I cried typing this up. Please read it all. For you pet lovers.

[bh04]

Well on Christmas day, my dog of 16 years passed away. His name was JD and was a mixture between a Pit Bull, Boxer and German Sheppard. It wasn't no horrible looking dog either. It was an average sized dog, around 70 pounds. Had the face of a boxer, body of a Pit Bull and German Sheppard.

He did have arthritis pretty bad and I knew his last days were coming to an end. He could no longer walk up stairs so we kept him out in the garage for the past 2 months. I made a special little space for him with a nice warm space heater. I had his kennel out there as well with some blankets for him to lay on. I was giving him medicine so the pain wouldn't hurt as much. But I could still tell it was. He would whimper and whine whenever he would walk. He would hurt so bad, that he would just lay in his kennel and pee and poop on himself. I know it sounds cruel, but there was nothing I could do.

I'd take him out back to his bigger chainlink kennel where he could try and walk around. It took him a bit to do that, so I would have to hold his back legs up and help him walk. It didn't bother me that much to clean out his poopy and pissed in kennel, because, to me, it was worth it. I didn't want him to lay in that more than a few minutes. I wanted his last days on earth be as good as it could. I didn't want to put him to sleep becasue he lived his life at my house with me.

It was the hardest day for me all year seeing that my childhood pet was now gone from me. But he is now in a better place and I hope he will RIP. I guess I am kind of glad it happened on Christmas, because the rest of the day would have made me forget about it all. He will always be in my heart as the best pet I have ever had.

[sv650s]

he's in a better place now. rest in peace JD.

[mike1224]

sorry to hear about JD, Brian. After all of those years with him, he musta been just like a brother to you.

[drewh4386]

Yeah my mom feltm the same after she lost her pet.......and I did a little

[quteasabutton]

u made me cry too i hope you're doing ok

at least he is not in pain any more, I had my dog for 15 years and I had to put him to sleep for tha same reason. I cried like a baby....

[bh04]

Ya. Whenever I walk by the garage now, he is like the only thing that is going through my mind. I miss him so much. He pretty much was. I feal like a part of me is missing now. He was with me for like 4/5 of my life. Only missing 4 years.

I don't think i'll have another dog like him. I mean he was a mutt, but he was an awesome mixed mutt. He had bright brown eyes, and when I think about him and close my eyes, I can see his puppy eyes looking up at me like I meant the world to him.

I'm crying again. Thanks for all your responses and careness.

[Gohan Ryu]

My dog went thru the same thing - toward the end, he couldn't walk, he would go to the bathroom on himself because it was too much work just to stand...hurts to think about it.

It's been 5 years since I had to put my dog down and sometimes I still think I see him out of the corner of my eye when I walk by the places where he used to sleep. It's so disappointing to look and see an only an empty spot.

You gave that dog a good loving home for 16 years. Go get another dog. Don't worry, you won't forget your first dog, and a new dog will help fill in the empty spot.

Dammit now I'm crying. Bastard.

[twospirits]

I feel for ya cause i too went through that. A girlfriend of mine asked me to hold a dog (a doberman) until she could get her a home. It ended up that I kept her and had her for quite a few years. Then out of nowhere, she couldn't walk and at the time I lived in a 6 story apartment complex. It was quite hard to get her outside to do her thing and you could hear her that she was in pain. After a day of this, I took her to the Animal Hospital and even after the painkillers it got worse. I had to put her to sleep because I felt she would not be in pain anymore and it was more humane. I usually don't cry and some even accuse of me of not having a heart, but that incident had me crying like no tomorrow, so i know what you are going through.
Nowadays I have two cats and two beagles, once of which has gone blind, but at least he knows how to get around. I am not looking forward to the day he goes either.

Again sorry for your loss.

TS out

[imtheoneandonlyD]

losing a pet you've had for almost your whole life is almost like losing a family member.

Sorry for your loss.

[TexasF355F1]

Sorry to hear that man. May he rest in peace.

[bh04]

Whnever I read these posts I can sometimes here him barking in the back. Even though I have two other dogs, I still miss my good ole JD. He was a very protective watch dog.

But ya, he pretty much was a brother to me. Because he was always at home right there with me.

Just the way that he was laying in his kennel still gets me. It looks as if he was just sleeping. He had part of the blanket still in his mouth as if he wer ebiting it to try to get his mind off of the pain. His eyes were shut and that was about it.

We put him in a few garbage bags and in a freezer and will give him a burial in the way back of our backyard underneath our cherry tree once the ground is unfroze.

But any of you who have lost a pet in the past. I now know what it's like and know what you went through.

[-Jayson-]

sorry to hear that man, he lived a good life and died well, thats all we can hope for, even in our own lives.

[YogsVR4]

My condolences. I’ve had to go through that twice so far and though it doesn’t get easier, you do come to grips with it after a few days.

[speediva]

I feel your pain. A cat I had since I was little (I helped pick him out from the Humane Society) was put down about 3 weeks ago. My parents didn't even tell me they were going to do it... I just showed up one day and he was missing. After a few days of him missing I kinda figured things out.

This is the 3rd time I've been old enough to understand what was happening when a pet was in bad shape. It really doesn't get any easier, but you learn to cope and realize that knowing that they are out of pain is much better than having to see them suffer day in and day out.

I really understand your loss and I want to let you know that you will feel better over time.