Said goodbye to a good friend last week.

[gmh1013]

I hate to hear that...pet loss is horrible....for me anyway. I rank the death of pets as some of he worst days in my life...I lost my first bunch of cats 17 years ago and still have a hard time looking at photos of them.

[Rebel]

We have been there. Hang in there.

[r8t3d_M]

This is really sad to hear, I'm sorry for your loss.

[mjclark32]

Awful. We lost three goldens to cancer growing up all around 13 years old.
I feel your pain.
I have an 8 year old English bully and I'll be a wreck when she's gone.
Always extra hugs.
My sincere condolences

[Watchflair]

Sorry for your loss - never easy - take solace in the life and comfort at the end you were able to provide him

[axjimenez]

So sorry for your loss, he looked like a happy pup and I am sure he had a wonderful life.

[Alexwwjd]

Brandon, Sorry for your loss.


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[RichM]

I'm so sorry Brandon. Butcher was a beautiful dog. I'm sure he enjoyed his time with your family. I'm also glad to hear you knew what the right thing to do was. It's a hard decision to make, but remember you made it in what would be in the best interest of Butcher.

I'm sure if he could tell you, he'd say thanks.

RIP Butcher

[sea-dweller]

Sorry to hear.

[Maybelline]

Originally Posted by gmh1013

I hate to hear that...pet loss is horrible....for me anyway. I rank the death of pets as some of he worst days in my life...I lost my first bunch of cats 17 years ago and still have a hard time looking at photos of them.

I agree with this. Losing dogs over the years hurt like I lost a child.

[Toony]

It's never easy. So sorry for your loss. Sounds like he had a great life.

[Kingair]

So sorry . . .

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[G8RDPM]

So sorry for your loss.
May he RIP.

[Old Geezer]

It's a tough situation and I'm really sorry for the loss of your beloved Butcher. We went through a similar scenario with our Cocker Spaniel that was almost 14 years old. Our vet was doing everything possible to keep him comfortable but it just wasn't working. We could see his discomfort growing by the day and quality of life deteriorating.
To help us through the decision process, our vet made an interesting observation and asked us a question for us to ponder. His observation matter of factly was that we have options with pets that we don't have with human beings- euthanization. Then he asked us if we were keeping him alive for us or him (the dog, not the vet). In other words, was the dog's quality of life unchanged, improving, deteriorating, good or bad? We went home and thought about it for about a week.
When we really thought about it, it became obvious to us that it was time to end his suffering. It was incredibly difficult and we also remained in the room. We held him as he took his last breath and cried but wouldn't have it any other way. After the 14 years of absolute joy he gave us, how could we not be there with him.

Sorry for the long post but thought I'd our experience because our vet's approach help us reconcile our decision and reduce the pain, at least a little bit.

[swils8610]

It's an awful situation. I've had to put 2 of my dogs down. I stayed with the first one and my wife the second one. It's very tough but we like you knew it was time. Remember the fond memories you had with Butch.


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[bdex75]

Thank you for the outpouring of support. It means more than you all can imagine.

When you "rescue" these animals the amount of appreciation and unconditional love they give is amazing. I often wonder who rescues who.

We still have another dog at the house that will hopefully be a round for a long time. But it is awfully quiet without the big fella lumbering around. For those of you that have never had a big dog (he was 155lbs) their general living is just loud. His tags on his collar made a clanking noisy that is missing, about to attach the collar to the roomba. The silence in my house right now, as I work from home today, is deafening.

But I do have my trusty assistant at my feet. Think she misses her big brother.



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[bdex75]

Originally Posted by mjclark32

Awful. We lost three goldens to cancer growing up all around 13 years old.

I feel your pain.

I have an 8 year old English bully and I'll be a wreck when she's gone.

Always extra hugs.

My sincere condolences

Love your Bully. They are awesome dogs.


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[manilenyo]

I'm sorry to hear your loss. Please accept my condolences, Brandon.

[ct.matt]

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like he couldn't have wished for a better life than with you guys

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[Tebow15]

I am sorry for your loss too. We all love our animals so much.


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[TripleB Boston]

Brandon, Stay busy and keep your mind occupied. In time the memories of the cancer will fade and you will be left with the great memories of Butch.

I hear you on the silence in the house. I felt the same way.

Rip Butch.

[datejustrms]

Brandon, I am very sorry for your loss of Butcher. Putting a pet down is gut wrenching and the void they leave is huge. Keep your chin up and hang in there.

[dba]

Brandon, I’m so very sorry for your loss.

