After working a clients cattle, Gayla was asked to check on their dog, they knew what needed to be done, just wanted a professional opinion.
The matter was discussed the night prior, I knew what was coming.......The dog had lossed mobility in his hind quarters and needed to be put to sleep. HE was on Rymadil, so there wasnt any pain, but he couldnt move anymore. Not that it matters, but to make the situation worse, it was a GSP. I had asked not to go!
Well, I lost that discussion!
The family, parents and two young daughters, said their teary goodbyes (which killed me). THe father was addament about being there when Gayla asked if they would rather her take the dog away instead of doing it on the farm.
I asked if he wanted his girls to see another dog in the pen tomorrow. I told him I have plenty of dogs for him and they are only 15 minutes away! I would have given him my whole litter to get him and his family to stop crying, while hiding mine! HE decided against it though.
Petey died in my arms at 2:55, without pain and hopefully in a better place now!
Before we left the rest of the family came outside, composed and dry eyed thank god, to say good bye. We got on the topic of GSP's and what great companions they truely are. The mother mentioned she and her daughters saw a show on Animal Planet about a German Import the week prior. One that was a NArcotics dog and a hunting companion that lived here in Perry Oklahoma! "If I remember correctly", she said, " I think the dogs name was Whisky".......... THe little girls were excited to tell us how the show went and that they have never seen a Black and White German Shorthair before.
Before going to this call, we were called out to track a wounded Buck of a lifetime. It just so happened that both Whisky and Fine were still in the truck!
THe young ladies got to play with a retired police dog/TV star! God I hope that made them feel a little better!
I have had to put several animals down with Gayla, this is the first dog. I am not looking forward to another. THakfully she is Primarily a Large ANimal VET!
Phil
REO
THe down side of being a Veterinarian.
Having to put down a pet is a very hard thing. I have never not cried when one of my pets has died (most have been cats). Now that I finally have my own dog, I just dread the day I have to part ways with him. I'm sure I'll be broken up beyond belief, but hopefully I'll be composed enough to bring some comfort to Danyelle and, perhaps, our kids at the time.
Heck, reading the names at the Rainbow Bridge wall out at the dog training facilities causes me to choke up! Some guys are just softies on the inside I guess.
I'm glad your experience had a silver lining to ease the pain a bit. What a coincidence that Whisky and Fine were there and available for autographs!
Heck, reading the names at the Rainbow Bridge wall out at the dog training facilities causes me to choke up! Some guys are just softies on the inside I guess.
I'm glad your experience had a silver lining to ease the pain a bit. What a coincidence that Whisky and Fine were there and available for autographs!
- Steven
Justus Kennels.com
Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
Wind River's JK Clara Belle - Belle
Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
Justus Kennels.com
Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
Wind River's JK Clara Belle - Belle
Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
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Colleen
That's tough. I'm sure Whisky and Fine made the girls feel better, and at least the adults in the situation can take solace in the fact that, as hard as it is, in the end they were doing their best by the dog.
A local breeder around here has one of those sob stories on his website (though it's one aimed at making people think before getting a dog, as the dog in the story ends up being put down in a shelter), and it actually made me cry when I read it. I am filled with mortal dread even thinking about the fact that one day I may have to face the same decision with my dogs. But I also know I'll be able to take comfort in knowing that the only reason I'd have them put down is that their quality of life is to the point they can't "be dogs" anymore. Then they'll all get to go up to doggie heaven, where the birds are bigger and more numerous and the hunters never miss a shot (not that any of us ever misses
) and the swimming lakes are always warm.
Like Ayres, this is the first dog I myself have owned and most of my other animals that have been put down have been cats. That was hard enough...though our silver lining was that my older brother is an incredible trumpet player, and each time we had a pet put to sleep, he played "Taps" on his trumpet. Looking back, it's sweet to remember the 13-year old boy playing a tribute to the lost pets.
A local breeder around here has one of those sob stories on his website (though it's one aimed at making people think before getting a dog, as the dog in the story ends up being put down in a shelter), and it actually made me cry when I read it. I am filled with mortal dread even thinking about the fact that one day I may have to face the same decision with my dogs. But I also know I'll be able to take comfort in knowing that the only reason I'd have them put down is that their quality of life is to the point they can't "be dogs" anymore. Then they'll all get to go up to doggie heaven, where the birds are bigger and more numerous and the hunters never miss a shot (not that any of us ever misses
) and the swimming lakes are always warm.Like Ayres, this is the first dog I myself have owned and most of my other animals that have been put down have been cats. That was hard enough...though our silver lining was that my older brother is an incredible trumpet player, and each time we had a pet put to sleep, he played "Taps" on his trumpet. Looking back, it's sweet to remember the 13-year old boy playing a tribute to the lost pets.
