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Topic: Lost My Dog
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| recovering_jersey_girl | Posted – 4/16/2008 2:42:41 PM | show profile I really just need to vent today. Yesterday, my husband and I put down our beautiful Doberman Pinscher, Zola. She was only 6. We'd gotten her as a rescue two years ago and we were her *fifth* family. She kept getting sent back and the shelter was ready to put her down then because they assumed she had behavioral problems that made her unplaceable. Really, all she needed was love and discipline (in that order). She was a basket case at first, but once she realized we weren't going to give her away, she settled down and really responded to having a family of her own. Like many rescues, she came to us with a few bad habits we could never break her of. One of them was eating strange things...gloves, rope, bandanas, napkins. We tried our best to keep them away from her, but she got herself a bandana a week or two ago. It lodged in her digestive tract, got stuck in there and twisted up inside her intestines. When she got sick, we took her to the vet, who operated and took out the offending bandana. It was too late, though; it had done too much damage to her insides already. Yesterday, three days after the surgery, she went into septic shock and we had to put her down. We knew there was nothing more that could be done for her, and we didn't want her to be in any more pain. I was never dog people before we got her. In fact, getting her was my husband's idea and I went along with it to make him happy. I was used to cats and my ferret (which, yes, we did have to keep separate from the Dobe to avoid a catastrophe). I wasn't at all sold on dogs. But in the (too short) two years we had her, I really grew to love her - the unbridled affection, the unconditional love of both me and my cooking experiments (gone right OR wrong!), the way she defended me when we were out at night or walking through a rough part of town. She was my bodyguard, my taste-tester and my running partner. The only thing that's making me feel at all better today is the thought that now I'm confident that I could someday take on another bounced-around, ornery Doberman - yes, I'm pretty firmly attached to that particular breed now - and give them a good home. Thanks for reading. |
| mad fingers | Posted – 4/16/2008 2:49:52 PM | show profile Jersey Girl, So sorry! I have a dog I'm constantly taking things away from (he has a penchant for pens and razors that my cats find and knock on the floor). I would be heart-broken if anything happened to him. Dobies can be such good dogs. Maybe there's a doberman rescue near you (when you're ready, of course)? |
| Mirage | Posted – 4/16/2008 2:50:37 PM | show profile I'm so sorry to hear this, Jersey Girl. One of my best friends put her dog -- the dog she'd had for 18 years -- to sleep last weekend. The house felt so empty without her, and I really didn't even know what to do or say. I wound up making a donation in the dog's name to the North Shore Animal League, in the hopes that maybe something good could ultimately come out of a painful experience. You have my sympathy. |
| Astera | Posted – 4/16/2008 3:01:18 PM | show profile We had to put down our Golden retriever a few weeks ago. He was such a great dog...so affectionate, energetic and smart. Over Christmas, we realized he was in limping and in a lot of pain, and the diagnosis was bone cancer. We decided to amputate his leg and see if that would eradicate the cancer. It didn't, but we at least had a few more months to spend with him and prepare ourselves for the end. He was 13 years old, and we got him when he was just a tiny fluffball. I miss him so much. I keep having dreams that he is in peril and I have to rescue him. Then I wake up and feel relieved that he is safe. Then I remember that he's gone, and I'm sad all over again. You have my sympathy. My husband is pushing for a new puppy, but I'm just not ready for that yet. I don't think any other dog could replace Rex. ------ www.adventuresofastera.blogspot.com |
| HisGirlFriday | Posted – 4/16/2008 3:20:38 PM | show profile Oh - poor Zola .... sending out healing energy for you ... |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 4/16/2008 3:26:14 PM | show profile I am really sorry for your loss. I know difficult it is to lose a furry loved one.ANd bless you for giving Zola a loving home for a few years. Take comfort in knowing you gave her a warm loving home when no one else would. I am sure she knew how much you loved her. |
