My dog, Hercules is slowly wasting away. He has lost his appettite and can no longer walk on his own.
He has been a faithfull and loyal companion to both the missus and I for 11 years now.

The pain of watching him slowly die is weighing heavily on our hearts during this blessed holiday season. We are doing everything we can to make him as comfortable as possible, but his time is coming and we still cannot bring ourselves to put him down. The joy he shows in his big innocent eyes when friends visit and play with him breaks our hearts, he tries so hard to get up and play but his frail little body just does not have the strength anymore.

We are going to miss him an awfull lot once he is gone and will always cherish the years we had with him.
To all my friends here at AR15 please forgive us if you do not hear from us this holiday season, Hercules condition has taken the holiday spirit away from me this year.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year , and healthy and safe holiday season.
Nick

Nick, very sorry to hear about this.  I know it is very hard to watch a loved pet in their final days.  Our dog and cat, best of friends, died within months of each other.  It was difficult to watch them struggle with crippling arthritis, but we spent as much time as we could with them and know they, as always, enjoyed the company.

My best wishes to you, your wife, and Hercules this holiday.

Very sorry to hear about that nick.  We went through the same thing last year.  I couldnt bring her in to the vet myself either.  I just sat with her untill the end.

I'm sorry to hear that Nick.  Have a Merry Christmas and always remember the happy times you spent with your dog.

Damn Nick, sorry to hear that.  I remember meeting him when I first came down here.

We've lost a number of family pets to age.  It's tough.

My best wishes to you and Maria.  Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.  

VERY sorry to hear that Nick.


It sounds like you are keeping him alive more for you than him.

One of the hardest, but MOST important responsibilities as a pet owner is to not let them suffer.


He deserves it. I know it's hard, but don't let your loyal companion suffer.

Take care.

That is sad. I feel badly for you. I wish I had a dog but don't envy the situation/decision you're facing. I hope you and your family will still be able to experience the joy of the Christmas season.

That sucks............

Sorry to hear about your family member.  I lost my 8 yr old German Shepherd Dog last year to cancer and it was one of the saddest events in my life.  While there is no replacement for a lost pet, I have found great comfort and joy in our new puppy (well she's actually almost a year old now).  When you are ready, a new pet will help the greiving process.

Unfortunatly it looks like my wifes grandmother is doing that to. Or at least was. They started planning her funeral and she started getting a little better.

This is a rocky, lonely road man. I've been down it too many times already, but I also know that I will be again.

Every time has been different. Each time I've tried to judge what's the "right-thing-to-do" as the situation developes, and each time I am blind-sided by the unforseeable, somehow fumble through, and am left wishing I could have done better.

I don't know whether it helps, but as I write this, the feelings that have gripped me as I've lost one of my non-human soul mates all come back.

You are not alone......

whisper, man, i'm so sorry to hear about your bud.

I know what your going through because I have been there more times than I care to remember.

We are the master, leader, friend, protector for our pack and that puts more life/death responsiblity on us than most of us have experince to deal with.
Life and death of your buddy is in your hands. If it seems he is going to die all we can do is try to use good judgement on when and were he die's.  
This is the hardest part of taking care of a dog and I will say I have been guilty of using poor judgement when the death of my friends have been at hand. I have tried to keep them around longer than their bodies wanted to be there and this caused unnessary suffering for them.
If your buddies in pain or his life isnt a happy one anymore he needs your help.

The last dog I put down had bone cancer that progressed in a matter of weeks to the point she could not move on her own without much pain. I grabbed at anything to help her and all I did was prolong her death and cause her suffering. I should have put her down two weeks before.

The worst thing about dogs is their short life span.

A lot of vets will make a house call to put a pet to sleep. Mine does and it helps ease things somewhat.

Once again I feel your pain, I hope those who read this dont repeat my mistakes.

Good luck  

Sorry to hear.  When we lost our Maltese, the wife and I had to take solace in the only thing he left behind, lessons on unconditional love and fidelity.  He's never far from our thoughts.  Be well.

Quoted: We are the master, leader, friend, protector for our pack and that puts more life/death responsiblity on us than most of us have experince to deal with. Life and death of your buddy is in your hands. If it seems he is going to die all we can do is try to use good judgement on when and were he die's.   This is the hardest part of taking care of a dog and I will say I have been guilty of using poor judgement when the death of my friends have been at hand. I have tried to keep them around longer than their bodies wanted to be there and this caused unnessary suffering for them. If your buddies in pain or his life isnt a happy one anymore he needs your help.

and

Quoted: ...take solace in the only thing he left behind, lessons on unconditional love and fidelity...

