I just wanted you all to know...

[Sagar]

that we had to put our dog, Amber, to sleep yesterday.

You know how, as you get ready to graduate college, you talk about what you want to get when you graduate? Well.. most of my friends wanted a new car.. or super stereo.. or big TV. I wanted a dog.

It took me a few years, but shortly after Jennifer and I got married, we got that dog. Amber.

She has been with us for over 13 years. She was quiet, gentle, playful, and more patient than any saint ever was. If I could learn one thing from her, it would be patience.

She declined rapidly in the past few months and it became apparent this weekend that it was time to let her go.

Yesterday, we took the afternoon off to give her a bath and play with her.
We took her to the vets and she passed more peacefully than any other creature I've even known. I only hope my death can be so quiet and dignified.

We buried her in the back woods with her favorite toys: a red chew toy and a pinecone picked randomly from the yard.

[Shiz]

It is a difficult decision to make. As a kid, we put 2 dogs to sleep both due to age. Guenivere (15 years) and Ruffy (9 years) just couldn't function without pain at the time. We always had other dogs around to cushion the blow, though. Ruffy's mother, Katie, outlived him. When she died, she did it peacefully under the dogwood in the backyard while all of us were playing/mowing/weeding around her.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Sorry for your loss, Sagar. :(

[Draknor]

Sorry Sagar. :cry: It was very hard when I lost my dog too.

[Greebo]

I'm very sorry Sagar. Please extend my deepest sympathies to Miette as well.

We lost a cat last year - complications following bladder surgery - it was not pleasant. She died in my arms on the way to the emergency vet.

To ease the grief, we adopted a kitten a few days later. While we still missed Brunie, the joy of a new furball in the house did help a great deal to ease our pain. (It didn't exactly thrill Moonshadow and Gwen, the two senior female felines, but they're adapting.)

You might consider a similar approach - a new puppy won't replace Amber, but it very well might help dull the pain some, and if you react to a new puppy the way we reacted to Mercury, you'll spoil that dog rotten.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Get a pair of siamese cats. Seriously; they're snuggly and attentive like dogs, but without all the hassle. :) Desmond is a good natured lunkhead that loves to be right next to you most times. Maude is a moody sneak that loves to be in your face a lot of times. (She particularly likes ear-lobes)

[Asharad]

Ugh, that's the worst Sagar.

In The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, there is a chapter that deals with the main characters dog being put to sleep. Kundera says that there is no love as true as the love a dog has for it's people, because it is a totally pure love without reservation and which wants for nothing in return.

[Yuglooc]

I'm saddened to hear of the loss of your animal companion (in some places out here, we're not allowed to call them "pets"). :cry:

[Sagar]

Amber is survived by her mother, Lena (14); the cats Samantha (20), Kaylin (2), Maya (2); the birds Neechee (10) and Scarlett (10); and the hampster, Joey.

The cats Kaylin and Maya are Tonkinese. They are like Siamese without the normal siamese attitude. They were wonderful last night - cuddling with us and trying to give/receive comfort.

Ash, one of my favorite prayers is:

Lord, may I grow to be even half the person my dog thinks I am. :)

[Sagar]

I'm saddened to hear of the loss of your animal companion (in some places out here, we're not allowed to call them "pets"). :cry:

We are not that PC here. They are pets.
Or we are pets. I am not sure which.

[Aananla]

I have traveled far to reach this Pearly Gate
But I do not want to wander beyond this place.
I just need to rest awhile for my friend I wait.

Please let them know I love them still.
Let them know that I understand
What they did, they did with love.
With my body gone, my spirit flew
On the wings of a dove
To my Creator's Heaven above.

Now I ask that I may wait.
I will lay quietly here by the gate.
For if I entered now without my friend,
It wouldn't be Heaven at all.

Sorry for your loss Sagar and Miette.

[Raveneye]

Damnit man, now you went and made me get all teary-eyed at work! :cry:

I'm very sorry to hear that Sagar, and my deepest sympaties are with you and Miette/Jennifer. Having owned several dogs in my lifetime, I know the pain all too well, and even 13 years of joy does not ease it one bit. Get another dog as soon as you feel you can, as it will help immensely.

