We've been married a little over 36 years, and for the majority of that time, we've had dogs. It never gets any easier saying goodbye to them. About 8 years ago, we got a rescue dog named Blue. Blue was a big boy, about 120 lbs., shepherd/husky mix. He had been abused, and was a little timid. Over the years, some of his confidence came back, and he was a happy, friendly, gentle dog. When he was a bit younger, we used to take him to a large off-leash dog park where he could run, and he would just trot for an hour or two. That was apparently great fun for him. I certainly couldn't keep up, but he would come back from time-to-time to check on us, and then take off again.
As far as being my wife's dog, that was Blue's decision, and he made up his mind immediately on meeting her. He warmed up to me after a little while, but his heart belonged to mom. As gentle as he was, it would have been a very bad idea to attempt any harm to my wife in his presence. As time went by, he became much more affectionate toward me, but my wife was still always the light of his life.
Blue had been having what appeared to be shoulder trouble for about a month. We took him in, got some X-rays, and were issued some pain and anti-inflammatory meds. He didn't really seem to get better, and sometimes it was obvious that he was in pretty severe pain. We tried leg braces, little shoes to keep him from slipping and so on, and had some hopeful results. Yesterday afternoon, he got up and his front legs collapsed and he kind of landed on his chin. I helped him up, and it happened again. We helped him get outside so he could take care of his business, and he was obviously pretty weak in the front legs. After a very persuasive call from my wife, the vet agreed to see us right away.
Long story short, bone cancer. Pathological fracture of the elbow. The vet told us that he would need to double his pain medication, and up his other meds as well. Um, what? Isn't he dying? Well, yes, but maybe you want a little more time with him. No thanks, we've seen him collapse and slam his head into the floor enough times. He's in pain, he doesn't know why, he's not getting better, it's time to stop the pain. So we made the decision that he wasn't coming home. My wife held him as the drugs were administered until he stopped breathing. Probably one of the hardest things she's ever done, but the right thing.
He was a good dog.
As far as being my wife's dog, that was Blue's decision, and he made up his mind immediately on meeting her. He warmed up to me after a little while, but his heart belonged to mom. As gentle as he was, it would have been a very bad idea to attempt any harm to my wife in his presence. As time went by, he became much more affectionate toward me, but my wife was still always the light of his life.
Blue had been having what appeared to be shoulder trouble for about a month. We took him in, got some X-rays, and were issued some pain and anti-inflammatory meds. He didn't really seem to get better, and sometimes it was obvious that he was in pretty severe pain. We tried leg braces, little shoes to keep him from slipping and so on, and had some hopeful results. Yesterday afternoon, he got up and his front legs collapsed and he kind of landed on his chin. I helped him up, and it happened again. We helped him get outside so he could take care of his business, and he was obviously pretty weak in the front legs. After a very persuasive call from my wife, the vet agreed to see us right away.
Long story short, bone cancer. Pathological fracture of the elbow. The vet told us that he would need to double his pain medication, and up his other meds as well. Um, what? Isn't he dying? Well, yes, but maybe you want a little more time with him. No thanks, we've seen him collapse and slam his head into the floor enough times. He's in pain, he doesn't know why, he's not getting better, it's time to stop the pain. So we made the decision that he wasn't coming home. My wife held him as the drugs were administered until he stopped breathing. Probably one of the hardest things she's ever done, but the right thing.
He was a good dog.