tl;dr: Thanks for all your advice and support over the past few years. My dog passed away last night, and since I posted so much about her on Board 8, I felt I should post this.
I have posted on Board 8 many times about my dog, Cutie Pie. I feel that among all of the groups I've been part of online, I've talked about her the most here and for a longer period of time.
In January 2007, I posted here about a lump I found on her. I got so much support and advice from Board 8, even a topic saying "for every post in this topic, Zachnorn's dog will live an extra month" which hit 500 posts. The lump ended up being an 11 pound cyst, and she had surgery to remove it (vet said that she could live many more years with surgery). She recovered quickly, and acted like herself. Despite being 8 at the time, she was once again acting like a puppy. She beat the odds.
In June 2010, I again posted here about her having more lumps. Ulti told me that it could be canine lymphoma, and my vet confirmed that. They gave her 7-8 months to live with treatment. Board 8 again gave lots of thoughts, prayers, and advice for this, and we decided to go with the treatment since it was not going to be painful and most dogs respond well to it. She went into remission a few months later, and we continued monitoring her. In 2011, it came back again, but she still had high spirits and was still herself.
Unfortunately, on Tuesday more parts of her began to swell. She became slow, but she would still be able to climb stairs and walk around. The vet said that she would be okay for a while still, but there would be a point where she would stop walking, at which point euthanasia would be recommended to prevent suffering.
Yesterday, January 27, 2012, at around 10 PM, she collapsed in my kitchen and passed away just a few months before turning 14. My mom and I were home at the time. She was not in any pain, and in fact, was very happy in the hours beforehand. She was outside laying around, which she always liked to do. A few hours before she passed, she walked to my car and I took her for a ride, which was her absolute favorite thing to do, and she looked happy during the whole ride. When she was well, she would always walk around the house to protect it. She did so one last time before she died. She was given 7-8 months, and she lived over a year longer than that, which I am grateful for.
Here is one of my favorite pictures of my dog when she was well: This probably would sum up my feelings (My First Friend, I can't watch this so I'm not sure):
Board 8, thank you for all of the advice, thoughts, and prayers over these past few years. I feel that Board 8 has done much more to help me and my dog with many things over the past few years. Thanks also to Ulti, who talked with me over AIM, even at early hours and helped me with so much. I really do appreciate everything you guys have done.
Thanks, everyone. I will always remember her. Right now, there is an area in her favorite place (a window she would always look out of) being set up with pictures and stuff.
Does anyone have any advice for how to deal with grief over losing a dog? I have not been handling this well. I am still in disbelief and very sad about this. I was very close to my dog, because I've even seen her birth when I was 8. As far as I'm concerned, we grew up together.
It's so hard :(
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Everything is overrated. - <D http://board8.wikia.com - Board 8 Wiki
I always did things to make her happy. She would always join me for barbecues, celebrations (Christmas, birthdays, New Year's, etc.) and stuff. I know she had a lot of things that other dogs didn't in terms of love, but I still feel like I could have done more with her. There were a lot of days where I would ignore her because I had so much work for school that needed to be completed, or something else took my time. That kind of thing.
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Everything is overrated - <D I would gladly take 90 whippings and be sentenced to 2 years in jail than have my account warned. - NotYou
She was a family member, and you gave her everything you could and still wanted to give more. That says a great deal about how she must have felt around you. Dogs don't take it personal when you can't join or play; they can understand that love doesn't require that always. You gave her a happy life right up until the end, that's something to be happy for.
I just kept a picture of my dog around and look at it whenever I think about her and smile. There's really no best way to deal with losing her, but at the least you can remember how happy she was and how happy she made you.
Don't have any regrets about anything regarding this. I'm sure she appreciates everything you did for and with her. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do today to make it much easier. Just do some of your favorite things, and try to take your mind off of it.
When I lost my cat a few years ago that I'd had my entire life, I kept thinking to myself that it's going to be impossible to replace him, and assured myself that I didn't want to get another cat. A week later, I had two of them. I thought that it would just complicate things, but my parents insisted that I needed to get over it. Surprisingly, it actually made me feel a lot better.
