A SAD DAY, When it's time
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Scar Finga
09-Oct-17
She was a pretty girl and had style!
She was a pretty girl and had style!
Retrieved to hand, but sometimes didn't want to let go. :)
Retrieved to hand, but sometimes didn't want to let go. :)
This last Saturday, 10-7-2017 I had to put my Brittany Spaniel down, she was 13ys old. It's always a hard decision when "That Time" really is. For me it's a quality of life thing. She had at least two strokes in the past three weeks and she could barely stand. She started falling over to one side, and Saturday morning she went off her feed. This all happened very quickly and was definitely not something I saw coming. To me, she wasn't just a pet, she was a great little companion, she was a hunting machine and a predator! I could not stand to watch her waste away and suffer when she should be out chasing quail with me and my Griffon. She is buried at our property right where she belongs. She was a great little bird dog and a bit of a snob:) She will be missed! RIP Banjo! AKA- Ba Zoe Zoe.
From: Scar Finga
09-Oct-17
On Point- Rock Solid until released
On Point- Rock Solid until released
From: Charlie Rehor
09-Oct-17
I feel your loss. Truley mans best friend and hard to let go! Cherish the photos. C
From: wyobullshooter
09-Oct-17
Yep, most of us have been there, and unfortunately will be there again. It's never easy...they quickly become part of the family.
From: deerhaven
09-Oct-17
Sorry to hear. Tough to loose a good dog.
From: Mike the Carpenter
09-Oct-17
Been there Brother. It truly is a sad day when you lose a member of the home. She is a beautiful pup. You will have a lifetime of memories and plenty of pictures to keep her in your heart. Sorry for the loss.
From: EmbryOklahoma
09-Oct-17
One of the hardest things in this world to do... so sorry, man. I think about this every day with my little nine pound dachshund. They are truly our best friends. Those memories you'll never lose.
From: Lark Bunting
09-Oct-17
Sorry to hear. Sounds like she led a great life though!
From: Bowboy
09-Oct-17
Yep it's hard when that day comes. You did the right thing.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
09-Oct-17
Really tough, sorry for your loss. Lost my yellow lab, Buddy, April 6th, and my black lab Reagan is starting to really slow down at 11. Really is difficult to get over their leaving. Best wishes to you!
From: Brotsky
09-Oct-17
This is so hard for us for so many reasons! I still remember the day I had to say good bye to my lab Casey. Time will ease the pain of losing our hunting companions but the memories you made together will last a lifetime. Dogs are one of God's greatest gifts to us, even if they only last for too short of a time! Sorry for your loss Scar! God speed Banjo!
From: Cheesehead Mike
09-Oct-17
I blazed and scribed this oak tree marking Jake's grave.
I blazed and scribed this oak tree marking Jake's grave.
Sorry for your loss and I feel your pain. I had to put my lab down last fall and it was very difficult and sad. He had a long happy life and I buried him overlooking his favorite pond on my property.
From: Scar Finga
09-Oct-17
Mike, That is very beautiful! Sorry for your loss brother and the loss of others here as well! God Bless Men!
From: AndyJ
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss. Putting a dog down is absolutely one of my most dreaded events. Sounds like you gave her a heck of a good life though.
From: pa bowhunter
09-Oct-17
From: buc i 313
09-Oct-17
Always a sad and tough loss.
From: BigOk
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss, been in the same position before.
From: yooper89
09-Oct-17
Nothing worse than putting down man's best friend. Sorry for your loss. I dread the day I have to put my pooch down. First dog I had out of college living on my own. Made the move from Green Bay to Fort Collins at 6 months old and has been loving Colorado life for the last 4 years.
From: mrelite
09-Oct-17
You did the right thing letting her go! my last Lab died in my arms before I could make any decisions.
From: 12yards
09-Oct-17
Dogs are awesome to have but heart wrenching when it's time to let them go. Sorry for your loss. I lost my 13.5 year old lab this summer too. Very tough.
From: Mint
09-Oct-17
Yeah it is tough, I still miss my pit that passed in 2008. Now I have a pitmix that just turned 9 and I dread the day she goes.
I pity the people that just don't understand or never had a pet that bonds with them like a good dog will.
From: PECO
09-Oct-17
Sad day indeed. I had to put down my husky lab mix in Oct 2015. She was 1 year old when I rescued her, almost 15 when I had to put her down. She didn't hunt but we had so many amazing adventures together. I miss her daily. I have a Husky now that I rescued when he was 8 years old, he will be 16 in March. Another sad day coming for me within a year I am sure. When the time is right you know, the dog seems to let you know also.
