Saying good bye to my friend……..

I know many of you have pets….This May we discovered our Golden Retriever Sandy had a sore in her mouth. We found out after a biopsy that it was a form of cancer call Fibrosarcoma. This was a toumor that started out small but grew very quickly.
Yesterday we put Sandy to sleep. This morning I am having a very hard time……..thats probly why I’m writting this now. I wonder if I should of wrote this?
I guess I just wanted to let you know that I have had a difficult summer and putting Sandy to sleep was something I knew had to be done. Please give your pet a big hung as you will never know when it might not be there.

Until one has known and loved a special dog, a part of ones soul remains unawakened.

I know that things will get better, time heals

Please, I am not asking for a bunch of replies to this…….just be thinking of our pets and how important they are in our lives.

I miss you very much Sandy…..

Bob, you should have wrote that.

Everyone has to decide what’s right for them. For our family it was getting a new best friend within a week. In fact we brought home two best freinds…It doesn’t take away the hurt completely, but it was the best thing we could have done. My origianal thought was to wait a couple three months. Now, 15 months later…I’m very glad I didn’t.

The thoughts of this house are with you and Sandy.

Sorry for your loss Bobber. We had to put our beloved Jasper, a wonderful collie, to sleep 2 days after this past Christmas. He was only 6. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do I think.
Our dogs were our babies and brought us so much joy.

We still miss him alot and think about him everyday.

We didn’t get another but we still have our shepherd and that helps alot. He misses Jasper too.

Take care and remember the good times.

My condolences to you and your family Bobber.
Take care fella,
JWB

Hold up your head Bob, Try to remember the good times.Sorry to hear about your buddy!

Bob,

I gave old Chopper a good belly scratch this morning after reading your post.

Thanks,
-Jon J.

DOGS ARE NOT JUST PETS THEY ARE PART OF A FAMILY AND HAVE TOO SHORT OF A LIFE SPAN. MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU FOR YOUR LOSS. I AM ON MY SECOND SPRINGER(ASPEN) AND I THOUGHT WE COULDNT REPLACE MY FIRST (KATIE) BUT WITH ANOTHER JUST KEEPS THE THOUGHT OF A PAST FRIEND IN YOUR MIND AND HEART.

That is a very difficult thing to go through. My sympathies go out to you and your family.
Steve

I am very sorry to hear of your loss Bobber.

Gator Hunter

I’m so sorry Bobber…

Bobber,

Thanks for the reminder, you know Cassidy will get an extra ear scratch and belly rub tonight. You are certainly right to post this, as the more you share the pain the easier it will get in the long run. I echo the sentiments of “I planned on waitng…” it didn’t happen for me either. Pets are a vital part of your life, you’ll know when you’re ready, but don’t let a a void develope. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your buddy.
dave

Bobber….
Sadly it happens to all of us with “pets”… aka family members… Last year my long time Hunting dog Misty died of cancer.. I went out for a long drive to the places we used to hunt.. at the last one which was one of our favorite a brief freak shower occurred and a Rainbow appeared over our favorite field…. somehow I took solace in that… I could almost see her romping in the field under that rainbow……
anyway.. I know exactly how you feel.. I can still feel it myself…..
sorry to hear your sad news and hope you find peace soon….

Hey B,

All dogs go to heaven. My dog gets angry with me when I hook up the boat and don’t take her with me. She pouts for 2 days each time. My mom recently lost her dog to old age and had to be put down. She is still a mess without her companion. Go forth and find a puppy. You will be too tired to grieve for too long.

Sorry for your loss Bob. These last few days have been so much like fall that my short hair has been going nuts, I am going to take her out for a run in the field today.

Take care buddy and thanks for the post.

I am a cat person – but know how you feel. I think what got me over the rough days was one, knowing that they were not suffering any more and 2, having the ashes returned to me, animals are apart of our heart just like people are, it was very comforting to know that my cat was still apart of the house. The funny part of this story, after time, I got 2 new cats, they knocked over just about everything in there day to day lives but they never knocked over the urn. Sorry for your lose Bobber. Cheri

the only words I can say is that it sucks…………I haven’t yet been able to replace my lab I grew up with. I had him from the ages of 10 to 23. He was my buddy and protecter. He was a very unique animal.

But, now I have a good ivy lab that is as playfull as you can find. She is a great dog.

Go get yourself a good puppy today………….You won’t regret it!!!!

