I'm fairly new to the forum so I don't 'know' many of you but it's Friday and I really don't feel like working. :)

Our family's 4 legged friend of 13+ years was put to sleep yesterday. Dad (that's me) got the honors of taking her to the vet in my 5 month old Ridgeline. Believe me, it was not a very happy trip but it was a relief to see her go so quickly and not have to suffer ... We and the vet have no idea what happened but she went downhill very quickly (about 8 hours). She was a wonderful Golden and we will always remember her ...

Thanks Winnie for all the memories!

I am so sorry for you. I know what it feels like. I had to do the same thing several years ago. I can tell how much your dog meant to you by the soft rug under her. :(

Thank you. Yes, that was her favorite rug that she would lay on out on the front porch. She went to sleep for the last time on that rug as well. It remained at the vet with her. All I brought home was her collar which we plan to bury in the back yard over the weekend. Our final goodbye. :)

Footer..it's always hard to say good bye. My thoughts are with you as you and your family find comfort in knowing that she's at the Rainbow Bridge (http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm)waiting for you. :)

Thank you LadyRidge. I just read the Rainbow Bridge poem just before I posted this. Hadn't seen it before. Very touching and we do look forward to it some day!

:)

Please accept my condolences, footer.

My thoughts are with you, footer. Pets form a unique bond in our lives that no human can. The memories of the years of friendship and fun with Winnie will help you and your family through this difficult time. My best to you and, again, my thoughts are with you. Ron

Thank you Ron & arteegee for your thoughts and wishes. I'm not sure who it's going to be the hardest on, me, my wife or my boy/girl twins (6 1/2 years old). So far, everyone is taking it in stride. This is my first pet (at 44 years old!) and of course, my kids first and only. Wife has had several growing up but Winnie was our first 'child'.

This too shall pass.

:)

Ahh footer, sorry to hear. Unless you've opened your home to a furry friend, it's hard for some to really understand what the impact of losing such a wonderful friend is. Know that your not alone in this. Many have been there, many feel your broken heart but many will also be right there to remind you that the loss of Winnie is not the loss of a lifetime of great memories. Although no replacement now, down the road those memories just mean more and more. Hang in there bud... :(

Thanks so much for your kind words brich. And you're right we do have a ton of memories and pictures. It was a good and very long life for Winnie. This really helps talking about it, even though with complete strangers. But I consider you all my "cyber" friends!

Thanks again!

We all need to just keep :)

My condolences it is tough... We just lost our Rhett of 14 years on July 11, 2006. We lost his brother Zak on September 15, 2004, 12 years old. They were great Goldens and very loyal. If you look in the Puppy thread you will see Raz, his name is the combination Rhett And Zak.

Rhett and Zak were born as Minnesotans as well, we used to live in Plymouth.
I have posted there pictures in the dog picture thread...

:)

Thanks. I sure appreciate all these wonderful comments and well wishes! I just checked out pics of Raz. Yet another Golden right?! They make such cute puppies. It's going to be harder for me to win the 'no pets' battle as time goes on ... I'm not really wanting to replace Winnie any time soon and of course we can never 'replace' her ... We'll see.

:)

Yes Raz is a golden... We knew we would get another, just not so soon!! But our decision relied on it is easier to train a new puppy in the summertime vs. the winter.

The best healing is remembering all the good times. We have a wall of pictures dedicated to Rhett & Zak. They loved to travel with us camping, swimming, going on boat rides, taking hikes through the woods and just going where we were going!!

Check out the dog thread.. the pics are posted now..

:)

Cute pics!!! Yes, I noticed that your loss was quite recent. I don't want to get a new puppy that soon! But I can understand your reasoning. Winnie used to go with us everywhere too ... at least until the past year or so. It's so hard to watch them grow old. But we do have the memories and pictures!!!

My sincerest sympathies, footer! I know exactly where you are right now as I had my nearly 16 year old Lab, Nick, put to sleep a week and a half ago. :(

We took him to the beach in his first and last ride in the Ridge, then to the vet. We came home as well with his collar (my 16 year old son, who's dog Nick was, has it in his room) but I had him cremated, and we will bury his ashes in the back yard.

Hez and Footer, I'm so sorry about your recent losses. I've been talking to Carl about his dear Rhett since he took a turn for the worse. It's so hard when they leave us. I just make myself remember all they contribute to my happiness and sense of purpose while they are here and that makes is all more than worth the period of pain from losing them. I will never be without a dog or two in my life. I cannot imagine coming home without that warm greeting. . .

Hez...I am so sorry you lost a precious one also.
You are in my thoughts my friend. :)

Man footer. Words cannot come close to convey our sincerest sympathies. Please accept our condolences. Lots of doggie lovers here too.

Footer, I know what you are feeling . We had to let our golden/rottweiller/irishwolfhound go on june 23rd , O'shota was 13 1/2 years old and quite large at 112 pounds . She developed spondylosis in her lower back and rapidly deteriorated over 23 days . We took her for a last ride in the subaru forrester that was her favorite ride and she was put down in the back , she is buried in our backyard and has a lemon planted over her grave . Check out " O'shota passed over rainbow bridge " in the pet section . We miss her very much and her two dog friends , Ursa and Chelsea miss her a lot too . The pain goes away but the hurt never does , fortunately the love never goes away either . Some day another dog friend will come in to your lives and the love and devotion will start anew .

Martin

Sorry to hear of your loss footer. We went through the same thing last Septermber. Although we still miss Grover, we came to the conclusion that the only way to help fill the void was to adopt a new four legged member of the family.

I'm not really wanting to replace Winnie any time soon and of course we can never 'replace' her ... We'll see.
:)
I'm feeling for you and your family, Footer. It's a tough thing to work through. But don't close that door just yet -- you can't replace Winnie, but you will find another pet to love, that's for sure.