Huge +1 all the above. We have some very good pack alpha's here.

Our best is brought forth by those who need us most.

Thank you all for the kind and gentle words.  After a last trip to the vet, for blood work and x-rays, we have decided to let our little buddy go before pain, other than the hunger he must already feel, sets in any further.
We made the decision to let him go peacefully with very heavy hearts and tears in our eyes. After Thursday 12/22/2005 my little buddy, Hercules, will only live on in our hearts and memories.

I truly appreciate all your kind wishes and thoughts and could not have made this decision without being reminded of how many others have had to go through the same thing in the past. It always hurts to let a loved one go...........

I am sorry for your loss.

*pours out a bit of drink for him*

Read an article on wikapedia.com this morning and thought of this thread. Will not go into that now though.

Quoted: ....could not have made this decision without being reminded of how many others have had to go through the same thing in the past....

It will get better now, but not right away. Will be different at first, but in a lot of ways the hardest part.

No more options to consider or decisions to make. Just waiting for the future to arrive, and for the present to become part of the past.

We will all be continuing to think of you.

You did the best thing you could for your buddy.

Thats all they ask for.

An old man and his dog were walking down this dirt road with fences on both sides, they came to a gate in the fence and looked in, it was nice grassy, woody areas, just what a 'huntin' dog and man would like, but, it had a sign saying 'no trespassing' so they walked on. They came to a beautiful gate with a person in white robes standing there. "Welcome to Heaven" he said. The old man was happy and started in with his dog following him. The gatekeeper stopped him. "Dogs aren't allowed, I'm sorry but he can't come with you."

"What kind of Heaven won't allow dogs? If he can't come in, then I will stay out with him. He's been my faithful companion all his life, I can't desert him now."

"Suit yourself, but I have to warn you, the Devil's on this road and he'll try to sweet talk you into his area, he'll promise you anything, but the dog can't go there either. If you won't leave the dog, you'll spend Eternity on this road."

So the old man and dog went on. They came to a rundown fence with a gap in it, no gate, just a hole. Another old man was inside. "S'cuse me Sir, my dog and I are getting mighty tired, mind if we come in and sit in the shade for awhile?"

"Of course, there's some cold water under that tree over there. Make yourselves comfortable"

"You're sure my dog can come in? The man down the road said dogs weren't allowed anywhere."

"Would you come in if you had to leave the dog?"

"No sir, that's why I didn't go to Heaven, he said the dog couldn't come in.
We'll be spending Eternity on this road, and a glass of cold water and some shade would be mighty fine right about now. But, I won't come in if my buddy here can't come too, and that's final."

The man smiled a big smile and said "Welcome to Heaven."

"You mean this is Heaven? Dogs ARE allowed? How come that fellow down the road said they weren't?"

"That was the Devil and he gets all the people who are willing to give up a life long companion for a comfortable place to stay. They soon find out their mistake, but then it's too late. The dogs come here, the fickle people stay there. GOD wouldn't allow dogs to be banned from Heaven. After all, HE created them to be man's companions in life, why would he separate them in death?"

Author Unknown

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 was 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 attention. You never asked for anything more than for me to 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 at me as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one last favor. With tears in my eyes, I drove 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."

By Chuck Wells

Sorry for your loss

Whisper---I hope you get some comfort from these posts.  I am truly sorry for your loss.  It was a hard decision, but you did right.  
Bulldog and RobertM----Dayum!!!!  Those are beautiful thoughts, and brought tears to my eyes remembering the past.  Must be the pollen in the air.

Wonderful stories guys -- thanks.

Pup spelled backwards still says pup, but DOG spelled backwards....consider that.

Whisper, do you have a pic of Hercules you could share with us? I feel like I know you guys at this point.

Hercules with my Nephew.

Great lookin' dog.

It kills me to read this.  Nick, I know you and Maria loved that dog.  I remember the last time I was down there and how he would come and lean against my leg for support and to get scratched.  He really was a sweet dog.  It must be terribly painful to remember him.  

My ex-wife has my old lab/rottie mix.  He's now 12 years old and his hips are getting bad.  I don't know how much longer Brutus will be around, but I sure wouldn't trade a moment of time I ever had with him.  He, like my current dog Cooper really add to my life the same way Hercules did for you guys.  He has his peace now.  

My Belgian Malinois is only four, but my whole family is so attached to her.  She sleeps in bed with the wife and I, or curled up with my daughter.
Dogs are so much more than pets.  My Roxy is like another child to us.

What a great bud!