Hey Shiz, I had a dog named Ruffy too! How weird! Was yours named after the race horse (Ruffian) like mine was? Ruffy was my first dog, when I was just a little guy (4 years old) and he lived to be 15 years old. I think my going off to college finally did him in, but he set the tone for every dog I've owned thereafter. My best memories of him are when I was like 7 or 8 and sledding down the huge hill behind our house. He loved to climb in the sled with me and sit up front as we zoomed down the hill. :)

[attriel]

:(

[Lycos]

Ok, enough of the bad news you guys!

No one is allowed to have anything else bad happen to them this week!

2 sad events are enough for now. :cry: :cry:

Sorry, to hear about your dog, Sagar. I had to put our last pet to sleep due to advanced stages of cancer. I literally was in tears knowing that I had to do it. It's hard not to get attached to those little fur balls.

And I loved that saying about trying to be half the person that my dog thinks I am. It's so true! You should see my dog whimper and cry when I walk through the door.

[Shiz]

Hey Shiz, I had a dog named Ruffy too! How weird! Was yours named after the race horse (Ruffian) like mine was?

Ruffy was a Shetland Sheepdog (or Sheltie - think mini-Lassie). The white fur on his neck only went halfway around. He was the only puppy in the litter without this full ruff, so we named him Ruffy. When we went sledding, he would stand in the track near the bottom of the hill and bark at us. When we crashed at the bottom, he would lick our faces.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Ruffy was a Shetland Sheepdog (or Sheltie - think mini-Lassie). The white fur on his neck only went halfway around. He was the only puppy in the litter without this full ruff, so we named him Ruffy. When we went sledding, he would stand in the track near the bottom of the hill and bark at us. When we crashed at the bottom, he would lick our faces.
*fade to black screen*
*white text fades in*

"This moment brought to you by the Norman Rockwell Appreciation Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to painting your memories in shades of pastel and making the world nice. Please give." :lol:

[Greebo]

I'm saddened to hear of the loss of your animal companion (in some places out here, we're not allowed to call them "pets"). :cry:

We are not that PC here. They are pets.
Or we are pets. I am not sure which.
Dog's view of the world:
- They give me food. They give me water. They must be Gods.

Cat's view of the world:
- They give me food. They give me water. I must be a God.

[Shiz]

I have lots of stories. The 3 dogs my parents have now are #24, #25, #26. 6 were killed by cars (one in the middle of my 8th birthday party), 2 put to sleep, 1 died peacefully, a bunch were given away and sometimes outright swapped. Our farm always was and remains a zoo: chickens, peacocks, sheep, goats, pygmy goats, miniature pony, horses, barn cats (cat allergies for most of us). We had one fishtank that lasted a month. I had a pet mouse (Freddy Pig Mouse) for 3 years that eventually just died in his cage - hopefully happy.

At this point, I have instituted a pet ban. We won't have any until Stone begs for one at around age 5 I expect.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Dog's view of the world:
- They give me food. They give me water. They must be Gods.
Cat's view of the world:
- They give me food. They give me water. I must be a God.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

[Sagar]

http://home.ec.rr.com/battledorf/images/Amber.JPG

Here is a picture of Amber. This is also my first attempt to post a picture on the web. I wonder if it will work

[Sagar]

WOOT!! It worked!

[ColonelSanderz]

Sorry to hear that Sagar. I remember how I felt when my dog died.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Here's EvilKitty Maude:

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/shaneh/may16/maude1.jpg

[Sagar]

Look Pa! I'm Crosseyed!

[DinbinFanfoom]

Look Pa! I'm Crosseyed!
Majorly. And slanty-slit eyed too! Makes for one cranky looking kitty.

[Serani]

Awww! Now I'm crying. Again!

I've had enough of that for a couple of months. Though I'm likely to cry at my wedding.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss Sagar and Jennifer.

I haven't had a pet in a long time. A few years, at least. I'm thinking it's time to find a little ball of fluff and make it mine. Something that thinks it's God will do for now. We can't have anything here that barks, but I love cats, too and I think a kitten will do a lot of good for me.

I wanted to get one earlier, but then I was pregnant and there's a whole lot about not changing litter and whatnot, so we were going to wait.

Then again, if things go the way we hope, I'll be pregnant again soon and then I'll still not be able to change the litter. Hmmm....