Pets

I know Hope is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge. She was a rescue, had been abused in the past, so she was nervous and not terribly demonstrative. But over time she loosened up a bit, and she was devoted to me. Letting her go was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and it was about nine months before I stopped having weekly meltdowns about it. DH was awesome, he would just hold me and cry with me.
 
I know what you mean. Having to put one of my cats to sleep, she had kidney failure and had fought it for a year, was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Up until that time, I had always felt it was up to God, not me, to end a person's or animal's suffering. I experienced her battle with her for that whole year, giving her IV fluids through her back every night via a needle through the tuft of her skin. She was always so patient and understanding, laying in my lap, knowing that the pain I was inflicting upon her was done out of love. I came to a different understanding about life and death through that experience. That morning, she told me she was ready, and I knew putting her to sleep was the right thing to do. She seemed to know that this visit to the vet would be her last visit, and she wouldn't have to go through that anymore.

I'll never forget it. I called my dad that morning to drive us to the vet's office. (My dad has since passed away too.) I just couldn't drive. And I knew I needed to hold her in my arms. When we got there, the vet's staff was waiting for us. We were taken to the back of the clinic right away, no waiting. We laid her on the table in the room reserved for the worst cases. I had her favorite brush with me, and I brushed her over and over and over... No one rushed us. Then the vet stepped in and asked if I was ready. I said, no, of course, but yes, let's proceed. I got down to her eye level, hovered over her, and continued to stroke her. He injected some medicine that would make her fall asleep. Then, as we had prearranged, I would leave the room. I couldn't stand to see the final shot. I gave her one last stroke and a kiss and told her I loved her and that I was sorry. My dad and I stepped out of the room. The door closed. My dad held me in his arms. Then a tech opened the door just at the moment the vet inserted the final injection (blue juice they call it) into her, and I looked over, out of habit as anyone normally does when a door opens. And I saw it. I felt my soul leave my body, I no longer could stand on my feet, and uncontrollably, I fell to the ground, literally shaking. My dad caught me in his arms just before I hit the floor. I will never forget it. That feeling.

I hope that was okay that I shared this here. Seems to be the perfect thread for it.
 
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TJ, you just made me tear up. My inlaws just had to put down one of their dogs a little over a week ago. She was my buddy and loved me. Damn emotions.
 
It hurts like hell, doesn't it, Nick?! Not fair.
 
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Here are some pictures of our addition to our family. This is Hazel, she was a rescue from a northern reserve, she is the most unique pup we have ever owned. Part Husky and part , umm wolf, she came to us at about 2 years after living out on the streets of northern Manitoba for the better part of her life. She was 45 pounds when we got her in
March and is now a very happy and running mad 55 pounds. She is my new running partner and definitely keeps me on my toes (literally).photo 1.JPG
Hazel and my youngest son, yes he is my barefoot protigy

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This was Hazel this summer, we found out she really likes to ride in boats, so much as she will just sit on the seat and watch the water go by, really likes to go fast. I still think she is laughing like Smedley from Hanna Barbera cartoons.
 

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Sweet, sweet family! Sweet boy. Before you described your "dog," I knew she was a wolf. There's a man who walks his wolf around here, and there is no mistaking, that is a wolf. He says, his wolf has just enough "dog" in it to make him legal. Ha! Love that silly, sweet grin on Hazel's face. She's having the time of her life!
 
She is a treat, full of mischief though. If she does not get her run or two a day, she will find a way to remind you that she hasn't had one, that is for sure.
 
That's good for you then. She makes you stay active and healthy.
 
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Here is my list of pets:
6 sheep
about 30 rabbits (more or less, they do have a tendency to multiply when you are not looking :D)
6 chicken
1 goose (the three other geese got eaten by a fox)
4 cats (and an uncertain number of stray ones)
and there used to be a parrot as well, but he died last year :(

It is horribly difficult to take photos of animals - they alway turn round in the last moment, so I regularly end up with pictures of sheep's bums, rabbits' bums and cats' bums...
 
Jet the wonderdog. We got Jet from the Idaho Humane Society. He was part of the Inmate Dog Alliance Program of Idaho (IDAPI). He was trained for two months by inmates (supervised by a professional dog trainer) and then we were allowed to adopt him. He's part lab and part border collie. Normally he's my running buddy, but I'm sidelined for a bit.

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Jet the wonderdog. We got Jet from the Idaho Humane Society. He was part of the Inmate Dog Alliance Program of Idaho (IDAPI). He was trained for two months by inmates (supervised by a professional dog trainer) and then we were allowed to adopt him. He's part lab and part border collie. Normally he's my running buddy, but I'm sidelined for a bit.

JetBSU.jpg
This is the type of dog I want. Look at that face! Someday when I have a real house and can have a dog (stupid condo we bought before market crashed!) I would love to have a dog that can run with me. We are definitely leaning towards the lab or lab mixes. I would really like a husky but we just aren't cool enough here temp wise.
 
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This is the type of dog I want. Look at that face! Someday when I have a real house and can have a dog (stupid condo we bought before market crashed!) I would love to have a dog that can run with me. We are definitely leaning towards the lab or lab mixes. I would really like a husky but we just aren't cool enough here temp wise.

Nick, I would wholeheartedly recommend a lab/collie mix. He has the BEST personality and is always ready to go. He will also entertain himself with his toys or running up and down the stairs or around the yard. He's also a pretty good frisbee catcher!
 
PB, I grew up around dogs my whole life and the last 6 years not being able to have one just kills me. I've always liked the friendly nature of labs, but I hear they can be quite the handful as puppies and adolescents. I also like Australian Shepherds a lot too.
 
not being able to have one just kills me.

Come get The Hair Machine. He is well-trained, I can mostly control him w/voice hubby can 100%, and despite being old has lots of energy because he is intact. He likes cats and children and makes an o.k. guard dog (bays like a rabid wolf if I am home alone with him at night and a chipmunk farts in Russia, always lays between me and the outer doors) and is informally trained to attack. Bad attributes are that he licks his paws or the floor when he is bored and occasionally, like 2-3 times a year, howls when left alone. He weighs 90lbs, do you think I can fit him in one of those post office flat rate boxes?
 
Gidds, if I could have a dog I would gladly take him off your hands. Not sure your hubby would be too happy though... From what you've said he kind of likes the dog.
 
Husband has made such an enormous mess in the living room and kitchen that I will not get it clean until New Year's and as such I doubt he will notice that I gave his dog away.
 
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Not sure I'd recommend a collie cross - after 14 years collecting scars & a mauled house from my somewhat psychotic bundle of fur (rescued collie x saluki fur) & swearing blind that in future I'd only have dogs with less brain to occupy, that's it, I don't think I could ever have another breed! The intelligence is phenomenal, I was impressed with my old cairn terrier's brain - she could genuinely count & follow patterns, but a collie brain is something else; they can work out puzzles & the level of communication is amazing - when my asthma started flaring up Shadow would only take short walks, then insist we went home (if I just had a cold I wasn't allowed home early & we had a few arguments when I broke my toe!) & he immediately picked up sign language when I lost my voice.
The end was, of course, horrible, but I felt so privileged that the dog who'd initially go for me if I tried to look at a sore paw now trusted me so much that he came to me for protection & comfort when he was seriously ill. I held him to the end at the vets - for me there's just a really clear moment when you know they've gone - when that came I was able to walk away.

Here's the much missed Shadow (sorry, can only seem to get the pic to be tiny or huge!):
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I should clarify - I'm not suggesting every dog with collie in it is psychotic, that was just Shadow - a result of whatever was done to him in his early life, I'm just warning they may be addictive!