Do Pets count?

[snoringdog]

Hello Tony,

Thanks. She seems to have stabilized, is eating well, and still has a bit of a puppy spark now and again, but not much stamina. This came on pretty quickly and was a bit of a shock.

Maybe it's a bit silly, but I have apologized to her a few times after I've been frustrated and jerked on the leash a bit on our walks. (She's kinda stubborn, likes to sniff *a lot* and sometimes just looks off into space for what seem like minutes at a time).

We do pour a lot into our pets, don't we?
Sometimes just having another living thing nearby helps.

And we cried like babies when we had to put our Lab/Beagle mix to sleep some years ago. She was a real snuggler.

[TonyM_Guest]

Excellent news! I hope her recovery continues. I know Paul says often that "no one understands us like our pillow" but I think "no one understands us like our pets."

[snoringdog]

Well, my little friend Chloe is gone... We had to put her to sleep yesterday.
It's so hard to know when the time is 'right'.

She was so agitated lately, so tired, and weak. And then finally wouldn't eat, even her favorite treats.
(Though she *did* rally to take a few bits of steak we cooked for her the night before.)

Feeling kinda low right now, even though this was expected. It's been a difficult 18 months.

[rivergirl]

I'm so sorry, snoringdog. Having to make the decision to let a beloved friend go is heartwrenching.

Sending you my wishes for some peace and comfort in the days ahead.

rivergirl

[manuel_moe_g]

Take care, SnoringDog, be gentle with yourself.

[RightInTwo]

I’m so sorry.

We both never had kids; we have 4 cats and 2 dogs though, and they are our kids. The oldest dog is getting arthritic, and blind, and probably has cancer. So, we’re trying to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.

I agree, losing a pet is a special kind of grief. They are completely innocent and absolutely irreplaceable.

[brownblob]

Sorry for your loss SD

[snoringdog]

Thanks everyone.
Now that it's done it's a relief, but she will be missed.

You've seen the circus acts where the little white dogs jump up and ride on ponies?
That was her. Such energy and enthusiasm!

[snoringdog]

I'd bookmarked this poem some time ago, and just came across it again today.
It reminds me of the wonderful times I've had with our dogs in the past. I miss them.

Golden Retrievals
by Mark Doty

Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attention
seconds at a time. Catch? I don’t think so.

Bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel who’s – oh
joy, actually scared. Sniff the wind, then

I’m off again: Muck, Pond, Ditch, Residue
of any thrillingly dead thing. And you?

Either you’re sunk in the past half our walk,
thinking of what you can never bring back,

or else you’re off in some fog concerning
--tomorrow-- is that what you call it? My work:

To unsnare time’s warp (and woof!), retrieving
my haze-headed friend, you. This shining bark

a Zen master’s bronzy gong, calls you Here.
Entirely. Now: bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.

[troebia]

Beautiful poem, SD

When I think of our past dogs, our present dogs and the dogs living around us I get filled with melancholy.

We have a very old dog who has a heart condition but still manages the walks, partly inspired (I suppose) by our young rescue dog who bounces around hunting and sniffing in the woods. The old dog has seen our two earlier dogs come and go, the first in a long sickness that slowly put out her flame I spite of the vet's efforts, the second went very suddenly after a minor surgery, her heart just stopped.

As a memento morì, the younger dog yesterday happily and excitedly brought us the fox cranium I came across the other day, and I had to bury it.

One neighbour's dog spends his whole day (and night?) bound on a short leash by the house.

Another dog knows my wife's routines and will peek through the fence to get a treat when ours are fed.

Yet another dog is alone all week around his owner's house except on Sundays. He will sometimes escape and play and zoom with our younger dog.

There are more much sadder stories but I prefer not to tell, those dogs are dead now anyhow.

This is like a snapshot of how things are right now here. The dogs come and they go. Sometimes mourned, often not. Sometimes walked, often not.