I cry with mine and everyone elses. A short time back,a good friend and fellow trialer who has a fine female gsp by my Logan. I trained her for him, and she was an uplifting experience in training. Missy, at 3, had 12 points on her NSTRA Ch. Her owner just made a trip to Tx where he is relocating, let the dogs out to run where they got into a covey of birds. Well after getting the dogs back, everyone was accounted for but Missy. Taking out to look for her he came up on a grassy area that covered a big hole in the ground. Sadly, he looked down in the hole and there layed Missy. She went fast, but that just does not make it any easier. I still can`t believe how fast they can leave us...
brenda
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Country-Side Breeders
You guys are breaking my heart... 
It's a sad, sad day when our 4-legged buddies leave us. I can't help but cry with the owners of my pups. I had a guy out hunting with his young female near some corn...the girl pointed the bird, the guy shot and she took off like a bat out of heck through the corn field...the other side was a highway. You can imagine the rest.
Another pup of mine got into some spaghum grass (that grass that's used for decorating around artificial plants) and it ate through her intestines. She had surgery and they took out quite a bit of intestine. Just over a year later, she had some sort of problem flare up from it and died...she was just going to be 2.
At least when Heart got sick, we had a few days to prepare for the worst. She had a 4 week old litter down and some new owners were here visiting as they had done every weekend since the pups were born. Heart was in the box with them, wagging her tail, playing and acting her goofy self. As soon as they left, she went and laid on her pillow and became very depressed. I assumed it was maybe too much for her and she wasn't feeling well. Sunday she wasn't any better...took her into the vet. He said she had mastitis, treated her and sent her home for me to monitor and give her meds. The vet told me that by the time I got her home, I would see a difference from the shots that he gave her (I live 6 minutes from the office)...didn't see any difference. Monday, no better...she was getting stiff, didn't want to get up let alone eat or drink anything. Tuesday I took her in again. This time we did blood work, gave her some more shots and got some different meds for her. She started to perk up some and we had a glimmer of hope arise. We had to go and shoot trap that night, so we left her in the back room, on her pillow, next to the puppies box. When we came home, she had made her way into my daughter's bedroom, where she always slept...she was 1/2 in the bedroom and 1/2 in the living room, the furthest she could go. Once we got into the living room, she tried to turn around to greet us but was way too weak to do that. I carried her to the couch, put a toasty warm blanket on her and snuggled with her. A while later, she acted as if she wanted to go outside, so I helped her off the couch. She took 2 steps and fell down. She ended up crawling to the middle of the floor and just layed there, so I joined her. It was just a matter of minutes and she picked her head up as if nothing was wrong, perked up her ears and looked at me. Then her head fell to the floor, she let out a huge sigh and she was gone. My husband went out and dug her final resting place. I picked her up and carried her out...it was the worst feeling to hold onto her completely limp body...something I will never forget. I gently placed her down. In the morning, when the kids got up, I told them the sad news. My daughter went out to say her goodbyes and noticed that my husband had taken some field stone and made a "heart" around her grave...she immediately went back to the house, grabbed a stuffed animal and placed it with Hearty...it's there still to this day. In the summer, we planted some flowers for her, at my daughter's request.
Heart's blood results came back Wednesday...it was cancer.
From the results of the tests, it was a miracle that she had made it that long...although it had only been 3 days.
Why is it that a dog can have such an impact on a person's life?
How does that saying go by Anatole France? "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
It's a sad, sad day when our 4-legged buddies leave us. I can't help but cry with the owners of my pups. I had a guy out hunting with his young female near some corn...the girl pointed the bird, the guy shot and she took off like a bat out of heck through the corn field...the other side was a highway. You can imagine the rest.
Another pup of mine got into some spaghum grass (that grass that's used for decorating around artificial plants) and it ate through her intestines. She had surgery and they took out quite a bit of intestine. Just over a year later, she had some sort of problem flare up from it and died...she was just going to be 2.
