Thread: It's going to be a sad Halloween this year =(

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My husband and I have 3 dalmatians (originally had 4 but lost our oldest a yr and a half ago) well....one of the remaining dogs is deaf and is very ill. Our vet thinks it's cancer and it's looking like we'll have to put him down within the next couple of days. He's just gone down hill so fast. So...my usual happy time of year is quickly turning into a very sad occasion!

I will say, that our deaf dog, Sleepytime, has been our most difficult dog. He bites, so we've had to be very careful for most of his life (12 yrs) as to who we have over to the house. He has seperation anxiety to the point where our vet put him on prozac. And he's even bit my husband and I so needless to say he's been very hands off and all affection is on his terms. In the past few days we've been able to pet him and handle him just like when he was a puppy. He's been our "problem child" but I wouldn't trade the past 12 yrs with him for anything in the world...and I'd even do it all over again if given the chance!!!

So needless to say....it's going to be a sad Halloween this year without my deaf guy.

I completely feel your pain and send my condolences. My pets are my children and I love them as such, so any loss of one is hard for me. Kinda scary though I just got off the phone with my friend from the nursery trying to get discount rates on corn stalks in bulk and she shared a similar experience. Her dog that she has had for 11 years recently began having terrible seizures and she is dealing with that difficult decision to have him put down. My heart goes out to both you and her. As to your mention of having an unruly dog that no matter how bad he is you still love him like crazy I can totally sympathize. The German short haired pointer I currently have is absolutely the worst behaved dog I have ever had. None of the standard training techniques seem to work for him and some days I just want to pull my hair out. but at the same time I wouldn't give him up for anything.
As sad as it might be perhaps you could memorialize him this year, add something to your haunt in remembrance. As hard as it may sound perhaps directing your grief towards something creative and memorable can lighten your heart just a tad. Celebrate his life and the joys you shared.

i am so sorry to hear that and i can say i understand you i had the same happen to me with my cat Dutchy just before Halloween and 3 year ago and last year we lost a dog at the same time . But you know even with all the problem during those 12 years he was a lucky guy to have a good family like yours . Life sucks sometime but we have t realize they are better not suffering . Hang in there ! there is gonna be 2 Dalmatiens who will need you !
Frenchy

Thanks guys! It helps to know that I'm not the only one out there who thinks of their dogs as their children. My husband and I have totally catered and lived our lives around these guys. We didn't mean to have 4 and did so from our inexperience (long story) so we decided that they were our priority and it wasn't their fault that we were niave in dog owning. I started working part time (thankfully I could do that) so that I could be home more. And we were never out of the house for longer then 5 or 6 hours. Our other two are older too 12 and 13. So the hubby and I are crapping our pants at this point.

I think I will do something special in rememberance for Sleepytime and the first one we lost Taz. That's a great idea!

I'm so, so sorry Trinity.

Last February I lost my little chi-poo, Ginger. I don't think about how impossible she was to house train, or how she once chewed up my brand new heels. I just miss the way she used to love to sit on my shoulder when we went on car rides, along with all the other things that made her special...

I hope you'll find comfort in your memories and in knowing that you were given a wonderful, 12 year-long gift of love and friendship.

I'm so very sorry I know all to well of having to put a fur baby down. I had to put 2 of my Shelties down a few years back within a 3 year span. It's very painful. They were my babies before I had a baby.

My sympathies, Trinity1. They are family, moreso than some people.

I'm so sorry your dog is so sick.

I've lost two family pets this year, both to cancer (one really slow advance of cancer, one diagnosed and died within a month). They absolutely were members of our family and it was a terrible loss.

It's a horrible thing to deal with, and you have my sympathy.

Originally Posted by Frankie's Girl

I'm so sorry your dog is so sick.

I've lost two family pets this year, both to cancer (one really slow advance of cancer, one diagnosed and died within a month). They absolutely were members of our family and it was a terrible loss.

It's a horrible thing to deal with, and you have my sympathy.

That's what happened to our guy. Our Vet thinks that he has cancer and was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago. We took our vacation the last week of Sept. We have a fixer upper in upstate NY where we always vacation so the dogs come with. I'm just thankful that he got to go one last time!!

I'm sorry for your loss as well! Two in one year....I can't imagine!

Originally Posted by Trinity1

My husband and I have 3 dalmatians (originally had 4 but lost our oldest a yr and a half ago) well....one of the remaining dogs is deaf and is very ill. Our vet thinks it's cancer and it's looking like we'll have to put him down within the next couple of days. He's just gone down hill so fast. So...my usual happy time of year is quickly turning into a very sad occasion!

I will say, that our deaf dog, Sleepytime, has been our most difficult dog. He bites, so we've had to be very careful for most of his life (12 yrs) as to who we have over to the house. He has seperation anxiety to the point where our vet put him on prozac. And he's even bit my husband and I so needless to say he's been very hands off and all affection is on his terms. In the past few days we've been able to pet him and handle him just like when he was a puppy. He's been our "problem child" but I wouldn't trade the past 12 yrs with him for anything in the world...and I'd even do it all over again if given the chance!!!

So needless to say....it's going to be a sad Halloween this year without my deaf guy.

Codolences and I can definitely relate. I had a 12 year old cat whom I raised as an orphan. She was big, she was bad, she was a really *naughty* cat with a low threshold for stimulation - including pettting her, but as she aged she mellowed, and we had grown very very close. She slept with us every night.

This March I took her to the vet over a suspicious growth on her lip. We had it removed and biopsied; turned out to be "cutaneous malignant melanoma." When I got the diagnosis, I hung up the phone and burst into tears.

I was told I would have about a year with her. As if. We ended her suffering June 2. I had less than two months, and I'm still not anywhere near over it. I wish this kind of thing got easier as one went through it, but this has not been the case for me. I miss her every day.

Be kind to yourself and remind yourself that it's your duty as an owner to prevent suffering. Euthanasia is not easy, but the alternative is even worse. Its the only small shred of comfort I could find, reminding myself of that.

Another kitty came along shortly before all this who needed my help; a kitten of about 5 weeks who had a broken hind leg. I was supposed to find him a home after we got his leg fixed, but somehow that never happened.... I think he was sent to me so that his silly foolishness would make me smile and ease my loss a bit. The wheel of life turns....