Posted on 02/10/2012 7:08:56 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
It was time. Murdock's hips were failing, his hearing was gone and other ravages of age had caught up with him.
So his family, the Monty family from Wauwatosa's west side, convened a tearful meeting at the dining room table. It was decided that they all - mom, dad and the three boys - would go with Murdock to the vet's office the following Monday and hold him close during the final moments of his life.
But first, they would spend the weekend doing the things Murdock liked best, spoiling him with treats and giving neighbors a chance to say goodbye.
Such is the love that people have for their dogs. This is not an uncommon story. That's the beauty of it. It happens all the time.
That Saturday, Jan. 21, they took 14-year-old Murdock to the sledding hill at Currie Park. He couldn't run and chase the kids like he used to, but he could remember those days.
Cindy and Joe Monty got this dog before any of their children were born. It was 1997 and they were vacationing in Door County when they saw a roadside sign for free puppies. All of the eight puppies were black and white except for one brown one. That's the one they took home, giving the owners some bakery in exchange.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
end of doggie days ping
Just so you know, Joe, I couldn’t pull this off.
My in-laws lost their beloved black lab Cali this past Saturday evening. She was also 14 years old...had many health issues but Saturday night she was struggling to breathe and they knew the time had come. They sat with her and told her it was okay for her to let go, which she did peacefully at home. :(
I also have a male tomcat that was feral for the first 5 years of his life lived in a gopher hole...he is approximately 14 years old. He is a tuxedo cat. Neutered in 2004.
Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.
George Graham Vest - c. 1855
Sad but sweet story. I have felt the loss of beloved pets more keenly than some of my human friends or relatives.
“Dogs’ lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you’re going to lose a dog, and there’s going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can’t support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There’s such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and for the mistakes we make because of those illusions.” from The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
Why dogs don’t live as long as people
by Robin Downing, DVM
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owner, his wife, and their little boy were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, the owners told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old boy to observe the procedure. They felt he could learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. The little boy seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.
Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
The little boy, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?” The four-year- old continued, “Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
I have a 16 year old basenji. I dread the day that I’ll have to make that trip to the vet for him. After Thanksgiving, I thought he was a goner for sure. He was eating those chicken jerky strips that I found out were from China. Somehow, he’s managed to make a significant recovery, but he’s still a little wobbly. I think he may have had a small stroke. You’d never guess it by the way he comes bounding into the house after a walk. This dog has cheated death several times. Run over by a car when he was 3, advanced liver disease when he was 11, and this most recent event. I know he “will not go gently into that good night.” He’s a basenji, after all. One of the most stubborn dogs in the world:-)
I have an 11+ yr. old Golden who has been my constant companion for 10 years. My last Golden was with me for 15+ years, but I know that anything beyond 10 years for this breed is a bonus. Max seems to be in good shape so far, but I know that I have less years ahead of us than I can count behind us.
beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for posting that. I had never seen it before.
It kind of sums it all up.
“tissue time” lots and lots of tissues. (:
A Dog for Jesus
(Where dogs go when they die)
I wish someone had given Jesus a dog.
As loyal and loving as mine.
To sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
And adore Him for being divine.
As our Lord grew to manhood His faithful dog,
Would have followed Him all through the day.
While He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
And knelt in the garden to pray.
It is sad to remember that Christ went away.
To face death alone and apart.
With no tender dog following close behind,
To comfort its Master’s Heart.
And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
How happy He would have been,
As His dog kissed His hand and barked it’s delight,
For The One who died for all men.
Well, the Lord has a dog now, I just sent Him mine,
The old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone,
Knowing they’re in eternity.
Day after day, the whole day through,
Wherever my road inclined,
Four feet said, “Wait, I’m coming with you!”
And trotted along behind.
by: Rudyard Kipling
I have a Golden Retriever statue with a rawhide bone in his mouth that I place amongst the shepherds and the wise men in my Christmas display. He looks like he belongs there at the corner of the Crib.
The only input that I can add to this story is perhaps asking the vet to come to the house for the euthanasia rather than taking the dog to him.......A very heartwarming nonetheless and it brings tears to my eyes.
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