BOBBER. I can tell that this hits a soft spot with all of us, me included, I have a 13 year old yellow lab named buckshot, who has been a hunting companion, a loyal family friend that has played dress up with the kids, and my side kick, going everywhere I go. I think that it is good that you posted this, it is a great way to deal with the passing of a very loved friend, and get some friends to help you grieve with this. I am very sorry that you and your friend have to part ways. However, what your friend has left you with is all of the great memories and time that you got to spend together, and that my friend is the greatest gift that our dogs will ever be able to give us. Again, sorry about your loss. Have a few with some friends, pull out the old photos and remember all of the great times that you had with Sandy,…..Bobby B..

Bobber, sorry to hear about the loss fo your little buddy! I have not gone through it yet, but will in time and can’t imagine the feeling. Just remember the good times you 2 spent together and a tip to others is: you can never have to many pics of your best little buddy! Cause someday it will happen and you will wish you took more. I will definitely spend some extra time with Rufus tonight and give him a scratch behind the ear for Sandy! My thoughts are with you and your family Bobber.

Bobber- Thanks for sharing. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one going through this. I have a one and a half year old black lab who has heart failure. She is a friend, fishing partner and family member. My advice is to remember all the good times you had and be thankful she was part of your life, this is what I am trying to do. I am not sure if my girl will make it a week or a few months so I am enjoying every minute with her I can. I will give my friend a special hug and kiss tonight. Mourn your loss and when you are ready get a new friend, you and the dog will both benefit from the friendship. I’m glad you chose to share this with everyone, there is support here if you need it.

I know the feeling. It took me 2 years before wanting another dog. Mine is 1.5 years old now and a very good dog. Actually far better than the last. Good luck.

I was never a cat person until my wife introduced me …. after 17 years, the cat that made me like cats, Ashlyn, became very ill with kidney disease …. the hardest, and I believe kindest thing I ever did …. understand, cars and engines terrified her, was to start an IV, put her in my lap, and give the injection of relief …. that was after about a week of hospitalization, and then several days of IV therapy at home …. when breathing became a labor, well, I knew the time had come …. and I was adamant that she not ride in a car again, even to the vet to be put to sleep,….. so, I did it myself ….. held her for bout an hour …. then dug a deep grave and now she rests quitely in the back yard….. I did the right thing and it still hurts, 16 months later.
barry

I’m sorry for your pain…four legged friends both feline and canine become important parts of our lives, it’s sad that our life spans cannot be the same.

Thank you for all the support.

I am getting better with each day……..time does heal the hurt. A person just can’t say enough about how many nice folks we have on this site.

I thought it would nice to post a picture of Sandy for those that didn’t have the opportunity to meet her.

Thank you all…..

Bob,very sorry for the loss of a very good friend.It is so hard when the time comes to make the choice on putting a wonderful animal like Sandy down.
My thoughts are with you.
Ryan Hale

Bobber,we lost our lab to cancer “Samatha Remington of the Feild” Super Sam was only 5years old.We had her creamated soon after that my hunting partner called and said it was time to put down his 15 year old shorthair “still duck hunting the year before,we new what we had to do.A casket was made and down to the river we went.Now whenever you guys go past fishermans point think about Super Sam and Jake marking ducks going south into lake Pepin forever.They are facing Bay City waiting for the next flight of bluebills.Don’t forget you gave your dog a life most dog only dream of.

hey bobber,

sorry to hear about the loss of a family member. I will keep you and your family in my prayers and hope that you will find another family member some day.

shane

Bobber,

Mi Amigo……… I don’t think there’s anything I can say that you yourself don’t already know, so………. you also know I’m going to share my heart with you.

You are among a lot of friends here and it’s warming to me to see their support for you. I’ve been roughing it for the last few days so I missed the initial event.

Not that I want to keep digging this up for you, you do need to heal in your time, your way……. but I do have knowledge of what’s been lost……. I knew her too… and my eyes are wet thinking about you and the new found absence. I’ve never seen a dog that could be looking the other direction, get asked a question, and actually answer it. I heard “verbal” expressions from her like I’ve heard from no other dog. For those who don’t know this, when Bobber spoke to Sandy, she often replied. Not in barks or eager tail waggings…… she spoke as well as a dog is able to speak…. and I swear she understood Bobber’s every word. She was indeed, a part of the family and I too am going to miss her whenever I come to visit.

While there are answers to the absence, there is no replacing her. She was unique and you knew that when she was a pup. But what lies on the horizon, when you’re ready for it….. is a new piece of family history. The details of this new history are completely up to you as far as what they will or won’t include, but there are rewarding new memories waiting to be created and in their celebration, you will find even greater cherishings of Sandy.

I was lucky to have known her and my heart goes out to ya buddy. Give Kath a hug for me too. I can only imagine that this is equally difficult for her.

Let me know if you’re interested in any fishing this fall. Any excuse for a visit will do.