Sorry for your loss! I know how much a family pet means, and all i can remember is we had to put down our Male Chow Bobo down almost 8 years ago and it was a very sad moment. I was holding his paw when the vet administered the sleeping agent. It was that quick that we had him breathe and stop. Very sad to see, but he wasnt in the best of shape. We decided to bury him in our backyard. 4 years later, our female Chow Mai Ling past away Thanksgiving Morning, in her sleep and we had both of them buried in our backyard, side by side. the male was 13 years old and the female was 17 years old! Very long for any chow, from my understanding. Well, a family pet will always be loved, no matter what you replace them with. But you learn to love your new pet the same. Again, i feel your sorrow.

Thank you SO much for all the wonderful comments and thoughts. It is truly amazing how many folks have gone through this ... and some many times! I'm still on the fence but I know my family wants a new pet someday.

I've attached a picture of Winnie during happier times. This was 8 years ago when she was 5.

:)

Great photo of Winnie finding a cool spot to settle. She's a beaut. I know you all will miss her for a very long time.

Our dog club once had a presentation by some folks who raise assistance puppies for about their first year and then surrender them to the organization so they can be placed with people who need them. One of the questions was how they deal with the loss after so much time and energy given to the captivating puppies. Of course they keep in mind that the dog is needed by someone for a better quality of life and that they know going in that it's temporary. I especially liked one person's answer who gets a new trainee as soon as she can. She said, "It's amazing how puppy kisses can take away the tears of sorrow and replace them with smiles."

Getting a new pet is a personal decision and a commitment you must be ready to make. For some of us it's automatic. Indeed, I'm scouting for a new companion for Sparkle as I know Shimmer's beginning her declining years. For others it takes time to heal and for the time to be right. There are still others who never go back to pet ownership. For the sake of your kids, I hope you don't fall into that last category. I am a firm believer that caring for critters builds character and empathy.

Thanks for posting the new picture.

Now that O'shota is gone and Ursa is over 14 and not playful anymore I thought that it would be a good idea to find a younger friend for Chelsea . I checked the local humane society website and low and behold at the top of the page was an all white female Jack russel/yellow lab cross that looked like she could be Chelsea's younger sister, same size, same personality and a water lover too . I took Chelsea to meet Sidney and they went at each other like two killer pit bulls , fortunately we had them on leash's . I talked with the owner and found out that Sidney is an alpha female just like Chelsea is , they both hike their legs to mark their territory , protect their food and are outrageously intelligent , theyr'e so much alike that they are almost clones except for Chelsea's brown ears and brown eye spot and freckles . Sidney was very sweet to me though . Too bad it did not work out , it would have been fun having two dogs alike but I was afraid they would kill each other . I will keep a casual lookout for a playmate for Chelsea still, in the meantime I am taking her on walks with my neighbors dog Drifter, he is not an alpha male so there are not conflicts .

Footer,
I grieve for your loss. I have three furry boys that I love deeply. My oldest is blind (glaucoma) and has perhaps a year or two left. I am dreading the time when he passes. I love my dogs more than most people....being a loner type. Even when a movie has a scene where a dog dies, I turn the channel or get out of the room. Been this way since I was little.
Take care footer, time will heal the wounds and replace them with bittersweet memories of your companion. I'm certain she knew how loved she was. :)

I know how you feel. We had to put one of our dogs to sleep about 8 months ago and just yesterday, my 12 year old lab had a stroke, they believe. She is doing so so. She has lost some of her leg strength and we believe she can't see completely well. I know it is just a matter of time now.

Sorry to hear about your loss, I was there about 3 years ago and miss my little guy something fierce. Best wishes to you and your family.

Nothing I say will make it easier. My 4 former labs are in my yard with their headstones. I just pray my 4year old Chocolate lives to the same 15-17 years old as the others...........

Thanks outtaline. Time is already starting to heal. It will be three weeks tomorrow that we put her down. But it's amazing how you continue to remember all the little things and still swear she's laying here or there or coming in to eat or whatever. We still miss her tremendously but we'll always remember her in our hearts.

:)

Footer--I am pretty new here and I just read this thread. My dog in my avatar is 15 1/2 and we have been nursing and caring him for over 6 months. He is not in much pain but he has lost his mind, most of his sight, hearing and understanding. He is worth every annoying thing he does. Especially when he looks up and for just a minute looks like he is healthy. He is our only child.

I know our day is coming and our vet has agreed to come to our house since he is so scared of the vets office. I don't want his last thought to be of fear.

I am sorry for what you and your family have had to go through and my prayers are with you.

Edit: (We have had him since he was 6 weeks old)

Robert

I came across this video today - those with dogs may get a bit teary eyed on this, especially those with a recent loss (I did). I have no idea if it's been posted here before... enjoy.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=a8c39ad9e69cb71b1f9f294f2c50022f.496137&cache=1

Sorry for your loss Footer. Goldens are wonderful, friendly and loyal dogs. I'd suggest getting another, not to dull the pain, but to have another friendship that few dogs but a Golden can provide.

Our Golden, Cassie, would have been 17 years old this month. We went to Germany in May for 2 weeks and left her with the vet who kept her by his bed. She was doing fine but failed about three days before we got home. He called us in Germany to tell us the sad news.

Fortunately we got another Golden about 3 years ago, Sambeaux or plain Sam, from the vet who was almost 2 years old at the time, kinda preparing for this day. Cassie's passing really bummed Sam and he is just getting over the loneliness, even though Cassie pestered him quite a bit as the Alpha female.

Take care. Just remember, the only thing better than a Golden Retriever is two Golden Retrievers!

Tom