Bad news...

[exnihilo]

Homer, my grandparents 17 year old poodle had to be put to sleep last week. For the 1st 3 years of Homers life he was my dog. My grandfather put Homer out to potty and he wandered off. Homer could neither see nor hear well and he was on Arthritis medication, but my grandmother would not even consider
having him put down. He disappeared on Thursday and a neighbor found him the following Monday. Homer had walked down into a ditch, gotten tangled in the brambles and could not get out, he spent 4 nights outside in sub freezing temperatures.
Homer was still alive, but in bad shape when he was found and had to be put to sleep the next day. It is not the fact that Homer is gone that upsets me, it is the fact that he spent the last 4 days of his life alone, cold, frightened, and suffering. My grandmother is crushed.

SBG, that is an awful tragedy. What a nightmare. My deepest sympathies for you and your family. I am so very grateful that Pookie was able to go out in relative peace and comfort and surrounded by love.

[exnihilo]

What a wonderful group of people in this forum. Again I would like to thank everyone for their kind sympathy and good wishes, it has helped me deal with some long-dreaded grief in an environment that is pretty "macho" when I don't have contact with my loved ones except by phone. Venting that grief in this forum has been extremely relieving -- I can't think of another place online that would be able to accomodate that grief in the same way. Of course, one of the central themes of the TCTC is grief in all its forms, so maybe that is why. I want to thank all of you again and the board owners as well for the space that allows this to happen. It is an honor and a privelege to count myself among you. -John R.

[exnihilo]

There is a final vignette I have to include. I think you may find this interesting.

I was talking to my Dad about Pookie yesterday, and he told me about something that had been happening with her lately. You have to realize that my father is an 'animal person' who connects with animals on a level most people cannot -- animals inherently trust him and gravitate towards him. He's the kind of guy that can tame untamable, traumatized, flighty animals.

Well apparently about two or three weeks ago she started following my Dad (who is 59 years old) around more often than usual -- wherever he went, there she was. After about a week of this , at one point he was in the 'water closet' and she came in there and just stood looking at him, which was pretty unusual. He held her head and looked into her eyes and thought, 'you're really trying to tell me something.'

As soon as he had that thought he said it was like there was a moment where they connected with perfect clarity.

Then as he sat there stroking her and looking into her eyes, he asked her very simply, "Is it you or me?"

[onewyteduck]

What a wonderful group of people in this forum. Again I would like to thank everyone for their kind sympathy and good wishes, it has helped me deal with some long-dreaded grief in an environment that is pretty "macho" when I don't have contact with my loved ones except by phone. Venting that grief in this forum has been extremely relieving -- I can't think of another place online that would be able to accomodate that grief in the same way. Of course, one of the central themes of the TCTC is grief in all its forms, so maybe that is why. I want to thank all of you again and the board owners as well for the space that allows this to happen. It is an honor and a privelege to count myself among you. -John R.

You might be interested in The Rainbow Bridge, a forum dedicated to pet loss and grief. www.rainbowbridge.com/. It helped me once.

Thanks for posting the pic of Pookie. She was beautiful!

[aliantha]

The Watch is the very best place on the Internet. IMHO.

SBG, I am so very sorry for you and your grandparents and Homer. At least Homer had a long, happy life with you all.

[MsMary]

So sorry to hear about your dog, ex. The death of a pet is very sad.

[onewyteduck]

SBG - condolences to you and your Grandparents over Homer. That is trully awful but take some consolation in the knowledge that he was found and didn't pass alone.

Just about 11 years ago, one of my bloodhounds, Barghast, dug under the fence and we never did find him. I was totally devestated! The "not knowing" can really rip you to pieces and I can only begin to imagine how parents with a missing child must feel.

LOL....he weighed about 140 pounds, used to climb up in my lap and put his head on my shoulder and sigh. I really loved that dog and I guess I think about him everyday.

Ex, SBG, it does get easier, but like any loss, it takes time.

Love ya, guys!

[Cagliostro]

Sorry to hear about the loss. It kills me every time I have lost a pet. And for some reason, it seems to get harder rather than easier, or maybe I am just forgetful. But the two little ferret girls I lost in 2005 within a few months of each other still brings tears to my eyes. Since then, I've been living in places where pets are not allowed, and the girlfriend now is allergic to pet hair. So I don't know if I'll ever get pets again. And that bums me out too.

[MsMary]

Sorry to hear about Homer, SBG.

[Sunbaneglasses]

Yeah Ex, sorry about Pookie. Beautiful dog.

[Loredoctor]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, too, SBG.