My best and most loyal friend is dying ......

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Bigsmc

Hang in there Doc. Cherish the last time you have left with Shadow.

I lost my Dalmation, Abby (named after a Greyhound that I cashed several tickets on in Miami, Anna's Abby) 2 years ago and this is the first I have spoken of it. It absolutely crushed me and still does just writing this. She was 13 and her first 8 years were when I was single and it was just me and Abby. We had many long talks about life and she was the best listener. The last 5 years were with my wife and kids and she took the change well and became one of the family. She was a wreck in the end. Bad heart murmer, going blind, bad hip etc...when the incessant nose bleeds began, we knew it was time.

My wife and kids want another dog, but I have put them off because I don't know if I can go through that again.

I just rescued another one from the pound. She was going to be put to sleep.

As hard as it is when you lose them, sometimes having another one around causing trouble eases the pain. I got Coal (lab rescue) a few months after we lost our younger golden, Jagger. Jag had a brain aneurysm and it all went downhill from there. I got Coal to keep Nug company... Nugget was devastated when Jagger was gone.