From: Scar Finga
09-Oct-17
From: oldgoat
09-Oct-17
Been there! Condolences Brother!
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
09-Oct-17
Very hard decision to make for sure but you know when the time is right. The pain of the loss only lasts a while but the fond memories of time spent together will last forever. You have my sympathies.
From: Jaquomo
09-Oct-17
So sorry to hear that. The good ones don't live long enough and the bad ones live way to long.
From: LBshooter
09-Oct-17
The worse thing about having a pet, is the day you have to make the decision. Have had to do it myself, and just glad that I stayed with her the entire process, makes it easier later down the road. Sorry you had to loose your buddy.
From: Drahthaar
09-Oct-17
So sorry , I no the feeling. Forrest
From: Twanger
09-Oct-17
I feel for you. Could not sleep for a week after losing the last one and the present dog is already getting close to the end. If only we could top time.
From: Pope125
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss !!
From: Pope125
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss !!
From: Deertick
09-Oct-17
Just got an email from an old friend who was visiting the graves of a few dogs, including one of mine. I can sure remember putting that lab down, and burying her in rain/snow mix. I'm glad you brought this up -- it brings back memories.
From: TreeWalker
09-Oct-17
I am of an advanced age where have lost several classmates, neighbors and friends as well as family members over the decades. I have had to put two dogs and a cat down the past 20 years. Never gets easier for me. With people, I can rationalize most of those who passed had a good life with lots of accomplishments and were surrounded by friends and family at the end. With our pets, seems to be a different dynamic that hits me hard though knew each pet was suffering and there were no more good days left for them. Peace be with you and your family.
From: spike78
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss I couldn't imagine putting my pup down as much of a pain in the butt she is.
From: huntperch
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss. Worst part of having a best friend for me. I think about the future all the time not to mention the painful past. They sure give of lots of smiles and and happiness while they are with us. Just wish it could be longer.
From: WV Mountaineer
09-Oct-17
Man, I hate that for you.
I've had some great dogs. None compare to my 10 year old lab I now own. Fellas, I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle it when the time comes. Lord give me strength. Dog is God spelled backwards. For good reason.
From: Zbone
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss... Best thing to do when loosing a dog, go get a pup...
From: drycreek
09-Oct-17
Sorry to hear this Scar, that's a tough thing to have to do. I'm dreading the day when my JRT gets in that shape. He's eight years now, and I'm hoping for another eight. He's much more than a pet to me, he's my best buddy.
From: Paul@thefort
09-Oct-17
Yep, done just that 5 times and I am sure when Chase reaches his time in a few years, (now 8.5) he will also go to dog heaven. When they think they have US trained just right, they move on. Chase and I send out condolences.
From: jfish
09-Oct-17
Sorry , Try to find comfort in knowing you did the right thing. . Been there a few times myself never easy but the right thing to do for sure. Never easy never...
From: BOX CALL
09-Oct-17
When I coon hunted I had a big coon drown one and had a good black and tan get tore up By a bear one year and couldn't save her.its tough.
From: Owl
09-Oct-17
"Dog is God spelled backwards. For good reason." - I've long held the theory dogs are both metaphors and archetypes for discipleship. Well, at least the good ones.;)
My condolences Scar Finga. I've been in that spot a few times and it is downright traumatic.
From: hawkeye in PA
09-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss, and it's a tough decision, been there.
From: Inshart
09-Oct-17
So very sorry for your loss.
I remember crying like a baby when my lab, and all nine of her still born pups died on the vets operating table - too late to save any of them.
God bless and cherish the memories.
From: jjs
09-Oct-17
Sorry for the lost, been there too many times. Got a call from a friend last night that my son is hunting with and told me that my son's lab 9mo old pup ate a package of extra strong mouse poison and wasn't sure if my english cocker got into it also, they beat it to the nearest C-store and got several bottles of hydrogen peroxide and force it down there throat to puke it up which both did, the lab puke out the mouse poison and my cocker didn't have any in; no vet around for miles. Woke up early and made a call to them if the dogs were still waging or in the hole and was preparing myself another lost buddy and my son's in the field. The end of this is there is nothing that can replace one's old hunting dog with exception of your family member. Cherish the memories and the dedication.
From: JRABQ
09-Oct-17
Always hard to loose your best friend, so sorry for your loss.
