I had to bury my bud today

[Old Dog]

Originally Posted by tooge

Well, today I had to do the last two loyal tasks a pet owner ever has to do for thier buddy. I had to put my yellow lab Kegan down today. I then buried her under her favorite tree by the garden. That sucked. Gonna miss her. I'm really not looking forward to the telling the kids after school. RIP Keegs.

I've posted this before, but it's appreopriate again I think.
Condolences to you and yours Toogs and Godspeed Keegs

(it's an old Dear Abby column I saved after we had to put our first husky to sleep in '97).

Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They?

I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur.

You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flopping. Once in a while, you'd let out a little yelp just to let me know this is your territory.

Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion, and when I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I'll do it again as soon as you 're not watching."

As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by. When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging, just to say, "Welcome home. I missed you." You never had a bad day and I could always count on you to be there for me.

When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would hop on my lap looking for atention. You never asked for anything more than to have me pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.

As you got older you moved around more slowly. Then, one day, old age finally took its toll and you couldn't stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up to me as if to say that you were old and tired and that after all of these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one favor.

With tears in my eyes, I dorve you one last time to the vet. One last time, you were lying next to me. For some strange reason, you were able to stand up in the animal hospital; perhaps it was your sense of pride.

As the vet led you away, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, "Thank you for taking care of me."

I thought, "No, thank you for taking care of me."

[joesomebody]

Originally Posted by truebigdog

I've posted this before, but it's appreopriate again I think.
Condolences to you and yours Toogs and Godspeed Keegs

(it's an old Dear Abby column I saved after we had to put our first husky to sleep in '97).

Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They?

I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur.

You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flopping. Once in a while, you'd let out a little yelp just to let me know this is your territory.

Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion, and when I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I'll do it again as soon as you 're not watching."

As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by. When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging, just to say, "Welcome home. I missed you." You never had a bad day and I could always count on you to be there for me.

When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would hop on my lap looking for atention. You never asked for anything more than to have me pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.

As you got older you moved around more slowly. Then, one day, old age finally took its toll and you couldn't stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up to me as if to say that you were old and tired and that after all of these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one favor.

With tears in my eyes, I dorve you one last time to the vet. One last time, you were lying next to me. For some strange reason, you were able to stand up in the animal hospital; perhaps it was your sense of pride.

As the vet led you away, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, "Thank you for taking care of me."

I thought, "No, thank you for taking care of me."

Figures it would be the last post that got to me. That is some seriously sad stuff right there.

Very very sorry for your loss Tooge, as I write this my faithful golden retriever and best buddy Otis (named for a certain wide receiver) has his head in my lap looking for some attention.

I got him about 6 months after I lost my last golden, Max. It was incredibly hard to bury Max, he died unexpectedly of a heart defect I didn't know he had until it was too late at a little over 2 years of age. I waited and waited until I was of high enough rank to get my own place and move out of the barracks before I could get Max. He was my roommate and buddy while I was so far from friends and family.

I'll never forget the trip we made cross country after I got out of the Air Force and we moved back home to Missouri. I took out the back seat of my Jeep Wrangler and made a bed for him. I crammed the last of my possessions that the movers didn't take into the front seat with me so he would be comfortable for the trip.

Every couple hundred miles he would lean his head over my seat and place it on my shoulder. I'll never forget the look of people who shared the elevator with us when we stayed overnight in Colorado... something comedic about a 110 lb golden retriever getting on the elevator and being scared silly by the automatic doors.

I wasn't ready for another dog but my parents bought me Otis for Christmas of '07 http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=173931 , so he is just a little over a year old now. He's just as good a dog as Max was and I love him just as much. I never would have beleived it myself, but getting another dog really is the fastest way to heal.