Had to put down my duck dog today...

Mojo · 03-20-2003, 05:09 PM

Hey All,
This day sucked like a Hoover DeLux. My lab (her papers said her name was Sweet Waterborne Susie) had acute kidney failure. She quit eating yesterday...and was down to 54 pounds. This afternoon I had to do the hardest thing I've ever done. I took her to the Vet, and held her in my arms, and cried like a school-girl when he put her to sleep.

Then It got really tough. I had to come home and tell my 9 year old daughter.

Tomorrow I'll go bury her behind the weed patch we spent most fall Saturdays crouching in while swacking mallards. She loved that spot, and I figure it's only right for her to rest there. Kinds tough to type...everything is getting blurry again...

[ 03-21-2003, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: Mojo ]

KingFisher85 · 03-20-2003, 05:17 PM

Sorry to hear about that Mojo :depressed: Just reading that reminded me of my old dog, :depressed: he died right in my arms, got caught in a conabear trap :depressed:

[ 03-20-2003, 06:18 PM: Message edited by: KingFisher85 ]

norms gone fishing too · 03-20-2003, 05:46 PM

Sorry for your loss lossing a freind is always so hard
best wishes

norm

skein · 03-20-2003, 06:06 PM

Mojo,

I'm sitting in a room with pictures of labs on every wall, and your post brought back enough memories to make my eyes pretty blurry, too.

Bless ya, man, there aren't enough words to tell you how much I feel for you.

Tight lines and good memories to you.

Skein

BuKuBass · 03-20-2003, 06:43 PM

Mojo, I'm so sorry for the loss of your dog. It's been just a year since I lost my vizsla Jake to luekemia, one week after I was told that I was free of cancer. I like to think that he hung on until he was sure that I was all right.

HOGGEMIN · 03-20-2003, 07:02 PM

Hang in there, I know its one of the tougher challenges we face in this game of life. Some times it just dosen't seem fair then there are times that we are on top of the world. Got to take the good with the bad. take care and rember the good times with your buddy Sweet Waterborn Susie.

Get Bit · 03-20-2003, 07:28 PM

Rest assured she is in a better place retrieving ducks to her heart's content and waiting until you meet up again..... My prayers are with you.

Get Bit

GutshotApe · 03-20-2003, 08:17 PM

Went thru the same thing on Dec.30th with my 12-yr-old chocolate lab....sure miss my buddy. That's the problem with dogs....they just don't live long enough....seems like just yesterday that they were pups....and now, in what seems like the blink of the eye, they've lived their lives and are dead & gone. :depressed:

MountainLion84 · 03-20-2003, 08:54 PM

Sorry to hear about your loss. My yellow Lab is almost 15, and I know time is in the short side.
-Corey

Crashin' Bait · 03-20-2003, 09:22 PM

:depressed: :depressed: :depressed:

maggot · 03-21-2003, 02:11 AM

my friend.......my heart goes out to you.There is a special bond with a dog. The one that is always there for you regardless. But...after the pain , another dog will come wanting to please you. And more special times will be shared with you and your family.

Shrimp&worms · 03-21-2003, 05:31 AM

Sorry to here about your lose,I'm sending this url to you as I sent it to Ride Red,I think it will help comfort you.http://www.cyberhideaway.com/RainbowBridge/index.html

tag-a-long · 03-21-2003, 06:03 AM

I know what you are going thru. Wish there were words..... :depressed:

OceanBlue · 03-21-2003, 07:21 AM

So sorry to hear it! :depressed: Ride Red lost his buddy yesterday, too.

A Dog's Prayer

Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart
in all the world is more grateful for kindness than
the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should
lick your hand between the blows, your patience
and understanding will more quickly teach me the
things you would have me do.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's
sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce
wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my
waiting ear.

When it is cold and wet, please take me inside ...
for I am now a domesticated animal,
no longer used to the bitter elements ...
and I ask no greater glory than the
privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth ...
though had you no home, I would rather follow you through
ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the
warmest home in all the land ...
for you are my God ...
and I am your devoted worshiper.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for
although I should not reproach you were it dry,
I cannot tell you when I romp and play
and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and
stand ready, willing and able to protect you with
my life, should your life be in danger.

And, beloved master, should the Great Master see
fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me
away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms
as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest ...
and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew,
my fate was ever safest in your hands.

Author Unknown

[ 03-21-2003, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: Pilar's Mate ]

Denali · 03-21-2003, 07:37 AM

Mojo,

That's a tough one. I had to do the same with my 14 yr old mallard muncher about 2 years ago. Just remember the fun and joy that your companion brought to you and your family. I still have a 5 and 6 year old black buds to keep me company. It will hurt for a while but you'll smile everytime you look at those duck hunting pictures. Hang in there bud.

DriftR · 03-21-2003, 09:50 AM

Mojo,
So, so sorry. I know how it feels. I lost my buddy last month. I can hardly bring myself to grips with not having her around me 24/7. Man that dog was the best, most loyal and fun buddy I ever had. Can't be replaced but never once forgotten.

jdbrightfish · 03-21-2003, 01:03 PM

another great loss of our 4 legged friends,that seem to be a never ending battle wish they all could live for ever , just anote to say sorry for your loss :depressed:

Mojo · 03-21-2003, 07:07 PM

Thanks for the kind words. I layed Susie to rest on Ware Island in the Snake River, back behind the brush pile we hunker in (no permanent blinds allowed in that area). She was all curled up just like she was sleeping, with her favorite fetching toy under her chin. Must have jumped 100 ducks when my sled rounded the bottom of the island. I figure that's about as many she fetched down there. It was raining and snotty, just like we like it in the fall. Somehow it all seemed fitting.

As I shoveled in the last scoop, and placed the big rock at her head, I said "HUNT 'EM UP GIRL, HUNT 'EM UP!"

It gets easier with time, I know. My wife found a couple of pictures that cracked me up. One I took of her sleeping against the back fence a couple of springs ago. She was flat on her back with all four legs splayed out. Another was of Susie, and my daughter when the kid was about three. Susie had just eaten something out of my daughters hand and had the "Uh-uh, wasn't me" look on her face. That helped all three of us a bit.

Capt. Chaos · 03-22-2003, 03:11 PM

Mojo
So sorry to hear about your lab...It brought up all kinds of memories... when I to put down my yellow lab about a year after we moved up here. I hope our dogs are hunting together on the island!

Capin' Dan · 03-23-2003, 12:11 AM

Mojo Sorry to hear about your Lab you did the right thing by not making her suffer as hard as it was. She is still with you and always will be. You will see her in the eyes and in the way the a puppy acts when you get your new one. I sometimes catch myself calling one of my dogs by the name of the first boy I had many years ago. All the good memories stay with you.

Dan!