best friend/Hunting dog

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Every dog I've ever had, except for my current 2, have died. It sucks but it's part of it. My black lab is 10 and aging fast. This will definitely be his last year to hunt. I'll buy his replacement next year and start training him. Time marches on.

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I understand they all will die, and if one morning I found him dead it would have sucked but I don't think nearly as bad as having to actually take him into the room and pet and hug on him while they give him the shot. Its the euthanizing part that got me.

I've done it twice and my current dog is almost 12. All you can do is remind yourself that you gave the dog as good of a life as anyone could've. He was going to exist on this earth regardless of his relationship with you and he was lucky to find a companion that cared for him the way you did. Part of caring for him is understanding that there comes a time where his suffering is significant, and that you have the ability (and the responsibility) to help him get to where he is ultimately going to wind up fast and painlessly. You did the right thing by being with him when that time came because there is nowhere else that he'd rather be. It's also an incredibly unselfish act.

I get a little bit emotional even reading this post, but it's hard man. Losing a dog is absolutely brutal and I've taken dog losses worse than I've taken human losses and the problem is they just don't live long enough. As the second poster said, time moves on. Do yourself a favor and get another puppy that can bring you similar joy and experiences that he did. Every dog I've ever had taught me something different and has been special in its own right. I'm getting a puppy in two weeks and I hope she'll do the same. Like I said, if you get a puppy, that puppy was going to exist on this earth regardless of its relationship with you. The way I look at it, you're doing both the pup and yourself a favor by creating that relationship.



O/U 5 posts before "it's just a dog dude, get over it." GFY.

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Anybody else go through this, anything help with this kind of feeling

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Yeah numerous times. Take a lil time to recoup and get another is the best thing. Don’t rush into it and be hasty with the descion and don’t try to compare the new dog to the old one just work it and it will one day be “one of the best dogs I ever had” dogs it will be different but it will be one of the best.

We have had two pass in the last two years. My lab that was 8 had cancer and we had to make the decision for her and was she hardest thing to do. Our springer essentially didn’t wake up in the morning so so we didn’t have to make the decision nor have him euthanized and that was much easier imo. Both sucked but us having to do it was way worse.

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take him into the room and pet and hug on him while they give him the shot

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He was there for you all this time, and that was the most important time you were there for him.

I remember feeling my old girl's head grow heavy as she slipped away. I told my wife I hated to feel that feeling, but I'm thankful I was there for it.

It was the only thing I could do for her in that moment.

Great post.

I had to put mine down for cancer last week. It hurts. And that's from a guy that grew up with a pack of hunting beagles that has put his own dogs down multiple times. Doing it at the vet was obviously different and a lot more emotional.

Was talking about this subject with my brother recently. I'm not sure which is a more caring way to do it to be honest. If I shoot the dog in the back of the head while he's doing something he loves in the woods, there's no anxiety for the dog like there is going to the vet. He just gets switched to off whereas at the vet you're sitting there with them in your lap on the floor bawling like an idiot and the dog is feeling that and is nervous and doesn't know why. It's horrible.

I used to get over my dog dying by getting a puppy. Now I'm not so sure. My BMC is 15 years old so he's going to check out soon. I don't even remember a time in my life I didn't have a dog but I'm to the age now where I'm thinking I might not want another one since the kids are gone.

“Dogs’ lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you’re going to lose a dog, and there’s going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can’t support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion.
There’s such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price.” – Dean Koontz

to the world you are one person
to your dog you are the world