I Had to Put My Dog Down Yesterday

Just went through the same thing on 4 November after 11 years. Still seeing signs of him everywhere even though I think I've cleaned up and put away all his stuff and given the usables (food, breath spray, treats) to the neighbor's dogs. Don' know how long that feeling lasts but I'm sure it'll be along time
 
My condolences for the loss of your companion dog. It is never easy, time will heal the hole in your heart and you will remember the good times.
Extra hugs for your other dog in the mean time.

I have had multiple dogs/cats and I am able to remember them with a smile.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. Trooper looks like a real champ in that picture. Bostons are the sweetest dogs - family members have had them for years, and they are just the best companions.

I can't really add much to what has already been posted. Yes, it will hurt a lot for some time. And yes, eventually the happy memories of your years together will replace the sad memory of yesterday.

I have had to say goodbye to many pets over the last 30 years, and giving them a peaceful, pain-free end is the greatest gift we can give them. You did that for Trooper, and he was blessed to have you as his person. Just know that the pain you are feeling right now will lessen over time.

I agree about giving your other dog extra love and cuddles now - he/she is also grieving the loss of their companion.
 
Calico said:
I can't really add much to what has already been posted. Yes, it will hurt a lot for some time. And yes, eventually the happy memories of your years together will replace the sad memory of yesterday.
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Definitely. We still chuckle about unique behaviors and events of dogs that have been out of our lives for more than 20 years - a never ending source of amusement, and friendship. But we still miss them all...
 
About 6 months for me. Yeah, the grief is horrible but it recedes and then you start thinking about another dog. Soon the longing of not having a dog overcomes the grief of loosing a dog and yup, off to the shelter to save another one.
 
So sorry for your loss. DH and I had to put down our Cocker Spaniel a few years ago and we barely made it out of the vet's and home we were crying so hard. So so sad.

Have you read the Cameron Books, A Dogs Purpose, A Dogs Journey and a Dog's Way Home? I loved those books. Also "The Art of Running in the Rain" is good.
 
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RobbieB said:
Yeah, the grief is horrible but it recedes and then you start thinking about another dog. Soon the longing of not having a dog overcomes the grief of loosing a dog and yup, off to the shelter to save another one.
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That's the thing, losing a dog opens up a home for one that needs rescuing. I try to look at it that way but no doubt..... it sucks having to say goodbye to an old friend. My 11 y/o lab is right next to me as I type. I dread the day I have to put him down.

Sorry for your loss OP.
 
So sorry for you loss. The pain will diminish, but the love will always be there.
I'm sure everyone who read your post gave their pets lots of extra love today.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. It is so hard and I hope that you and your other dog can comfort each other.
 
I am sorry for your loss.

I have never really gotten over the loss of any dog. That is the price of all the love they give us. Remember the good times. Think about getting a puppy or young dog soonish. I found that they often gave the surviving dog a good reason to get out of bed and run around a bit, and they also take your mind off the hurt of the loss.
 
I'm sorry about the loss of your dog also.

I had to put one of my dogs down last year, she had recurrent cancer. At that time I had two 11 year old dogs. My remaining dog moped around for months until I realized she needed a puppy. What a change that made. The pup made her more active and much happier again. I was glad I went ahead and got a second dog.

So now I have a 12 1/2 year old and a 1 3/4 year old Jack Russels that are very happy having each other.
 
I think the first time is the most devastating because you feel like you have murdered your baby. Plus you love some more than others. Each experience is different. It’s hard to explain but after 15 years I realize it’s the last gift we give them.
 
I'm very sorry for your loss. We have 3 dogs, and one of them is teetering toward the end. She's my favorite, and I'm already grieving. Her litter mate sister is in much better shape, but at 13 we know she won't be around too much longer either.

When I was in high school I worked for a vet, and putting people's beloved pets down was hard, but not as hard as treating mistreated ones. A dog that was loved as much as yours obviously was had a blessed life. Your sadness is a measure of the joy your dog felt by being with you. You were both very lucky.
 
so sorry for your loss. i can relate. we've had cats nearly all of our married lives up till 5-yrs ago when we adopted our now 10-yr old beagle, Maggie. being a dog guy i tolerated the cats. the cat just prior to Maggie, Samantha, was 18 or 19 and failing rapidly. we had neen back and forth to the vet but old age was winning. so we made the fi al appt. with the vet. i was holding Sam as the doc administered the shot. i became very emotional and nearly broke down. my wife loves Maggie...i've turned my cat wife into a dog wife...but Maggie is my dog. she follows me everywhere. she's 10 and is on the cusp of being geriatric. i dread the future

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I completely understand how heartbreaking it is, to go through the death of your pets. I've lost two dogs, each of which I loved dearly. Losing them was harder than losing a human family member, by far. I think it's because they offer such pure, clean, steady love, day after day, without all the complications and ego that accompany human relationships. And because they're around us 24/7, they know us, and we know them, in a very deep and connected way. The love is profound and so is the loss.