| hawkmail | Posted – 4/16/2008 3:59:32 PM | show profile I'm so sorry about your pup. I hope you find some solace in knowing that you gave her a good home and she isn't suffering. |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/16/2008 4:48:45 PM | show profile Oh goodness....I am so very sorry..I know how you are hurting and it breaks my heart. Just before Christmas we had to put down our blonde Cocker Spaniel. Her name was Lady Lou and I loved her more than life itself. She was my baby and I was torn into a thousand tiny pieces. I will never forget my lambie...I had so many loving nicknames, that I called her when I loved her up! ie.,.....My little blonde buffalo, when she needed to be groomed. We let her grow out in the winter so she would be warmer. It all started with my father-in-law not seeing her under the front of his car. He had filled it up at our pump and when he got in to move it, she was knocked over and rolled under the front of the car. She was arthritic and wasn't able to get up and move fast enough. We heard the most horrible cry and we all ran from every direction. She would only let me touch her. I know she was in terrible pain and she never even tried to bite me. I was calm and speedy in getting her into the kennel and we loaded her into the pickup and rushed her to the vet. I, for some odd reason can really pull it together when there is a crisis. Shock I bet........ Initially the vet wanted to put her down. She lifted her head and looked right into my eyes. I knew that she was telling me to not let that happen. I said "no way"....."Do what ever you can to save her please!" How she made it through....well, I believe it was God's doing and her tremendous will to come back to me. Hold on..........Okay, I can continue. We went to see her everyday, twice a day for 5 days. I sang to her and rubbed her and she would lift her head and look at me with those beautiful dark brown eyes and fought her way back. It was so hard to see her like that... with the O2 on her little nose and IV's. Oh, goodness. The vet said that she was one tough little puppy. She made it. I nursed her for weeks after and she seemed to be doing okay. I was so happy. Then 3 months later she developed a wheeze and was always exhausted. We took her back and through exrays and ultra-sound we discovered she had developed a tumor in her lung, which was beginning to press against her heart. This was believed to be caused by blunt force trauma from the accident. Oh God. We took her home with all kinds of medications and woke up round the clock for 3 weeks until her breathing became so labored... we had no choice but to put her down. I was wracked with pain in my heart to see her like that and to have to make such a decision. I still cry over her and I will never forget her valiant fight to stay with me. She was so much a part of this place and us. We had her cremated and she has a cocker spaniel urn that looks so much like her. I still call Maisy mistakenly Lou or Loulabelle, or sweetpea.... If we didn't get Maisy though...I would have been lost and so very lonely. You don't realize how time consuming they become and how much they give to you in so many ways. Love no matter what.......You are always the most beautiful being in the world to them. No questions asked. So...I understand how you feel believe me I do..... You can replace one love with another, never.......But you can open your heart to love some other little one, who will help you to heal your sad empty heart. I will always miss our dear Lady Lou. |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/16/2008 4:52:55 PM | show profile blasted typos......."You can't".... it should have read. |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/16/2008 4:55:43 PM | show profile VERY BIG HUG AND SLURPY KISSES FROM, MAISY and ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| voracious reader | Posted – 4/16/2008 4:59:38 PM | show profile My deepest sympathies to you too! My friend is a Canine Companion volunteer (I'm her side-kick) and while training a magnificent lab, experienced the same loss as you did. The dog also survived the operation but died from sepsis. It was truly a double loss because that meant a person who needed the dog after my friend finished the training, would now have to wait even longer. Please know there was nothing you, nor my friend could have done anything differently to change what happened. Take solace in knowing how much she enriched your life in the short time she was a part of it. |
| Decorama | Posted – 4/16/2008 5:13:20 PM | show profile You can be sure she is still watching over you now. |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/16/2008 6:56:03 PM | show profile Jerseygirl...........I thank you for sharing........I just went around and gathered up all potential problem toys. A few nights ago, Maisy woke us up vomiting. We both jumped up and hubby took her out and "I" the "scientist" disected the wommit. Yeck! It was fibrofill from a comforter she had torn open. I thought I caught her before she could injest any of it. I did have to pull some of it out of her mouth. NO more comforters on the furniture for protection. Not at her expense for sure! That is why I knew what it was........You can't be too careful! The comforters have been replaced with blankets. She is teething and I have to watch her constantly! So thank you. This could have had a very serious outcome............. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 4/16/2008 7:25:23 PM | show profile That's horrible. We had a sick cat on fluid treatment for a year before finally putting her down (she didn't suffer, was eating and grooming, then all of a sudden, just stopped). It was awful. But be comforted in that you gave a pet love and a good home. Most domesticated animals don't have that--even in a country as rich as ours. |
