Not a good day today, I watched my yellow lab take his last breath. He would have been 9 on new years, so it was a little sooner than I was expecting.

I'll miss you, Jake.

It has been almost ten years since Poncho, my chocolate Lab passed... He was a best friend, a protector of my daughters and a member of our family. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him. My heart felt sympathy to you and yours.

Lance

I am sorry about Jake. It sounds like he had a good life with you.

flyer

Lance- My condolences for the loss of your best friend Jake.

Condolences, it's tough losing a family member.

Man, Lance that sucks.

I feel your pain, a tough situation where words are not enough.

I'll hoist one for you and Jake.

Bub

My pal from a few years back was named Spock (pointy eared and way too smart). I found out he'd died when I was on the road, from my niece, who really didn't know how to break it to me gently.
Rough stuff, that.
Sorry about your loss.

It's been said that dogs only survive a decade or so because we humans wouldn't be able to handle losing 'em otherwise.
I'd be just fine if Lucy and Twizzler had human type lifespans.

lancef53 wrote:Not a good day today, I watched my yellow lab take his last breath. He would have been 9 on new years, so it was a little sooner than I was expecting.

I'll miss you, Jake.

Sorry Bro....

I know saying "I know how you feel" doesn't mean shit, but for those of us who have put down Wonder Dogs, we do know how you feel.

I put Hoser down in April after 17 years and one week together. Red Heeler, the Eskimo kids called him the Yute Air Dog. Best stick and flashlight beam chaser in the world. I picked him up at six weeks of age, stuffed him on the back seat of the C180, and he flew with me from that moment on. He was my co-pilot when I flew freight, and we figured that dog had over 10,000 hours right seat time with me. One well traveled dog, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried for days after he died, and still doesn't take much to sit here and miss him terribly. Like right at this moment.

Gump

It is amazing how attached you can get to the little buggers, they really do become a part of your life. I am a farmer by trade, so he was literally with me all the time. He spend thousands of hours riding with me in tractors, combines, trucks, and especially my 4 wheel ATV. He always knew where I was, and always wanted to go with me for the smallest ride. We joked on the farm about his uncanny ability to always be on the wrong side of shop door when it closed. If he was out, he wanted in-if he was in, he wanted out.

The really tough part of this is that it happened yesterday morning after my wife and kids left for school, and I had to pick them up for a weekend trip to a wedding where my 5 year old daughter is going to be a flower girl. My wife and I decided to wait for the trip home to let the kids know, so I am not looking forward to breaking the news to my 3 1/2 year old son and 5 year old daughter.

Thanks for the replies, it helps to see that I am not the only one to struggle with this.

My condolences.
This past spring I had to put a 5 year old dog down thats the same age as my youngest. Six months later the 5 and 9 year old still get teary eyed now and then. You try to explain to them and you get choked up too. They become such a part of the family.
My thoughts are with you.

Lance, I had to put my Jake, A chocolate lab, down a couple of years ago and I know exactly how you feel. I still have Gunner, my yellow lab and he's now 10 and gettin grayer. He's my guy for sure just as Jake was probably yours. I can't take a step in the house without him following me. It seems the labs are just the most loyal and loving dogs there are. Jake grew up with my kids and was hospitalized with a twisted intestine the week after my son was killed in a car crash. THe vet said he was affected by the grief of losing Jeff that the family felt. Well the operation was over $5000 dollars but my wife said "I will not lose another family member, " so he stayed with us another 5 years. Yes they are truly family members.I'll also hoist a beer to your Jake and remind you of a saying I recently heard. Something like, "Dogs may not go to heaven but when I die I want to go where they go." Iceman

iceman wrote:Something like, "Dogs may not go to heaven but when I die I want to go where they go." Iceman

How could it be called heaven without our dogs? Lance, I'm so sorry for your loss.

CAVU

Hey Lance,

I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my husky in May this year, she was 5. I took it very very hard. She was definitely my best companion and she was my first dog. I know i will never get over her loss, we have another husky now who is 1 (we had 2 for a short time). The puppy is a great dog but will never make up for the loss. I really had thought we had a ton of good years left. One of my friends said it best, no matter what at the end you will always want more time. This is unavoidable especially when you loose your friend unexpectedly as I did. You just have to be happy with the time you had and know that you can never replace it. Sorry for your loss, anyone who's had a dog knows that dog spelled backwards is god and they might be pretty close. Good luck with the grieving.

Mike

Hope you feel better knowing all of us have been where you are now. I had to put my best friend down a little over four years ago. Hardest and most horrible thing I've ever had to do. I'm crying as I type this just thinking about Drake (a black lab) and how much I still miss him. We were inseparable for a decade and always together, then just like that, it's over and life changes.

God MUST love us. He gives us dogs.

Great dogs live forever. Hang on.

Thanks for all the great replies, it does make me feel better to realize that I am not the only one to feel the way I do. It has been harder than I thought it would, and I think that it is tough because it was so sudden. I talked to my cousin this weekend who is an excellent small animal vet. He said that Jake most likely had a tumor on his spleen that ruptured, I guess that it is kind of common in Labs.

Thanks for the replies!! Sorry if I brought back any tears!!

I am sorry to read about your loss Lance.

I just had to put down my Alaskan Malamute, Monty, this past Tuesday. Not my first experience but it does not seem to get easier.

Very sorry for your loss.

This is hard.

Last Aug/Sept, after carrying my 14 year old yellow lab Amber out and back into the house 4 to 5 times a day for a month so she could do her business, I told my wife my back wasn't going to do this much longer. We farm and our Veterinarian is mostly a large animal doctor, but he loved our dog. He came to our house and put her down. Made it real hard because he was also in tears.

I'll never forget her.

Sorry again for your loss.

We have a new pup, 8 months old now. Pointing yellow lab and a big new challenge. She loves to walk back to the airplane hangar and check for mice, so she'll probably turn out just fine.

Bill

Lance et al,

My vet gave this poem to us when our pet died. Some of you may have seen it before, but I thought it very comforting.

ALL IS WELL

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we still are

Call me by my old familiar name
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without effect
Without the trace of a shadow on it

Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolutely unbroken continuity

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you
For an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner
All is well


Canon Henry Scott Holland
St. Paul's Cathedral, London


(the lines should all be centered, but the text editor won't allow that.)


Rocky

Condolences on the loss of your dog, Lance. We're just destined to outlive them, you're sunk the minute you get him. My schnauzer was named Jake too... good name.

Wow, I was just thinking about my Katie, airport dog, liked everyone except the UPS Driver. I would not dare to fly away without her, especially to the gravel bar. I had to put her down 7 months ago and the hurt is easier now but not better. Dogs are there to teach us forgiveness and faithfulness, Katie was a good teacher. From tone of the previous replies, we all have been enriched by our dogs. I share your loss man.

Gene