From: otcWill
09-Oct-17
Lost one of my best this winter. Never easy. Sorry for your loss and hope you get another best bud soon
From: hmaxims
09-Oct-17
I know how you feel. I had my 13 year old Vizsla put down last week. He was the best dog I've ever owned. There was no doubt it was the right thing to do, but it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. My wife and I haven't been the same and we have another "V" and a chocolate lab. Just know you aren't alone and we feel the pain and they no longer have to! Howie
From: kakiat kid
09-Oct-17
Its a terrible, terrible thing. I lost my 13 year old lab and my father 6 days apart. Gussy on Dec 17th and Pop on Dec 23rd....Talk about a bad week, and a bad December... You become numb to it all... Best of luck
From: Grunter
09-Oct-17
Sorry to hear, no doubt a tough thing to do. You did the right thing though as hard as it is. Losing your best friend is never easy. I know you had alot of great times together as the pics show
From: sir misalots
09-Oct-17
losing a pet is like losing a family member. sorry for your loss
From: Elkhuntr
10-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss. Brittany's are my favorite. To the OP, I like your reference to "snob". I had a female that was with me for almost 18 years. Last year I had to put her down. She stopped hunting at the age of 14. She was a snob but my goodness was she an alpha female and awesome bird dog. I miss her every day. She was the right dog at the right time in my life, and taught me more about hunting than I could have ever learned on my own.
Bird dogs are special. Anyone that has been around them long enough notices their behavior change as the temperature cools and the daylight diminishes. They get their hunt on!
I have others that own me, thank goodness. We have a hunt planned in a couple weeks. There is not much better in life than spending time with a good bird dog.
From: deerhunter72
10-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss. My wife had a Brittany growing up and she was getting on in years when we were dating. Every night when I left her house, Sadie was the last one to say goodbye. She'd sit on the back steps and shake my hand every time I left, we dated 4 years. A couple of months before we got married, Sadie turned up missing one morning and my wife called and asked me if I'd look for her. Still don't know what happened to her exactly, probably just old age, but she got as far away from the house as she could before she passed. I'll never forget her "telling me goodnight". I wish we could be as loyal and true as our pets.
From: Buck Watcher
10-Oct-17
Smart man once told me......
"You have done many nice things for your dog in his lifetime. This is the last nice thing you can do for him."
From: grossklw
10-Oct-17
Sorry to hear; not many things more difficult than that last truck ride. Hopefully I’ve got another 15 or so seasons before I have to cross that path.
Nothing more fun to be around than your own bird dog.
From: BULELK1
11-Oct-17
Sorry for ya Mark I did the same with my 13 1/2 year old a few years back and I still get a tear or two some days.
Never have had the desire to replace her.......yet.
Hang in there buddy
Good luck, Robb
From: butcherboy
11-Oct-17
Had to put my black lab down when he was only 8. He slipped a disc in his back when he was only three and went was paralyzed in his hind end and couldn’t walk so I carried him while he cried. A week later he got up and started walking swinging one of his legs around. He never hunted again but he was my best friend and helped get me through a divorce and I got to introduce him to my wife and love of my life, besides my kids! He had really bad hip displacement in the end.
From: CurveBow
11-Oct-17
I too share your pain. We put down our husky, Sky Lee (nicknamed Skyote by me!) 2 months ago. Of the 3 dogs we have, she was the best by far. Just a total talking sweetheart with her husky howling. She was 12.
6 years ago, it was my English Setter, Kirby. He had good lineage, but I never worked with him enough to become the hunter he could have been. But, he was my buddy and I loved him more than most people in my life. He went way too early from kidney cancer when he was 8.5 years old......
From: DartonJager
11-Oct-17
I truly feel your sorrow and wish you my deepest sympathies. 18 months ago I lost one of my dearest and closest friends of 17 and a half years. My beloved Sheba. That dog owned me lock stock and barrel. When I was home that dog and I were inseparable. No member of my family could sit next to me, hug me or even scratch my back as Sheba would throw a fit, never before or since have I seen such a jealous and possessive dog. Sheba waited for me at the door every working day for her entire life. When I left for 2-3 weeks elk hunting she would go into a deep depression and eat and drink very little until my return. My wife use to accuse me of having been married prior to us meeting without her knowledge and my first wife died and came back as Sheba. Even after 18 months I still miss my Sheba and catch myself still looking for her around the house. The picture I chose is why I had to move down stairs to do my on line home work as I worked towards my electrical degree. Trying to run a computer and do home work with a 20lb dog sound asleep in your arms is difficult at best, and I would get the dog version of a but chewing if I dared wake her. I honestly can see how my wife thought Sheba was a reincarnated former wife.
