big thank-you

Thank-you to everyone for your kind comments and thoughts.  The day went as well as to be expected and we are ok with it -  even Cooper.  We had an almost perfect day except for a little incident at the park where a big dog actually snapped at Curly.  BRUTE!  That's like slapping a senior citizen. 

Curly had salmon and sardines for breakfast, then a trip to his favourite park. Later in the morning he accompanied me on a couple Lucky Dog deliveries.  He loves going on ride alongs although I have to say it's much nicer to have the window open in summer.  There were a few strange looks as I drove around Winnipeg with my car packed to the roof with boxes, old dog in the front seat with the window rolled right down on a -23C day.  Heat and music blasting.  He also did me a favour by acting suitably old and uncomfortable, which made it much easier than if he displayed a sudden burst of energy and vitality.  We packed up all three dogs (we are schnauzer sitting Poochie) and drove out to our vet, Leeanne, who was incredible.  She said all of the right things, doped him up with a strong sedative, threw a bunch of dog biscuits in front of Curly and he ate his way into a very sleepy state.  We left Curly in her hands for the final moments but we were sure he was comfortable and oblivious to his surroundings.

It is obviously never easy.  We always knew our time with Curly would be very limited so we are happy for three years and we are glad he is no longer suffering.  And it is easier because we still have Cooper so we are not returning to an empty house.

Thank-you again to everyone for your support and tolerance of these depressing reports as we worked through his final weeks.  I only hope that some of these stories will help others facing the same decision or situation.  Everyone will have to face it if they choose to enrich their lives with pets.  I know a lot of people swear that they will never get another dog because this stage is so painful.  I'm not one of those people because that would mean that I would have a life without a dog - and that is just not an option.

We will now resume our regular programming :-)  Have a great week.

Comments

[Kal Barteski]

Rest in peace, Curlyman. Rest in peace.

[Michelle]

It is never easy... I still miss my first dog dearly and still cry when I think of him. We had to put him down 18 years ago.

[Lisa]

What a lucky, lucky dog! Why can't we people do the same thing when the time comes?

[Melissa]

I’m re-reading a great book (Woman’s Best Friend, stories about women and the dogs in their lives), and this was part of the introduction, by Pam Houston.

Her Irish Wolfhound Dante battled and subsequently died of bone cancer…this is what she wrote about the lessons he taught her:

“Dante taught me that if your paws are too big to fit in your ears, you have to get someone else to do the scratching….He taught me that if you really love somebody, cleaning their bodily excretions off the carpet is no problem, and in the end, the money doesn’t really matter a bit. He taught me that loving, in the face of inevitable loss, is the single most important challenge of our lives; that without loss, life isn’t worth a hill of beans, and without love, life is nothing more than a series of losses. He taught me that everything is forgivable, that every moment contains eternity, and that loving unconditionally doesn’t mean you are a self-annihilating fool.

After he died, he taught me how to live without him, but also that I didn’t have to. He taught me that because we loved each other so completely, a part of him would always be with me.”