Lost My Faithful Companion

SoonerAviator

SoonerAviator

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SoonerAviator
We had to put our golden retriever, Hank Bosworth, to sleep on Monday. I've been dreading this day for a while, knowing that his time with us was getting short. Our Hank Dog has been the epitome of “Man’s Best Friend” for the last 15 years. He really was a one of kind, unforgettable dog. Movies like Homeward Bound and Marley & Me were written with a dog like Hank in mind. He would follow me down to the mailbox to fetch the mail/newspapers and bring them back in his mouth so he could drop them into our hands back inside the house. He insisted on helping us carry groceries inside from the car and would grab bags out of your hand if you refused. He was my shadow, always getting up to be right next to me even if I was just walking across the room. Fantastic with the children as they tugged, pulled, and climbed on him as infants/toddlers. He patrolled the area around our house each night, walking a predictable path a few houses down on each side of our property. He would crawl into my closet to pout when I would get the travel luggage out each month for work trips. Loved the snow, loved swimming, playing fetch, and rough-housing with me. Content to be outside for hours or lay in the shop as long as he was around family. Protective of the wife/kids and watchful of strangers walking by the house, but never aggressive.

He had lost most of his vision over the past year and has been deaf for a couple of years as well. Finally this past week, he had become increasingly lethargic and was having trouble getting his back legs to support him. He laid in one spot for almost an entire day. The weekend wasn't much of an improvement, so we got ourselves prepared for the final trip to the vet Monday afternoon. He gave us everything he had to give, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm not a particularly emotional guy, but I sobbed like a baby as he took his last breath. I'm going to miss him a ton.
 

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Respect, and deep sympathy. Tears also.

You were given a furry angel for a while, then he was called back to heaven from whence he came. Where he waits patiently, as only a dog can, for you and his family.
 
So hard to lose a faithful companion like that. They really are a member of the family. More loyal than any friend you could have. Very sorry for your loss. He will be waiting for you on the other side of the rainbow bridge.
 
SoonerAviator said:
We had to put our golden retriever, Hank Bosworth, to sleep on Monday. I've been dreading this day for a while, knowing that his time with us was getting short. Our Hank Dog has been the epitome of “Man’s Best Friend” for the last 15 years. He really was a one of kind, unforgettable dog. Movies like Homeward Bound and Marley & Me were written with a dog like Hank in mind. He would follow me down to the mailbox to fetch the mail/newspapers and bring them back in his mouth so he could drop them into our hands back inside the house. He insisted on helping us carry groceries inside from the car and would grab bags out of your hand if you refused. He was my shadow, always getting up to be right next to me even if I was just walking across the room. Fantastic with the children as they tugged, pulled, and climbed on him as infants/toddlers. He patrolled the area around our house each night, walking a predictable path a few houses down on each side of our property. He would crawl into my closet to pout when I would get the travel luggage out each month for work trips. Loved the snow, loved swimming, playing fetch, and rough-housing with me. Content to be outside for hours or lay in the shop as long as he was around family. Protective of the wife/kids and watchful of strangers walking by the house, but never aggressive.

He had lost most of his vision over the past year and has been deaf for a couple of years as well. Finally this past week, he had become increasingly lethargic and was having trouble getting his back legs to support him. He laid in one spot for almost an entire day. The weekend wasn't much of an improvement, so we got ourselves prepared for the final trip to the vet Monday afternoon. He gave us everything he had to give, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm not a particularly emotional guy, but I sobbed like a baby as he took his last breath. I'm going to miss him a ton.
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Very sorry to hear this! I just went through the same thing last September. Hang in there man… :(
 
Very sorry for your loss. I've been through it myself, as have most dog owners, and I know it can be gut wrenching. Just remind yourself that the time had come, and you owed it to the dog to release him from suffering.
 
Appreciate the condolences, all. I've been with my wife's dog or a family member's dog when they crossed that bridge, but this just hit a little harder since he was "my" dog. Definitely get an empty feeling when walking through the door at home, or not having Hank finish the last bite of whatever I was eating. On the bright side, I was able to get his final resting place in a nice shady spot next to his long-time golden retriever pal "Boomer" out on my parent's land. He'll be in good company.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I definitely took "the long way" and wasn't in any hurry to get there.
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Here in Alabama, there's a vet that will come to the home. Don't know which would be worse. No such thing as better. Do agree you did the right thing for your forever friend.
 
Ah man, I'm sorry buddy.

RIP Hank
 
Piperonca said:
Here in Alabama, there's a vet that will come to the home. Don't know which would be worse. No such thing as better. Do agree you did the right thing for your forever friend.
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It was absolutely the right thing to do for him. He was weary and exhausted. He didn't have the strength to hardly lift his head or get up on his front legs. The rear legs had no control. We would have been carrying him outside (which we did over the weekend) or he would have been laying in his own mess until we returned home. It was no way to live, especially on top of not being able to hear our voice or recognize us by sight until we got very close to him. It was his time, and he let us know it as best as he could. Having the vet come to the house sounds like a pretty nice option, especially for the comfort of the animal. As it was, I wouldn't have wanted the children around for such an event at this point, since they are too young (5yr old/2 yr old) to be able to emotionally process that in-person.
 
Sorry to hear about your loss. Our family has lost a few good friends like that. Will always be with you in a special way.