From: RutnStrut
11-Oct-17
My condolences. I had to put my 12 year old Lab down 2 years ago. She was the best dog/friend I have ever had. I am just getting to where I am ready to get a pup.
From: Scar Finga
11-Oct-17
Gentlemen.
Thank you for sharing! Very sad days! We still have 4 dogs, 1 is my Wirehaired Griffon another great birddog, huntress and my baby. 1- is my 100lb American Bulldog another baby and two are/ were my kids dogs. They are both very sweet and one is glued to my wife. My kids and wife call me the DogFather as I seem to connect with almost every dog I am around. I have had to do this before, and it only seems to get harder with each dog. I can't and won't go the vet route, it's too drawn out and painful for me, and I feel it stresses the dog out. That's not something I want for their last few precious moments on this earth. Each one is a treasure and each is and will be missed horribly and I Love em all! As all my dogs are getting older except one of the little mutts, it will be way to soon before we go through this again. They Just Don't Live Near Long Enough!!!
God Bless and shared sympathies!
From: Bear Track
11-Oct-17
Oh God, I feel your pain. My old lab may not be in bear camp this spring to greet the guests. I hate this time in my dogs' lives. It hurts so bad I don't know if I should get another and have to go through it again. The memories are the best though. The best.
From: Al Dente Laptop
11-Oct-17
So very sorry for your loss. I know the pain all to well. They are more than pets, they are family. May God rest all of their souls. Man's best friend indeed. God Bless you Rocky and Brisket, I miss giving those belly rubs.
From: Muddyboots
11-Oct-17
Sorry. Been there and done that. Nothing better than coming home to a wagging tail and hand lick. Hopefully you will remember the good times more than this final sad event.
From: rick allison
11-Oct-17
It sucks that our dogs' lives are so short....
My 13 year old beagle, Tilly, is in kinda rough shape. She's the sweetest pooch I've ever had and I dread the day.
If I'm angry with her for whatever, one look with those brown eyes closes it.
From: boothill
12-Oct-17
Had to put our 16 year old Springer Spaniel down in August with neurological issues and strokes. Was at the vet at 3:00 this morning with our 13 year old miniature dachshund and he had to be put down with heart failure. No more dogs at our house for a good long while. Hate loosing members of the family like this.
From: Butternut40
12-Oct-17
Scar I feel for you. Sorry.
From: Ogoki
12-Oct-17
Scar and all who LOVE their dogs i know your pain. Lost my 15 yr old Lab last Sept (2016). I have 2 others ,a 11 and 7 yr old. In June we got another Lab pup. She is almost 6 months now. Always have 2 of them. One doesn't replace the one lost either. Have 17 graves here on our property. Needless to say, I get VERY VERY attached to them. We take them on fly in fishing trips, on our bear hunts and to our cabin/ property in Michigan. If my Labs are not welcome ,then we don't go. As anyone can read from the above posts, pets are a very important part of our lives. I told my Mom and wife , I have probably shed more years over loosing our pets , than I have over all the relatives i have lost.
From: Jim Southwick
12-Oct-17
Sorry for your loss. My wife and I are about to leave for the vets to have our 12 yr old lab put down. We went through this once before , but its still very difficult.
From: boothill
12-Oct-17
Sorry to hear you are making the trip as well today Jim. You will have lots of prayers heading your way I'm sure.
From: Scar Finga
12-Oct-17
Payers your way Jim, It' so hard! God Bless Brother!
From: radhunt
13-Oct-17
Boy this thread brings it all back. I had to put Sam down in June 2017. He was an awesome friend and hunter. I miss him dearly. Thanks Mark and everyone else for sharing.
Boy this thread brings it all back. I had to put Sam down in June 2017. He was an awesome friend and hunter. I miss him dearly. Thanks Mark and everyone else for sharing.
From: radhunt
13-Oct-17
Sam 1-20-2005 to 6-30-17
Sam 1-20-2005 to 6-30-17
It is especially hard with bird season underway this year and no Sam. We spent countless days in the field. On the bright side should have my new pup in Feb 2018 and look forward to that.
From: Buffoonus
13-Oct-17
I am nearing that time with my beloved Bailey as well. The big joke in our house is she not just Bailey, she is "The" Bailey, kinda like Ohio State alum say "The Ohio State", well she is "THE Bailey".... she is 13, has slowed down tremendously the last few months, has Cushings Disease, went for a walk last night, she struggles to go a 1/4 mile. I am hoping she tells me when it is time....and I can do the right thing
