My dog died today. I really hoped she wouldn't. Not today. Not on Christmas Eve.
When we woke this morning, it was like every Monday. Get out the laptop, start working, make breakfast, etc. Then my mom came in from outside, her face was swollen. Mom said my dog wouldn't take her treat and she didn't take her place in the sun - and this dog has long loved basking in the sun.
I went to the door and I called for her. She didn't come. Instead she went to rest in a shaded, cold part of the yard.
I tried to play with her, but her spirit was gone. She didn't lick my face and could no longer stand. My mom made the call to the vet. I couldn't do it, but I knew we had to put her to sleep. She's been on a decline for several weeks now, and I'd be consumed with guilt if we just let her suffer or die on Christmas.
My kids reluctantly said their goodbyes - they couldn't believe this dog they've known since they were born was on her way to doggie heaven.
My mom, brother and I went to the vet, while my dad and my husband, Jeff, dug a grave. Dad built our dog a casket.
At the vet, the wait seemed forever. But you could tell in my dog's eyes, she was ready. She didn't move when they injected the sedative. Her paws were so cold.
I said my goodbyes, thinking of all the good times. But I couldn't help but sob, and loudly. This would be the first Christmas (except for the two times we went to Kansas City) that she wouldn't be around.
Jeff and I got her in April 1995. We were engaged and building a house together. She was our first baby.
She was about 6 months old when we adopted her from the humane society. Her given name was Daisy Mae. I didn't like it, so we changed it to something much more appropriate with the help of my sister.
She was a black lab mixed with hound dog. She looked more like a lab, but had longer ears and stocky legs. She had been abused and was afraid of brooms, windchimes and going through doorways. But in time, she learned the pampered poochie life. We celebrated her birthday on Halloween with presents and all.
When Alex was born, we worried about how the pets would do (we also had a cat). But our dog was an angel and took good care of him. They were best buddies -- both loved playing with water out back and would sleep together. When Julia came along, our dog found another best buddy (Julia thought she had a miniature pony)
Julia cried when I returned from the vet. She was sad that she could no longer play with HER dog. Alex didn't want to say much -- sadness filled his heart.
At 13 years old, our pup lived a good life. But I didn't want to see her go. I wasn't ready. But she was, and I'm sad today. Our family will miss her.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
Oh gosh, I am so sorry for
Oh gosh, I am so sorry for your loss. I know how devastating the loss of a pet can be from experience. Though this is no consolation, you sweet family dog is romping through the meadows in heaven waiting on the other side of the rainbow to see you again someday. Loss is something that every child must eventually learn, much to the dismay of the parent. I wish you and your family comfort during this difficult time.
I am so sad for you. Yes,
I am so sad for you. Yes, our dogs often are our first babies and you must be simply heartbroken. May you always cherish your memories of your little furry one. When a dear friend of mine’s dog Fritz passed away, she put together the most wonderful album in memory of him including tons of photos, a page with all the sweet nicknames she had for him, and a little poem she wrote about him. She said it really helped her in the grieving process. Perhaps this is something you could eventually do with your family. My heart goes out to all of you today.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog, how very sad. May God watch over you and your doggy too while you're grieving and getting through this. May your Christmas be blessed and joyful!!
i am very happy to know that
i am very happy to know that you very much loved your baby and you ended her suffering, you did good. and she loves you for that.
"dont pee on my leg and tell me its raining"
I am so sorry to hear about
I am so sorry to hear about your dog. We lost our beloved Scotty right before Thanksgiving 3 years ago and I still think about him every day. It's very hard to put animals to sleep. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Lori Baker is mom to two daughters, 21 and 23 years old. She is
editor for the Valley and State section's Education and Environment pages in the Arizona Republic.
I, too, am so sorry for your
I, too, am so sorry for your loss of a wonderful pet. I imagine your Christmas day today was bittersweet. I spent most of my childhood with a beloved dog, a Cairn terrier that looked just like Toto, and it still hurts when I think of his death while I was away at college.
I just got a cat, our first, two days ago as a Christmas present for my kids, and he's so adorable. I hope we end up having the same kind of great experience and memories that you experienced with your dog.
I wish you all the best during this really sad time.
DesertMom
http://ppdsurvivor.blogspot.com
Thanks for all the kind
Thanks for all the kind words.
I still find myself very saddened by our loss. My husband told me yesterday that our son Alex looked out the window to wish our pup a Merry Christmas. That made me cry again.
I've been thinking of all the wonderful memories. Among them is the time we got to know our neighbors because she scaled the 6-foot fence and was walking on it like a cat. Another great memory is how she and our old cat used to snuggle up together. Or when our cat chased our dog. It was funny.
She loved wrestling with my husband, and played pony for Julia. She even dressed up as Super Dog for me one Halloween (my husband hated that).
She was one amazing dog. I miss her lots.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
i am so sorry for you and
i am so sorry for you and your family. in june we lost our beloved dallas. we got dalla sfor my sons 5th birthday. our son is now 17 so dallas was 22 but he was still a good dog. he was the guadian of the house. it took him a little longer to get to the gate to bark and growl but he still guarded the house. no one ever just waked into our yard. they would stand at the gate and wait for someone to come out. we head gone to phoneix for one of our adopted sons graduation. we were about 40 miles from home when my son called and said something was wrong with dallas. he was wimpering and howling and woulnd stop pacing. my son had gone to a movie and when he came back he found this. we rushed home and called our vet at home. he is wonderful. he met us at the clinic at 1 am and it turned out dallas had suffered blunt force trauma to his spine. by this time he wasnt able to move but his eyes still followed me everywhere. we took him home with some pain medication. the next day we found a brick in the yard and we dont have any bricks. we think he was hit with that. dallas lived in our living room floor for the next two days. i had to help him pee and fed him water and broth with a syringe. he couldnt move so i turned him every hour and he never took his eyes away form me. i slept on the floor with him . on the second day my son and i were lieing beside him and he looked one more time and then stopped breathing. we both started crying and we hugged him for a long time. we let our other dogs in and his partner sage wouldnt leave his side. we buried him under the big mesquite on the land where we will be building our home next year. we go out and leave doggy bones for him. he was buried with hisfavorite cushion form my husbands old recliner. he loved that chair and when we were going to get rid of it he dragged the cushion off and kept it. and we let him. our vet was so good he called 5 times a day to check on him. he called about 10 minutes after he died and then called back later and talked to me for over an hour. we later found out that a kid had tried to go into our yard and dallas had bit him. he had bites all over his arm. apparently he was going to burglarize the house and dallas was protecting our property so he didnt go without a fight. he hit him with a brick he was intending to use to break a window and then hit him with one of our shovels and took the shovel with him so that was how he was caught. my son saw our shovel in the back of his truck. my husband always marks his tools because everybody is always borrowing them. he was charged with cruelty to animals and attempted bruglary. we go to court jan 4 for his sentencing.