Posted on 01/24/2010 12:29:06 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, and yet I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long or my heart might be getting old or weak.
9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old.
10. On the difficult journey, on the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Because I love you so.
Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them.
Life would be a much duller, less joyful thing without God’s critters. Please pass this on to other pet owners.
(Excerpt) Read more at websleuths.com ...
speaking of squirrels, this story has been around since at least 1995:
http://www.vtwinmama.com/demonic_squirrel_riding_story.htm
RDO Woof
Any time I’ve had to put a pet down, I pay first, then have the vet do it while I comfort my animal. I’ve always felt so bad for the pet owners trying to settle up while blubbering at the counter, can’t stand the thought of doing it then. I just wanna get home to cuddle the ones waiting.
I assume pets recognise death as well, & give them a chance to say goodbye before burial or cremation when I can. It must be awful waiting & expecting your buddy to come home when they won’t be.
You’re right.. “the very worst is not knowing.” That’s what bothers me and my wife the most. Thanks, JM
God has not forgotten Toby, nor will he ever forget. I hope this truth may bring you some comfort.
>When I got there, I was informed that it had already happened earlier in the day and they had already disposed of her body. No goodbyes, no loving embraces, no last kisses.<
As a former vet tech, lifelong pet owner, this breaks my heart. What an insensitive, heartless act, both to you and to your little dog. I only wish you had told the vet in person why you would never give him another penny.
I am so sorry for your losses, but I applaud your decision to be there with him. My family has always felt this was of paramount importance. No matter how sick they are, they DO know you are there and I am convinced the presence of a loved one brings them comfort. Bless you and I will keep you in my prayers!
Pedro (Siamese) loved the heat of the sun and after he was too sick to go out followed the sunlight around the house and layed on the floor wherever it came in. When the time came, my mobile vet came to the house and I held him in my arms in the sunlight when the anesthesia was administered until he fell off to sleep. The the chemicals that took his life were injected and I held him in a towel until it was over.
Best thing I ever did for him.
Sorry to hear about your poodle. You never know though. One day a small black dog appeared at my back door and would not leave. She was in excellent health, groomed and spayed. I tried everything to find the owners and I never could. She has an excellent home whoever lost or had to get rid of her.
I lost my dearest Mocha Girl Dog on December 10th. This article gives me a great venue to pay tribute to her:
“1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.”
She left very suddenly at 9 yrs 8 months. She went from a very happy dog to a dead dog so fast that the smile remained. She did hate to be seperated from me, but she knew I would always return. She never, in her whole life, tore anything up in the house while I was away.
“2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.”
I trained her with patience, but she never needed much time to learn anything. She was always so willing to please.
“4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you.”
I don’t recall ever being angry with Mocha, she never gave any reason. I did crate train her when she was young, but at about a year she had the run of the house all day.
“5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.”
She was my ultimate friend to listen to my frustrations, dreams, fears and yes even some crazy singing. I always enjoyed that “cocked” lab look.
“7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, and yet I choose not to bite you.”
I never laid a hand on Mocha and she learned very young not to put her teeth on human skin. It was a very respectful understanding.
“8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long or my heart might be getting old or weak.”
The only time I had to scold/yell at Mocha was after she got in the garbage. I didn’t yell until we started our training and I took a very angry, scolding tone. Yes, it frightened her, but it only took 2 times in about 3 minutes until she knew I was only warning her to stay out of the garbage. She never got into it again and even “reported” on other dogs that I would dog sit when they were getting in the garbage.
“9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old.”
Sadly, she never grew old. She was young and spry and enthusiastic until her last second of life. She died in front of me with no warning and no option to save her. She even died on another day of mourning for me (12/10). It was almost as if she was smart enough to ensure that I didn’t have to add a day of sadness to my life.
I look forward to seeing Mocha Girl Dog at the “Rainbow Bridge.” She was my best buddy and she filled my house, to make it a home. Now it is back to being a house.
Thank you fellow FReepers for letting me vent a little.
You are in my prayers on this heartbreaking day. So is Toby. Mourn his death for now and soon you will be able to celebrate his life.
While I always stay with mine, it is not always pleasant. Some people may be better off not being there, especially if they are really upset, because I suspect the pet senses that. The most comforting thing, to me, is that they don’t know they will die, and so they don’t have the same concern we do. They only know what’s happening right then, and they know if they are in pain. As someone who worked for a vet, I assure you, the people who do that work do their best to comfort the animal.
There is no point in beating yourself up over it. If our pets go to Heaven, they are not angry with us about things like that.
My condolences on the loss of your companion. It sounds like she had a good and loving life.
Thank you. It will be a long time before I can get a new one.
My heart goes out to you. Last July I had to put my beloved bulldog Sanford down. He died with his face resting in my hands. As hard as it was to do that, it would have been worse if I had left him there alone with strangers. At least I know that at his very last moment, he knew I was there loving him.
She had been really sick and the vet called me that morning and told me I needed to come down on my lunch break to tell her goodbye. My sweet boyfriend went with me. They put her in a room with us so that we could have some time, but she was yowling in pain so we got the vet to come in so we could go ahead and put her down. I was there right before the vet gave her the shot. I just couldn’t watch her die. My sweet boyfriend stayed in the room with her.
A marketing specialist gave me a great piece of advise at my first job: for everyone one person who speaks up, 5 more simply walk away without saying a word. I've learned to embrace those who criticize, and my endeavors have flourished because of it.
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