How long it takes for you to move through the heart-wrenching stage of deep grief depends not so much on how much you loved your pet as what you think their fate is. If you think that's it, that's the end of it, they're dead and done, then I think that puts you in a much worse position for moving through the grief. If on the other hand, you have a belief system that includes a belief in animal afterlife and faith that you'll be re-united with them or even can communicate with them now, then you're in a much better position.

For instance, when I lost my first dog and my spiritual belief system was less developed, my intense grief lasted for a few months. But when I lost my second dog, my spiritual belief system was better anchored, and I moved through the intense grief in a few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I still feel a heartbreaking sadness sometimes when I think of her, which is often. But I don't have the intense, overwhelming grief anymore, because I know she's fine. I still talk with her. I know she's still around me. I know I haven't truly "lost" her, because that sort of love doesn't die.

My best wishes to you. I know how much you're hurting.
 
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We have lost several fur babies over the years and it's never easy. We just adopted an older dog whose owner had terminal cancer. He's quite the character but is pretty old for the breed. I know it's going to be hard to lose him sooner than later, but we are determined to make sure his last days on earth are as fantastic as they can be.

As to grief, I came across this not too long after my Dad died and it really does explain it very well. There are some days when I don't think about the grief, while the next day I am also comatose from it.

https://themighty.com/2018/12/ball-box-analogy-grief/

https://twitter.com/x/status/946887540732149760
 
We rescued one old dog that died 6 months later. He was neglected and we gave him a great life taking him on a month RV trip. He couldn’t walk well so I bought him a stroller so he could go on walks with the others. One of the others would jump in his stroller kissing him and riding for awhile before walking again.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. We've been through this with nine dogs in the 35+ years we've been married. It never gets easier. I believe I was a blubbering mess for a week or two each time, and then for months I'd get triggered if I saw our favorite breed of dog.

I hate to say this, but the only thing that really made me stop bawling was getting another one. We never did it too soon, but eventually the house just seemed so empty and we knew it was time. You'll know too. Puppies or a new rescue have a way of taking your mind off sad memories.

Grieving is a process - give yourself time. That was one lucky dog. Good on you for doing right by him.
 
Teacher Terry said:
We rescued one old dog that died 6 months later. He was neglected and we gave him a great life taking him on a month RV trip. He couldn’t walk well so I bought him a stroller so he could go on walks with the others. One of the others would jump in his stroller kissing him and riding for awhile before walking again.
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That's our plan for the future. Once our girls are gone we're going to wait a few years so we can do some longer term traveling. But after we get that out of our system we're planning to start adopting older dogs to try to give them good end of lives. At our ages then (late 60s, early 70s) we think it would be a mistake to adopt puppies. I wouldn't want our dogs to outlive us.
 
That’s great Harley. We lost so many old dogs that it was depressing. So 3 years ago we adopted a 3 month old and last year his 5 year old half sister. We should outlive them at 60 and 65. If not my best friend wants them. We have a few friends that only take seniors.
 
So sorry for your loss. Losing my heart dog years ago was harder for me than any other loss in my life to date. I still miss him almost 8 years later, but the intense pain did go away in time. I got another dog a few months after we lost our first one, and he’s still with us. He has helped a lot. Our first dog died rather suddenly - less than 3 months after a cancer diagnosis and his oncologist thought he was responding very well until he suddenly went into renal failure and we had to put him down a day later. The dog we have now has numerous health issues, but he’s on a slow decline and may last several more years. It is always hard to lose them no matter what the situation.
 
stargazer08 said:
They take a piece of our hearts with them but they leave a piece of theirs to fill in the hole.
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This statement is so true. A piece of my heart will be gone forever and the good memories of him will eventually full the hole.

The guilt is awful. I had no plan to put him down. I was watching him and knew he was slowly declining. I think I could have got 6 more months with him until the eye injury. Part of me feels like I should have exhausted all means to treat and repair his eye, but hindsight is twenty twenty and he's gone forever.

Thanks to everyone for their condolences and sharing their stories about t the pets.
 
From your first post it really doesn't sound like he wouldn't have had a good quality of life at all. It also sounds like the had quickly gone downhill recently. Please don't second guess yourself or feel guilty. You gave him a great home for 12 1/2 years, and gave him a final gift of being out of his misery. It's a really hard decision to make, but I bet deep down you know it was the right one you made.
 
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