*sniff* This sucks.

[Kass]

We had to put down one of our dogs yesterday. Prissy was old and had developed a rapidly growing tumor on her leg. The vet said we did it at the absolute right time. She'd have started suffering very soon.

It hurts a lot. I guess we're softies. We grieve more for out pets than we do some people.

I miss Pris.

http://members.cox.net/kisskass/prissy.jpg

[Pookie42]

i'm sorry to hear it Kass but i'm glad your dog didn't have to suffer much. *hug*take care.

[Shamu]

I'm so sorry Kass!
I feel your pain, I had to put my pony to sleep last year. It's such a hard decision, but sometimes it's the nicest thing you can do for them :(
Again, I'm really sorry for your loss.

[mawande]

My family has pet gift-exchanges at Christmas. The pets don't open the presents, we do. My sister has had her cats and dogs who've died cremated and she intends to bury them with her. She buys tiny memorial plaques for them. She's in her mid to late forties, by the way.

All of her friends say if they die and reincarnate, they want to be one of her pets since her animals are tremendously loved and have a happy home. They also are very well-behaved (she's quite a responsible pet-owner).

So, I understand you perfectly. *hugs*

[ruaidhri]

Kass, I am very sorry to learn of your loss. We call our animal friends “pets” but they are really much more than that. They are our loving companions. We are dependent upon each other. Death is indeed hardest for the survivors. When we choose dogs, cats and other animals as our companions we accept that we will outlive them and will someday suffer their loss. We know that the joy we receive from their love and friendship outweighs our sorrow at their death.

Remember your happy times with Prissy. You shared your lives and you both benefited.

[Karthak]

Sorry about your dog. :(

[h2orowe]

*hug*
I'm sorry for your loss Kass.

August of '04, we had to put down my dog.. I had him for 7 years... Since I was little, I had so many good times with him.
The first Halloween I had with him, we had a party, and a pinata, and like... he snatched me the top half of it, which had candy >>; when the other kids weren't looking.. I'm sure he did it for himself, but still.. it was cute to see a puppy carrying a pinata.
My dog got mouth cancer, and had begun losing all his teeth.. it was awful... his gums rotted, and he was in so much pain, we had to put him down.
We were gonna put him down after I got home from football practice, but when my mom and her boyfriend picked me up, my mom was in tears, and like.. I knew they had put him down while I was gone..
I didn't get to say good bye to my dog...


Kass, just like ruaidhri said, remember the good times.

[General_Admission]

I'm sorry to hear that Kass. I had to put my brother to sleep last year. :(

[Pierrot le Fou]

Names are powerful things.

They turn things into friends. We name our childhood blankets, our stuffed animals, our pets, and our friends. When we hear someone on the news died, we think, "Gosh, that's a pity." We see the name of an old classmate or acquaintance in the newspaper, recognize their name, and we think, "My God, that's a shock" and find ourselves struggling to deal with it. We see a dog dead on the side of the road and frown. We see our family pet get hit by a car and mourn their loss.

Everything dies, but things with names that we know seem far more personal to us.

[Kass]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the kind words.

[ellie]

*hugs* I'm sorry, Kass, I know that this sucks for you. Pets are more than just animals! They are friends just like people. I know it's rough but just remember all the good times you've had with Prissy!

[Loc]

Sorry to hear about Prissy, Kass.

Hope you feel better about it soon.

[Myrsilus]

My condolences, Kass. I've lost a few of my buddies, too, and It really does hurt. The happy memories got me by, though.

Cherish those memories.

[Idlethought]

Damn Kass, I know how that feels. When the first cat I remember having, Tiger, "died" I was so sad. I didn't really see him die and I didnt even know he got put to sleep for a while. I just know one Wednesday in the summer we took him to the Vets and I never saw him again. That was way way back in the day but I'm gettin a little choked up remembering that. You have my condolences.

[Snake eyeS]

The best way to notice if people really care about what your saying is if they _dont_ bring their own memories in the story, look at our senior member, he wrote a nice repley saying things to her that might comfort her.

A sure thing to see if somebody isn't listening, is if he reacts with a story of his own.


I'm sorry about your dog kass, it must sting alot.. hopefully you can find some comfort with the ones that are still around you. Hopefully the good memories will wonder around in your thoughts for a long time.

[Livre]

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

-John Donne 'Death Be Not Proud' 1572-1631

[CrazyAce86]

I feel ya. We've had to put more animals down than I care to name. The only one we ever held out on was our dog, Dozer, a Pekinese/Chow mix. He had some kind of cancer (I forget what exactly) and the vet suggested we put him down immediately. My mom couldn't do it, so we left him be-- no meds, nothing.

The vet said he'd live three months at the most. He ended up living three years longer, with minimal pain that was mostly associated with old dogs. (He was thirteen, we think.) The only thing that really went wrong for him was he started to go blind in that last year.

Still, I know how it hurts to put animals down. My family doesn't like it, but sometimes there's no other choice.

We may take the absolute best care of our animals, but we do love them dearly, no matter how stupid, strange, or just nuts they are. (Which is about 99% of our animals!) When one of them does die, we bury them wrapped in a blanket, sometimes with the little toys that they liked, and mark their graves with whatever we have or can afford, which often is just a name scrawled in black marker on a broken footer or something, if that.

And we do this whether they're some of the wild cats and dogs we have in our area that we find or whether their own personal pets.


It's hard to lose a pet that you care about, because they are a member of the family. But, it's the same with people-- you'll heal eventually and move on, but won't forget them.

It hurts. I know.

[DesertLily]

Kass, I know how you feel. Just last week, my dog died. I think what made it even sadder is that she wasn't put down, but suffered as she died. >_< She also had a tumor, but it was on her spleen. It's the only dog I've ever had, and I'm brokenhearted over it still.

Prissy looked absolutely adorable. I'm so sorry you lost her. :(