My dog and best friend Max, 1994-2009

[Bob1995]

It's also a good thing that I'm on a forum that cares. Any other member on another forum would would say "we don't care about your fricking problems. Your stupid dog deserves to die you idiot!" Or somthing like that.

 

[D'Snowth]

Indeed, the internet needs more forums like MC; sadly, I can picture that happening on other forums, some people out there actually pride themselves in making other people feel like total bullcrap.

 

[D'Snowth]

My parent's plan to euthenize(can't spell anything right) Max shook up the family to the worst extent, especially my sister Anna, who dreads the day (tommarow) that my parents scheduled Max to bite the dust. However, we already set up plans to remember him. we'll be making a plaque with his pawprint embedded in it tonight. After he dies and is cremated, we will plant a tree with a portion of his ashes buried with the tree seed, with the plaque underneath the tree. He may be dying, but we want to remember him.

I don't think I could bear the thought of Tommie being cremated, but thing again, she went in one piece, and that was my wish, as I don't believe I've had a bunny yet who went in one piece... one was killed by a dog, another partially eaten by said dog (he left the head and front paws), one had he back broken when his mate tried to get lucky with him, and she was stolen so I don't know what happened to her... but Tommie... at least she went in one piece. Man, I still miss her.

 

[Bob1995]

Monday: Max's very last day

Well, today's the day we all dreaded. On one hand, I reserved Metroid Prime Trilogy, which is 3 great games in one. But not even video games can distract me from the truth that haunted me for the last 2 days. I'm fine with death in movies and games, but in real life, death is a harsh thing to handle, especially if the person who is dying is close friend or relative (or a pet in this case). No matter how much I'll miss him, I can't bear to see him bite the dust and die. Does anybody have or had this reluctence to see your pet die?

 

[Bob1995]

It's about a few hours away until it's "Bye Bye Doggy" for Max. So far, his last few hours on Earth have been met with tearful goodbyes, sobbing "don't go"s and plenty of tributes. I made a plasticine model of Max, complete with his trademark jowels. Anna swam with Max for the the very last time, and we all made a concrete plaque in Max's honor. OK, I'm crying like crazy for typing this, but what was the last thing you and your pet did togather?

 

[D'Snowth]

I just couldn't let go of Tommie... I tried to hug her and cuddle her up, but true to fashion, she didn't want to be touched, and always wormed her way out of my grip, so while she just laid there on the vet table waiting for them to take her back, I gave her one last back scratching (she liked it when she got her back scratched).

They offered to let me go back with her while they put her down, but I couldn't bring myself to watch her die, and I'm glad I didn't; I don't believe it would've been a pleasant sight.

 

[dwmckim]

(No offence or insensitivity meant towards anyone's losses here - just instilling a brief amount of levity in an otherwise somber topic

Yikes it seems other animals consume bunnies the same way humans treat their chocolate versions! We devour the ears before anything else...so i guess dogs have their own "version" of the same "ritual"

But on a more serious note, yes it is absolutely devastating any time any of us loses a loved one...doesn't matter if it's a pet or human (many of us actually get closer to a pet than we do most fellow humans when it comes right down to it) Consider yourself and your dog fortunate that at least when the time came it was expected and not a here-one-minute-gone-the-next accident or incident. You had that opportunity to say your goodbyes and establish that closure while he was still here and do what you could do show him all your love during your last moments. Death, though hard, is a natural part of the life cycle and (except for rare circumstances when two people die at the same time) all of our loved ones will either end up departing or saying goodbye to us (depending on who outlives the other). As sad and hard as it is to say goodbye to a loved one, the ability to do so while that person (and i'm using "person" to describe all sentient beings regardless of species) is still with us is a treasure as many times we don't get that chance...sometimes one of the worst feelings a survivor is left to process is not having had the chance to make their goodbyes and express their love and wishing so badly they could have done so...so even though saying goodbye is hard, it's also a blessing to be thankful for to have that opportunity.

Being a Muppet/Henson forum, i would reccomend watching the Fraggle Rock episode "Gone, But Not Forgotten" (whether you've seen it before or will be totally new)...very poignant and probably the best explorations of the life cycle any television show has ever done...even more so than the groundbreaking Big Bird's saying goodbye to Mr. Hooper.

 

[Bob1995]

Well, the job has been done. Max has gone to the great Pet Shop in the sky. At the time, my entire family was crying. But at least he didn't die in pain. I mean, right now he's running about heaven like he did when he was alive. He might even reunite with his former girlfriend Devon, who was a golden retriever, and Max was a black Lab. So look on the bright side. Somewhere in the world, there's a animal activist letting their pet die in great pain. Let's be thankful we aren't him/her.

 

[D'Snowth]

The vets office sent us a sympathy card about Tommie today, and I started crying all over again, that was a generous and thoughtful gesture.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

I'm really sorry to hear about Max...and trust me, I know where you're coming from. I went through the exact same thing last year when one of my dogs, a German shorthaired pointer named Marta, had to be put to sleep.

She was 13 years, seven months old, so she'd had a good run, but it was really, really rough when she went. I mean, we'd gotten her when I was eight years old, so she and I grew up together - and in the PDA section of my high school yearbook, there's a photo of me and her.

And it was the same with us - the vet sent us a sympathy card a few days later.

There's a group out there called Rainbow Bridge, and they've got a series of lists of the names of pets who've gone on to the next life. Maybe you could put Max's name on one of the lists?