| recovering_jersey_girl | Posted – 4/17/2008 11:51:26 AM | show profile Thanks, everybody. It still hurts - and will for a while, I'm sure - but the support really helps. My mother-in-law is coming over today to help me bag up Zola's food and treats so we can donate it all to a shelter. She's also going to help me put away the toys, leashes, blankets, etc. I think we're going to hang onto that stuff, though...for the next one. Thanks again for all the kind words. They mean a lot. |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/17/2008 11:55:33 AM | show profile Jersey.......... All our love to you! |
| pamelabeth | Posted – 4/17/2008 12:22:00 PM | show profile jersey, so sorry. thinking of you. i've been there too. know that zola's best years were with you guys and that, in every way, you saved her life. |
| wineaux | Posted – 4/17/2008 12:37:20 PM | show profile I'm so sorry, JG for your loss. But, I think you can be comforted by the fact that after being tossed aside so carelessly by so many, you loved and were devoted enough to her to stick it out indefinitely. She must have known how much you loved her, and that was incredibly comforting to her. Things like chewing and eating odd items is often a sign of post traumatic stress in pets. I think her past of being shuffled around so much left its mark, and no matter how much you did for her, certain habits cannot be broken, as the memories cannot be erased. Our pound dog displays a lot of odd behaviors that, after extensive re-training, still can't be broken. You never know what went on in those other homes and just how much of an impact they can have on a pet. All you can do is love the pet, warts and all, and hope that your love and attention will ease some of the pain that they still remember. You did the very best for your beloved dog, and I know she finally had some peace with you and your significant other. I think you should give another pound dog a chance, in your dog's honor. Of course, you need time to heal, but once you are ready again, I think you will find it incredibly rewarding. |
| cori | Posted – 4/17/2008 3:17:22 PM | show profile My sympathies, too I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure your home does not feel quite the same without your beloved dog. Yoiu gave Zola a wonderful life and I hope you find comfort in that thought. It's never easy to lose a beloved pet. Take the time to mourn your loss and when the time is right, I know you will once again offer a loving home to a special Doberman. One, Zola, will no doubt send your way! |
| notprivileged | Posted – 4/17/2008 3:30:10 PM | show profile Cori is right about that...... I believe that Ladylou sent Maisy to us. I was determined not to get another dog after what we went through with Lady. And especially what she went through. Then when my oldest daughter went back to Charlotte and took her pups with her, I was lost. I started looking on line at all the puppy videos, and started to search out all the breeds that would fill our needs for our lifestyle. That is when I saw pics of goldies. I started to search out breeders. I called our vet and asked if she knew of any new pups out there in the golden retriever world. As it turned out, she did. We went and looked at the writhing mass of golden furballs and one looked right at us as calm and serene as could be. My husband scooped her up and she is now ours! It was as if we were led on this journey by our beloved cocker! It is a very happy ending to a very sad story. Thank you Lady. She is filling our time and lives with much missed joy. By the way, she passed her first series of classes and got her certification. Next she has her "Good Citizens" training. :) |
| recovering_jersey_girl | Posted – 4/25/2008 2:42:10 PM | show profile I really appreciate everyones' thoughts and concern...you all helped get me through a very tough time, so I wanted to share a happy postscript to my story. I really believed that the only reason we lost Zola when we did is so we could open our hearts and homes to another "secondhand" Doberman. Well, yesterday my husband and I drove down to a Dobe rescue group near Philadelphia and brought home a new little (well, okay, 67 lb worth of "little") girl. The rescue director said she was tied up outside and more or less ignored - possibly for years - until she escaped. They picked her up as a stray and have no idea how long she was on her own, although the tick bites all over her ears and the "battle scars" on her face indicate it was probably a while. She has NO training (doesn't even know the words "biscuit" or "cookie!") but amazingly, despite her time on the streets, she's a very friendly girl with a relatively laid-back demeanor. She loves to gives kisses and has already tried climbing right into our laps! We haven't named her yet (she doesn't answer to anything except a whistle or kissy noise right now). I think we're going to wait for a days and see what seems like a good fit. Obviously, she's going to take a lot of work, but I really think this dog has what it takes to be a terrific pet. I'm happy we're able to give her this chance. |
| wineaux | Posted – 4/25/2008 4:03:20 PM | show profile Oh, that's absolutely wonderful news jersey! What a lucky dog. She's got good, experienced and empathetic parents to help her enter a whole new, happier and loving world. Keep the updates coming! |