Cheers
 
Lost my GSD years ago, and still miss him. Sorry for your loss. Like above, my allergies must be acting up and its hard to read the screen.
 
I understand your pain. We’ve had to send two cats to their eternal reward and our terrier, Tuffy, at 14 is fading.

My sympathies and condolences.
 
Sorry for your loss. I know the feeling all too well. Dogs are how I deal with people. Many times I’ve come home after dealing with idiots and my dogs just seem to make it go away. They love you unconditionally and always there for you.

RIP Hank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Went through similar last year. Still have trouble verbalizing the last 2 days he was here. Sucks man. I feel ya.
 
Sorry man. I still get a little choked up when I think about when I had to put down my Border Collie.

I'm sure your dog was just as important to you.
 
RIP Hank! You have my deepest and sincerest sympathy. Dogs are the best people! I have lost two over the years, but keep coming back for more. When I am too old to care for a dog it will be time to roll my wheelchair or walker off the end of a dock someplace.
 
Our pup went west yesterday too. 16 1/2 year old rescue dog, first dog we’ve had in our 42 year marriage. Hard not to choke up talking about him. Had him for 15 1/2 years of laughs and companionship. He was clearly senile at the end (and had a cantaloupe-sized tumor on his chest) but still recognized us and nuzzled us till the last moment.

Thanks for sharing - and thanks for reminding me this is a painful but worth-it part of life.

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So sorry to hear of your loss. I too cried like a baby when we had to put our cat of 16 years to sleep. But, knew it was the right decision. Like you we didn’t want our pet, who was like family to suffer, so we have to make that painful decisions for them. Hang in there, it will get a little easier with time. Going to the Rainbow Bridge site with support from posters there helped me a lot.
 
I don't miss some relatives I've lost over the years at all. But I do miss the lab I has as a kid. Dogs do things every day that most people don't have the compassion or courage to do ever. Sorry for you loss.
 
We went through a similar experience a few years ago with our Golden named Maggie. Reading your post brought back a flood of memories and some tears for sure. My sincere condolences for your loss - like several posters have mentioned it is hard to verbalize the feeling that come with loosing a beloved pet. My daughter has been through this twice in a month - one to cancer the other to old age this summer. They were fortunate in that a group of vets offer the service at home where they live. This allowed the family to say goodbye in the home to the beloved pet and each passed away in familiar surroundings. If you have that option where you live, I would recommend it.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Our pup went west yesterday too. 16 1/2 year old rescue dog, first dog we’ve had in our 42 year marriage. Hard not to choke up talking about him. Had him for 15 1/2 years of laughs and companionship. He was clearly senile at the end (and had a cantaloupe-sized tumor on his chest) but still recognized us and nuzzled us till the last moment.

Thanks for sharing - and thanks for reminding me this is a painful but worth-it part of life.

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My condolences to you as well. I bet he was thankful every day that you rescued him.
 
Kristin said:
RIP Hank! You have my deepest and sincerest sympathy. Dogs are the best people! I have lost two over the years, but keep coming back for more. When I am too old to care for a dog it will be time to roll my wheelchair or walker off the end of a dock someplace.
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You might be able to train your dog to push the wheelchair . . . ;)
 
Sincerest condolences for your loss. Pets are family, and losing a pet is, at least to my family, profoundly painful. But your pets will live on in your memories and hearts.

It's been a month since my Louie passed away. He'd been with me for the last 21 years. My wife has said she cannot have another dog as the grief is unbearable. We still keep his water and food bowl out for him.
Quote by Will Rogers “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die...”.png
 
EdFred said:
Went through similar last year. Still have trouble verbalizing the last 2 days he was here. Sucks man. I feel ya.
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I had come across your posts about it before I created a thread. I was looking to just add a post to an existing thread, but there wasn't a thread that really fit.
 
Fellow Okie and dog lover. Chance and I are sending you much love as our buddy Tuxedo passed earlier this year.
 

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SoonerAviator said:
My condolences to you as well. I bet he was thankful every day that you rescued him.
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Thanks. Didn’t mean to hijack your thread. It was just “divine intervention” to see that on here right when we were dealing with the same thing.

Looking back, he had been declining slowly for years but was always a source of love and companionship to the end - even if we spent many a night recently at 3 in the morning helping him look for his marbles outside - because he had clearly lost them :)

Again, my condolences and thanks.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Thanks. Didn’t mean to hijack your thread. It was just “divine intervention” to see that on here right when we were dealing with the same thing.

Looking back, he had been declining slowly for years but was always a source of love and companionship to the end - even if we spent many a night recently at 3 in the morning helping him look for his marbles outside - because he had clearly lost them :)

Again, my condolences and thanks.
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Hijack away! Like I mentioned to @EdFred I was searching for a thread that already had a "loss of a pet" theme, but none really existed as an all-inclusive so I made a new thread. Anything to give a bit of solace/solidarity to others who seek it, divine intervention indeed!
 
rtk11 said:
Sincerest condolences for your loss. Pets are family, and losing a pet is, at least to my family, profoundly painful. But your pets will live on in your memories and hearts.

It's been a month since my Louie passed away. He'd been with me for the last 21 years. My wife has said she cannot have another dog as the grief is unbearable. We still keep his water and food bowl out for him.
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Between Will Rogers and Samuel Clemens, there were dozens of perdurable quotes and words of wisdom.
 
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