Sorry for your loss, THM. You’re not alone.

We’re off to the vets later today to have Lubo put to sleep, after a hearty breakfast and a last hobble/sniff/scratch/scent-mark round the woods.

What remaining mobility and vitality he’d kept hold of since his recent episode has ebbed away steadily in the last couple of days.

Only nine and a bit years old, and the onset of whatever’s wrong with him has been very sudden, so I guess we’ll be spared the sadness of seeing him decline gradually into old age.

So sorry.

Bugger!

Still get upset about having our dog put to sleep even though it was the right thing to do – putting a thirteen year old dog through surgery for your own benefit or wants isn’t fair. This was seven years ago.

oh FFS, sorry to hear that. Just reading your post made my eyes well up thinking about when our last dog was put to sleep.

Stupid bloody animals, gotta love em though. 😥

Stef, so sorry that you are going through this too. I hope that Lubo is treated as well as Ben was. Best wishes.

It’s an odd thing – vestibular issues. Dogs respond in different ways. ironically there was a 13 year old retriever in the vets with Ben, but he recovered thankfully.

In some ways the sudden end – he was great at 21:00 on Sunday and then bang at about 22:00 – is a relief as no pain or suffering, at worse some dizziness and confusion. But it was clear that in our case, Ben was not going to recover.

Seems like quite a few of us are losing dogs at the moment.

Hope it’s not too bad later Stef. My thoughts are with you too.

Bugger. 😥

Sorry to hear this THM,

Get the pictures out and extra hugs for family and the rest of the pack.

Really sorry to hear that. We lost ours two and a half weeks ago.I’m glad to hear Ben went peacefully.

Very sorry for your loss, I lost my Springer Alfie a month ago, my wife gave me this poem, I hope it helps.
All the best

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rainbow+bridge+poem&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=khWEd0mvElFMnM%3A

Sorry to hear this, THM, and you, too, Stef

Sorry to hear that THM..

Hope you got on ok Stef – I was thinking about you

Am so sorry, it’s so hard regardless how long and fantastic their lives might have been, as me and Onza are finding. No escaping from the fact that we just miss our boy terribly 🙁

Someone sent me this which I found made me smile and weep in equal measure and really just summed up a lot of what is bloody ossums about dogs.

Thinking of you and your family.

He passed away very peacefully and with more dignity than most humans!

We’ve been through this with two dogs and a cat. And I always think the same.

My sympathies.

Dusty here TMH. “Millon years ago” just played, seems appropriate.

Thx for all the comments.

We have all been putting photos together today and lovely to look back over found memories. First dog for our (close) family and a v special one

This morning seems an age away now and yes we feel sad, but actually, at peace with it all. He was never any trouble, even his passing was without drama and 3/4 of us were with him. Sums the old boy up really, bless him.

Actually, typing that last bit was a bit hard.

Hope stef is ok

I think this time is getting closer for us too – my old, old Collie is really starting to show his age. Back end is going, he can’t get up the stairs (yet still charges down to the basement door when the postman comes)… weeing on something other than himself is proving tricky.

He is happy enough and in no pain so I am trying not to think about it too much just yet, just hoping he makes it through the winter.

Chasing the eternal rabbit…

Took my hound to the vets last week due to a lump I was worried about. Vet reckons she’s fine but keep an eye on it…not sure what I’d do without her. Sending out my sympathy

🙁

Thanks all and THM for your kind thoughts. Big love back to the STW community.

My previous pets were childhood ones – a hamster who was adopted by a cousin, a budgie and sundry fairground goldfish who were flushed down the toilet and a cat who vanished off into a frostbound evening like Scott’s Captain Oates.

Lubo was the first pet I’ve invited into my life voluntarily and seen depart from it.

Below is a cut n paste of the obituary I provided on Facebook for his many fans among my family:

Lubo: 17 March 2007 – 9 Nov 2016.
If you haven’t met Lubo, you might have caught me regaling facebook with occasional tales of his misdemeanours.
“Trooper” came our way via an advert in the local paper from a dog rescue centre. His back story: he was rescued from a puppy farm in Ireland and spirited across the seas to the Isle of Wight, where we adopted him.
I had joked to Clare that yes, we could get a dog, if we him after a Celtic legend: http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Moravcik%2C+Lubo. So we did.
It’s been a privilege to share the last ten years of our lives with this lovable, gentle, eccentric and occasionally obedient creature. For all the mysteriously missing food, randomly displaced footwear and *coughs* murdered chickens *coughs*, there have been innumerable moments of mirth and a frankly staggering ability to empathise when you needed cheering up.
Working from home, I’ve lost a key member of my front-of-house staff, who’d bark to alert me to delivery men arriving, bins needing to be put out or unattended pans burning on the hob.
Lubo was the absolute picture of vitality up until the beginning of last month, when he developed a limp on his front left leg. This quickly spread to his two back legs. We took him to the vet, who diagnosed a “sinister neurological event”. This left him partially paralysed on his left side and, although his medication saw him rally a wee bit, it became apparent that what little mobility he had left was progressively ebbing away.
So today after hearty breakfast, and a last amble round Carisbrooke Castle, we took him to the vet – a Bulgarian fella, amazingly also called Lubo – and said goodbye.
Goodbye and god bless, me oul’ mucker. You’ll never walk alone.
He’s survived by his wee pal Nori, who’ll be getting twice as many cuddles and treats from now on.

Stef, nice words. Our second dog has had a few more hugs today and seems to know that Ben is gone. They used to interchange beds and also sleep all over the hall and kitchen, so seems weird to have so many spaces bare tonight. Ditto we always take them out for final pee, before a “good night” dog biscuit delivered with the instruction, “on your beds” except tonight no need to help Ben up the steps for a pee and all that was left to say was “on your bed”.

Still “night night” Ben and Lubo. RIP both of you.

😥

Aye, I know what you mean about the remaining dog knowing something’s amiss. Nori just sat in the big, empty basket he shared with Lubo and watched me setting out his dinner at the other end of the room. Totally unheard of hitherto. He’s never known life without Lubo – we’ll have to think about getting him another companion when the time seems right.

Sorry to hear both Stef and THM’s news.

It never gets any easier saying goodbye to our loved pets. It is often the odd routines that we form with them that we miss most in the first days after we lose them. Remember the good times and the fun and the love they gave us.