this was just yesterday
Best Dog.
Pretty sure it's official now.
I think I'm ok. So far.
I appreciate you all so much.
Give Cormic a big hug from me, @Fearghaill . He's a good dog and so handsome
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Absolutely not. In fact, by considering your cat's quality of life and personal comfort level, you are streets ahead of folks who get selfish and force their dying pet to suffer far longer than they should ever have. I've known people who were keeping animals alive for months and in one case nearly a year and a half longer than the point at which I would have taken that poor animal to the veterinarian to be put out of its unending misery. I still feel bad for that poor dog and I've not been friends with the human responsible since.
They give us so much comfort during our lives, the very least we can give back to them is comfort and dignity at the end of theirs.
She's gone. We had them give her some sedation before the injection. We were with her the whole time. Both of us sobbing our eyes out, but we were there.
Gods this hurts. This hurts so damned bad. I don't know that I can go through this again.
Thank you all for being here. You don't know how much I appreciate you all.
Love y'all.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Lucky dog too provided he's intact
It's never a bad idea to take some time after you lose a pet. I waited about 3 years before I found Lola. You'll know if/when you're ready.
It’s less than 3km. We’ve allotted 1.5 hours.
pupdate: carried for 1.5km but was an extremely good girl when walking and mostly went forwards and only peed herself in terror once.
Satans..... hints.....
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog-or-puppy/general-advice-about-caring-for-your-new-puppy-or-dog/puppy-and-dog-walking/
Off-leash play time beyond those walks is totally fine, as the puppy can take it easy or rest as needed, but when on-leash can push themselves past what they would normally do because their human is asking them to
Not my dog, I ain't investing shit.
But yes the dog wagon concept did come up.
Edit: re walking, yes, I know. I've raised many large dogs. Like I said, it's not my dog, nor my routine.
I've mentioned the potential issues of overexercise to the owners and realistically she's walking about 20 minutes total (in bursts) on this trip, so frankly I'm not terribly worried about it. Part of the reason I volunteered to help out was to make it easier for her owner to get her there without over-exerting either of them.
Double edit: maybe I should also say she gets driven home and only does an on leash walk one way? Like, trust me y’all, I’m helicopter parenting as hard as I can for this pupper, given that it’s not particularly my business , and I know her owner is already second guessing every decision in case it makes her a bad dog mum.
Anyway have a pooped pup in her work crate with friend dinosaur:
I miss him already.
also some slightly less vicious predators
The dogs will hang around the stove when my brother cooks for that vain chance. They do the same thing but I will stand to the side of the stove or do other things which annoy them
I catch myself listening for the cat door to slam open when the winter rain comes pouring down.
I catch myself talking to nothing but the air.
I miss her. But at least the hurt is getting better.
Keep sharing your photos, folks. They're helping
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
His new album Snoots to Boop, drops next week.
Satans..... hints.....
I tried to snap some pictures of Fannie. However, she is a butt who refuses to stay still or do what I ask her.
This will change at random without warning
Simultaneously preventing use of the stairs and the front door, thus causing maximum inconvenience to every other living creature in the house.
are the tracks L E N G T H Y