Lost Friend

[OH10]

Kinch, your post was beautiful man. Dogs and cats truly do become your best friend. They greet you happily on the good and bad days the same.

And they rarely bitch and moan.

My first dog my family got when I was 7 years old just turned 18. A little yapper Bichon, but we always debate when the right time to put her to sleep will be. The family decision was that as long as she's wagging her tail, she's still happy, and we'll keep her alive.

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by StadiumDorm

Dogs and cats truly do become your best friend. They greet you happily on the good and bad days the same.

And they rarely bitch and moan.

You obviously haven't met my cats.

[ScarletBlood31]

I'm sorry for your loss, man. I had a german shepard for the first 13 years of my life, and she ended up getting sick and her hips went out at about age 15. Digging her grave in the backyard while she was still inside laying down was one of the most depressing things i've ever been through. I was with her when she was put down, and still remember her eyes slowly closing as she passed on.

Kinch, I really do feel your pain, and I hope that you can find some peace and get through it. I know it may sound soon, but getting another dog could really help. It will seem weird and out of place at first, but having a new dog or 2 could ease the pain and eventually you will begin to love them as you did with your dog Gordon from before.

[Steve19]

Kinch, it sucks. I went through exactly the same decision just six weeks ago with our dog Luma. He was a Staffordshire Terrier and was 16. We picked him up a the SPCA when he was two and he immediately took charge of the family.

Luma didn't know how to die. When his cataracts nearly blinded him, he kept going. When his hips started failing him, I hoped he would just go peacefully, but he had other ideas. Despite falling down repeatedly and even falling down the stairs, he was always so bloody happy.

Staffies become devoted to a single person and Luma was devoted to me. He looked for me always. When I worked, he sat at my feet or at the door of the room where I worked, facing out to protect me. From what? I don't know, but it was clear that he felt a need to be on guard.

Within two months, a lump of cancer the size of a baseball grew on Luma's abdomen and I knew it would be any day. Six months later he was still going strong and it didn't hurt him even to touch it hard. So, I waited and hoped.

His mind started going and he didn't recognize even my wife sometimes. So, when he got disoriented, he would bark until I came out and he smelled me. Then, he felt secure. I wisened up after a few days, wore a couple of tee shirts on a run and then put them in his box. Others in the family would take him to them when he would get in that panicked state. The last two weeks he lived, he recognized nothing but me and it was clear to us all that he could not any longer really function and that the cancer had spread throughout his body.

It is hard for you to communicate the relationship you had with Gordon, but lots of us understand.

I bought Luma when I was coming out of a divorce. He chased burglers off my property more than once in the run-up to the first democratic election here. He was the best dog I ever had, he was family.

He spent his youth chasing after my kids on their bikes and sitting in our pool. Now, dispersed from California, to Congo, to Cape Town, they all grieved when I took him to be put down before my trip to Pittsburgh.

Luma was full of personality. He hated the cold and grumbled about it whenever he had to put up with it. Its winter and it rains and is cold some days in Cape Town.

I waited for three warm sunny days in a row. I fed him filet mignon for those three days. I took him to the beach, even though he could walk only ten yards before collapsing. On the fourth day, I fed him a whole chicken. After his walk on the beach, I carried him to the vet. For the first time in a long time, he curled up and rested his head on my feet, as he did for hours when I wrote my first two books. That was the hardest part for me.

I suppose Gordon was the best dog you have ever had, too. I miss Luma very much still today and I suppose you will too.

But, there's a good side to this. I was looking at some of my kids childhood photos a couple of days ago. I have to admit that Luma captured my attention as much as they did. I laughed out loud at a couple of photos of that crazy dog sitting in our pool on a hot day or playing with the kids.

No matter how many lemons life deals you Kinch, use your memories of Gordon and his mannerisms to make some lemonade. When life sucks, remember that its probably because the vacuum is about to take you somewhere better.

[BuckNutty]

I can count on one hand how many times I've seen my Dad get emotional. Once was the last time he and I saw a game together at the Shoe when the band entered the stadium. The worst I've ever seen him was the day they had to put his 14 year old Chow down. After saying he'd never own another dog he went out the next day and got one from the local pound and it was the best thing he could have ever done.

Sorry about your loss, Kinch.

[ScarletBlood31]

One more thing to add, Kinch, is that if you indeed do decide to get another dog, try adopting one from a rescue league. That's where my family got our German Shepard that we have now, and it makes it twice as meaningful when you know you are putting a dog in a good home that wasn't in such a fortunate situation before. Adopting a dog from the pound is another great option.

[kinch]

Originally Posted by ScarletBlood31

One more thing to add, Kinch, is that if you indeed do decide to get another dog, try adopting one from a rescue league. That's where my family got our German Shepard that we have now, and it makes it twice as meaningful when you know you are putting a dog in a good home that wasn't in such a fortunate situation before. Adopting a dog from the pound is another great option.

We researched some basset rescue leagues in the past. I think we will get our next dog from one, or maybe just be foster parents for a while first while we find out what we are going to do with our lives.

Actually, my sister-in-law donated money to a basset rescue league in Ohio in Gordon's honor. I found that a very sweet and thoughtful gift for us, Gordon, and other bassets.

I am absolutely amazed at the response in this thread and the wonderful comments. I thought that I was a bit of a weirdo for taking it so hard, and that others couldn't understand. I honestly feel better because of all this, just reading everyone's comments.

I think Ohio Staters are just dog people. I don't know why, but I have found that to be true. . .