After my police dog, Hobbes, retired from service, she got to live with my wife and I and became a ranch dog for what would turn out to be the remaining four years of her life (14 years for a Belgian Malinois; pretty good life). One day Hobbes developed a cough that lingered for about a week. I took her to the vet and I remember the vet sitting looking at the x-ray in one room, and looking back and forth at the x-ray and me and Hobbes in the other room. I think the vet was just trying to find the words.

What’s interesting is that Hobbes was the fourth retired police dog he had treated that had developed cancerous tumors on their lungs. The only explanation I could come up with was that because we always left our patrol cars running to keep the dogs cool in the summer, and warm in the winter, that they eventually contracted Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

I’m not a scientist or a physicist so I can’t with any certainty, comment on the origins of cancer in dogs. We will always do right by our animals and there is nothing you did or didn’t do that caused Butcher to get cancer. What I do know is that cancer is a wretched bastard and I like you cannot wait for its eradication.

[rr-nyc]

Sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is losing a member of the family.

Beautiful breed. I had a Saint Bernard when I was little.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Sorry for your loss.

[bdex75]

Originally Posted by dba

Brandon, I’m so very sorry for your loss.



After my police dog, Hobbes, retired from service, she got to live with my wife and I and became a ranch dog for what would turn out to be the remaining four years of her life (14 years for a Belgian Malinois; pretty good life). One day Hobbes developed a cough that lingered for about a week. I took her to the vet and I remember the vet sitting looking at the x-ray in one room, and looking back and forth at the x-ray and me and Hobbes in the other room. I think the vet was just trying to find the words.



What’s interesting is that Hobbes was the fourth retired police dog he had treated that had developed cancerous tumors on their lungs. The only explanation I could come up with was that because we always left our patrol cars running to keep the dogs cool in the summer, and warm in the winter, that they eventually contracted Carbon Monoxide poisoning.



I’m not a scientist or a physicist so I can’t with any certainty, comment on the origins of cancer in dogs. We will always do right by our animals and there is nothing you did or didn’t do that caused Butcher to get cancer. What I do know is that cancer is a wretched bastard and I like you cannot wait for its eradication.

First, thank you for your service.

14 years is a great run for a Malinois or GSD.

I would imagine that environmental factors would tell us that we all (human, K9 and feline) will contract some forms of the disease IF we live long enough. It is just a matter of when and if it can be treated.

For these big dogs 10 years is a wonderful lifespan. Likely equates to 90+ in a human life. Especially to live it the way Butch did. On the couch and king sized bed and laying out by the pool. Most all of the time with his people.

We got him from a county animal shelter that found him running on I-80 in the Chicago suburbs He was headed to a high kill shelter when we stopped in just to see what they had. And we had to have him. His name was Henry, was 70 lbs and his pads on his paws were scabbed over and bleeding. Likely from running for his life on the hot asphalt.

He lived a dream life for he following 9+ years and we loved every minute of providing it for him.


I still cannot believe the outpouring of the great folks on the forum. Truly a wonderful place and glad I found it so many years ago.


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[Donaldkrama]

Sorry for your loss

[East Bay Rider]

I'm very sorry for your loss. It's tragic and heartbreaking.
I lost both my big lovable mutt and my basset hound at 8 years old. When I got my Wheaten Terrier I decided that he would only eat Taste of the Wild food. He's happy and (hopefully) healthy for a good long time to come.

[dba]

Originally Posted by bdex75

First, thank you for your service.

14 years is a great run for a Malinois or GSD.

I would imagine that environmental factors would tell us that we all (human, K9 and feline) will contract some forms of the disease IF we live long enough. It is just a matter of when and if it can be treated.

For these big dogs 10 years is a wonderful lifespan. Likely equates to 90+ in a human life. Especially to live it the way Butch did. On the couch and king sized bed and laying out by the pool. Most all of the time with his people.

We got him from a county animal shelter that found him running on I-80 in the Chicago suburbs He was headed to a high kill shelter when we stopped in just to see what they had. And we had to have him. His name was Henry, was 70 lbs and his pads on his paws were scabbed over and bleeding. Likely from running for his life on the hot asphalt.

He lived a dream life for he following 9+ years and we loved every minute of providing it for him.


I still cannot believe the outpouring of the great folks on the forum. Truly a wonderful place and glad I found it so many years ago.


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I like the couch part.

[bdex75]

Originally Posted by dba

I like the couch part.

No doubt.

"I used to save people in the Alps by bringing them bourbon to keep them warm, but then I found the Sleep Number"



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