Neruda
Banned Moderator
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2001
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I put my dog to sleep today.
It was the hardest of only three deaths I have encountered thus far in my life that I can remember: the death of my grandfather and the death of my aunt's dog being the other two. All three have happened within the last six months, and I have witnessed all three.
I guess with my grandfather, there were at least two things that made that easy on me. One was that he had been sick for a long time, so I was very prepared for his death, and also that he knew what was happening to him. But with Foxie, she had no idea that she was sick and she had no idea that she was going to die. Basically what happened is that she went senile and her Seperation Anxiety Disorder flared up big time. I left for the beach a few days ago and after I left, she scratched the door up terribly and then tried to tear a hole through the wall right next to it. She lost two toenails in the process, and after that she went into another room and tried to get out of the window. She ripped the screen out, but luckily it was too high up for her to jump out, or else she probably would have broken all her legs from the fall. And the really amazing thing was that she was heavily sedated when she did this. It didn't matter how many pills we gave her, as soon as I would leave she would go crazy. But as soon as I got home just was fine again, or at least she seemed to be; and that's what made this hardest. Because to me, she still seemed like a healthy dog.
I guess the reason I'm writing all this out is to convince me that putting her to sleep was the best thing to do. This stuff was not done by a happy dog. I always felt like her body would wear out first, but instead it was her mind. She was 12 years old and had a good life, full of walks, hikes, and backpacking trips. I'm really going to miss her though.
I suppose I just need some consolidation from other people who have experienced the same thing...they're certainly amazing creatures, aren't they? all of them--cats, dogs, and all the others--they're never here long enough, and by the time they've gone they've really made their way into your heart. it's so hard to say goodbye, but all the fun I've had with that dog, since I was five years old, it was well worth it. This will not be my last pet, that's for sure.
well, goodbye foxie, you ol' girl. You were a good dog.
It was the hardest of only three deaths I have encountered thus far in my life that I can remember: the death of my grandfather and the death of my aunt's dog being the other two. All three have happened within the last six months, and I have witnessed all three.
I guess with my grandfather, there were at least two things that made that easy on me. One was that he had been sick for a long time, so I was very prepared for his death, and also that he knew what was happening to him. But with Foxie, she had no idea that she was sick and she had no idea that she was going to die. Basically what happened is that she went senile and her Seperation Anxiety Disorder flared up big time. I left for the beach a few days ago and after I left, she scratched the door up terribly and then tried to tear a hole through the wall right next to it. She lost two toenails in the process, and after that she went into another room and tried to get out of the window. She ripped the screen out, but luckily it was too high up for her to jump out, or else she probably would have broken all her legs from the fall. And the really amazing thing was that she was heavily sedated when she did this. It didn't matter how many pills we gave her, as soon as I would leave she would go crazy. But as soon as I got home just was fine again, or at least she seemed to be; and that's what made this hardest. Because to me, she still seemed like a healthy dog.
I guess the reason I'm writing all this out is to convince me that putting her to sleep was the best thing to do. This stuff was not done by a happy dog. I always felt like her body would wear out first, but instead it was her mind. She was 12 years old and had a good life, full of walks, hikes, and backpacking trips. I'm really going to miss her though.
I suppose I just need some consolidation from other people who have experienced the same thing...they're certainly amazing creatures, aren't they? all of them--cats, dogs, and all the others--they're never here long enough, and by the time they've gone they've really made their way into your heart. it's so hard to say goodbye, but all the fun I've had with that dog, since I was five years old, it was well worth it. This will not be my last pet, that's for sure.
well, goodbye foxie, you ol' girl. You were a good dog.