So I guess if I had to give any advice, it'd be to let things mull over for a bit, and then you might think about getting a new dog. It won't be the same, of course, but you obviously care for your pets a whole lot, and I'm sure any dog you decide to take in would love you just as much as Cutie Pie.
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Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I really appreciate it.
She was a family member, and you gave her everything you could and still wanted to give more. That says a great deal about how she must have felt around you. Dogs don't take it personal when you can't join or play; they can understand that love doesn't require that always. You gave her a happy life right up until the end, that's something to be happy for.
That's true. It's amazing how dogs love you unconditionally and never take anything personally.
She sounds like a real fighter and a great dog.
In a way, she was pretty inspirational. When she got sick with the cyst and the lymphoma, she slowed down but tried to stay as active as she could. When she would recover, she would go back to acting like a 1 year old puppy rather than an "elderly" dog. She was amazing with that.
I just kept a picture of my dog around and look at it whenever I think about her and smile.
I've done this with my phone. I want to put a few more pictures on my phone with her now.
Best way to deal with grief is to remember death is part of a greater journey, not the end of one.
Thanks so much for posting this. The Rainbow Bridge thing was great.
So I guess if I had to give any advice, it'd be to let things mull over for a bit, and then you might think about getting a new dog. It won't be the same, of course, but you obviously care for your pets a whole lot, and I'm sure any dog you decide to take in would love you just as much as Cutie Pie.
Thanks for the advice.
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Everything is overrated - <D I would gladly take 90 whippings and be sentenced to 2 years in jail than have my account warned. - NotYou
I still feel this empty feeling, and I am having trouble focusing in school. Normally, I am a good student that pays attention in class and gets work done, but I'm having trouble paying attention and getting work done. I keep thinking about her, and how I told her the day before she died that I wanted to spend more time with her, even if it would be working around her petting her once in a while or something. I'm revising something I wrote when I was working around her, and I'm just having trouble because I can't stop thinking about her.
I remember being really sad when we had to put down my cats when they were dying of renal failure (back when I was in elementary school). Sorry to hear that she died, and I wish you the best in overcoming your grief.
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She would hear my car, and go to her window and look out of it. She would see me or my mom, and she would just get overjoyed. She would start barking and crying, running in circles around the house, and keep checking the window to see that I'm coming in. She would then go to the door, and wait for me to open it. When I do, she would wag her tail, jump on me, or go stand up on the couch to shake my hand, with her right paw even (most dogs seem to do it with their left). I taught her how to shake, but I never actually taught her to use it as a way to greet me. I don't know how she picked that up. At any rate, she would then decide to go outside or just hang out with me.
I probably made her routine sound bigger than it really is, but it was very special to me and something I am missing. Every time I came home, I would look forward to it. Now, I come home wanting to see it knowing that I won't, and it makes me so sad. :(
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Nono, it sounds very special and heartwarming. I've never known a dog to shake as a greeting (without being commanded to), so I'm betting she was a smart cutie pie in addition to being a very loving one. I know it's rough for you, but stay strong.
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I've never known a dog to shake as a greeting (without being commanded to), so I'm betting she was a smart cutie pie in addition to being a very loving one.
She was a very smart dog. Since she was a German Shepherd mix, she would like to investigate things and such. She would also know what to do whenever I was unhappy with something. Also, like I said before, she was a part of celebrations and stuff, and if she saw something was going on, she would come by and just want to join in. She seemed to be sharp in general.
Just wanted to thank everyone again for your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I'm still sad about Cutie Pie, especially when I come home and she's not here to do her big greeting routine (I can post about it if anyone's curious). I'm doing better overall than I was earlier this week, but still.
I just wanted to thank everyone again for your words and thoughts. I got Cutie Pie's ashes today, said some prayers, and other stuff. It's been a week so far, and obviously, I'm still sad. I'm planning to let this topic purge at this point (unless there's something to respond to, I guess), but I just thought I'd say thanks again for everyone who helped me over the years, and thanks to everyone in this topic for everything. All of you are great.
-- Zachnorn - <D http://board8.wikia.com - Board 8 Wiki | http://www.stickam.com/profile/zachnorn - Game broadcasts