At least when Heart got sick, we had a few days to prepare for the worst. She had a 4 week old litter down and some new owners were here visiting as they had done every weekend since the pups were born. Heart was in the box with them, wagging her tail, playing and acting her goofy self. As soon as they left, she went and laid on her pillow and became very depressed. I assumed it was maybe too much for her and she wasn't feeling well. Sunday she wasn't any better...took her into the vet. He said she had mastitis, treated her and sent her home for me to monitor and give her meds. The vet told me that by the time I got her home, I would see a difference from the shots that he gave her (I live 6 minutes from the office)...didn't see any difference. Monday, no better...she was getting stiff, didn't want to get up let alone eat or drink anything. Tuesday I took her in again. This time we did blood work, gave her some more shots and got some different meds for her. She started to perk up some and we had a glimmer of hope arise. We had to go and shoot trap that night, so we left her in the back room, on her pillow, next to the puppies box. When we came home, she had made her way into my daughter's bedroom, where she always slept...she was 1/2 in the bedroom and 1/2 in the living room, the furthest she could go. Once we got into the living room, she tried to turn around to greet us but was way too weak to do that. I carried her to the couch, put a toasty warm blanket on her and snuggled with her. A while later, she acted as if she wanted to go outside, so I helped her off the couch. She took 2 steps and fell down. She ended up crawling to the middle of the floor and just layed there, so I joined her. It was just a matter of minutes and she picked her head up as if nothing was wrong, perked up her ears and looked at me. Then her head fell to the floor, she let out a huge sigh and she was gone. My husband went out and dug her final resting place. I picked her up and carried her out...it was the worst feeling to hold onto her completely limp body...something I will never forget. I gently placed her down. In the morning, when the kids got up, I told them the sad news. My daughter went out to say her goodbyes and noticed that my husband had taken some field stone and made a "heart" around her grave...she immediately went back to the house, grabbed a stuffed animal and placed it with Hearty...it's there still to this day. In the summer, we planted some flowers for her, at my daughter's request.
Heart's blood results came back Wednesday...it was cancer.
From the results of the tests, it was a miracle that she had made it that long...although it had only been 3 days.Why is it that a dog can have such an impact on a person's life?
How does that saying go by Anatole France? "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
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QCBirddogs
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Country-Side Breeders
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Rusti's Mom
Hopefully this will help.
Rusti had 10 pups on the 2nd of October. The last one born, 5 hours after we thought she was done, weighed around 3/4 of a pound and she was perfectly formed and just tiny, tiny, tiny. Rusti didn't ignore her, so that was good. At three days, the vet said she was fine, just give her more time to nurse which we did. Well, at 2 weeks, she was 2 lbs. and at 4 weeks, she was 3 lbs. and now at 5 weeks, she is a little pudge. It is not as easy to pick her out of the litter, but she is still much smaller than the first born "Moose" who at 4 weeks was 5 3/4 lbs. God knows what he weighs now since we have been feeding them.
She is a beauty, and we will just have to see how she develops. She looks so cute, prancing around, carrying a Pheasant feather.
Pat
Rusti had 10 pups on the 2nd of October. The last one born, 5 hours after we thought she was done, weighed around 3/4 of a pound and she was perfectly formed and just tiny, tiny, tiny. Rusti didn't ignore her, so that was good. At three days, the vet said she was fine, just give her more time to nurse which we did. Well, at 2 weeks, she was 2 lbs. and at 4 weeks, she was 3 lbs. and now at 5 weeks, she is a little pudge. It is not as easy to pick her out of the litter, but she is still much smaller than the first born "Moose" who at 4 weeks was 5 3/4 lbs. God knows what he weighs now since we have been feeding them.
She is a beauty, and we will just have to see how she develops. She looks so cute, prancing around, carrying a Pheasant feather.
Pat
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Birdhunter1
My dad's first Brittany was probably the best dog I have ever seen and we were only able to hunt over it for it's first season. The dog basically trained us, strange but she did everything like a seasoned pro. Anyway him and mom were on a trip to Mississippi for a few days and I was taking care of everything while they were gone. I had this dog trained so that when I opened the door I would yell truck and she'd hop right in to go wherever. Anyway I had her in my yard and I was walking to get the mail and she went to the house where my aunt was on the porch, I went on down to the mailbox and like all good brittany's she followed me then shot right out in front of me and under a passing car. Horrible day.
The owrst part was I was getting ready to leave in a few hours for a few days and mom and dad were due back that night. I had to tell dad over the phone what happened because I knew when he got home he would wonder why she wasn't in the pen and he would have gone looking for her knowing I hadn't taken her with me.
The only good thing is the next week we started doing leg work on finding another Britt. He ended up getting me one for my 21st birthday which is the one I have now and now he has two puppies out of him and we are all happy. But one heck of a dog could have been made out of mine and the one he had, but we woudln't have gotten mine if she hadn't got hit.
The owrst part was I was getting ready to leave in a few hours for a few days and mom and dad were due back that night. I had to tell dad over the phone what happened because I knew when he got home he would wonder why she wasn't in the pen and he would have gone looking for her knowing I hadn't taken her with me.
The only good thing is the next week we started doing leg work on finding another Britt. He ended up getting me one for my 21st birthday which is the one I have now and now he has two puppies out of him and we are all happy. But one heck of a dog could have been made out of mine and the one he had, but we woudln't have gotten mine if she hadn't got hit.