<p>I’m so sad for you. I know you were a wonderful mom to your sweet doggie.</p>
<p>Oooh, I’m so sorry. I get teary-eyed just thinking of it.</p>
<p>I’m sorry - it is never easy to say goodbye to a beloved companion.</p>
<p>I am so sorry. Hugs and a hope that the ache lessens.</p>
<p>Rabbi Marc Gellman once wrote about the loss of a pet, that we should be grateful for grief. It means that we are capable of loving and of receiving love. The alternative is never to know that very special kind of love.</p>
<p>May your memories comfort you.</p>
<p>Well, the Lord has a dog now, I just sent him mine
The old pal so dear to me
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone
Knowing they are in eternity
Day after day, the whole day through
Wherever my road inclined
Four feet said, “I am coming with you!”
And trotted along behind.</p>
<ul>
<li>Rudyard Kipling</li>
</ul>
<p>Happened to me just a few months ago as well. Combine that with sending my first to college, it was rough. A lot of thinking, a lot of feeling down. Hang in there. It does get better. It will get better.</p>
<p>Thanks so much everyone. Your messages mean alot.</p>
<p>I am a single mom of one and he is in his sophomore year at college. When he left last year I still had my wonderful lab to come home to - she was my baby and my constant shadow. I have cried myself out and I know I will always miss her but I wouldn’t have changed things for anything! She was a wonderful friend. My son is coming home this weekend - I think he just needs to talk about her and cry with his mom.</p>
<p>I feel your pain and send hugs to you. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of my beloved Casey.
Take comfort in knowing you did what was best for her.</p>
<p>My precious Kitty had to be put to sleep when I was your son’s age, Charlottemom (almost 30 years ago), I had known him nearly my whole life, and I still think about him now from time to time. The memories are always happy ones; he was such a great Kitty and a big part of my growing up memories.</p>
<p>It became evident that the end was near for him, and so my mom took him to be put to sleep. She didn’t tell any of us ahead of time, to spare us, but I was angry and upset that I hadn’t been able to tell him goodbye. A week later I came home from work, glanced out at the backyard, and saw my mom sitting in the grass playing with an orange tabby, just like my Kitty!! We had never, ever seen this tabby in our neighborhood before that day. He hung around us for several hours, and he never came back again after that day. I always felt that my Kitty had sent him for me to say goodbye. What a comfort.</p>
<p>Caboodle - thanks for your story. Saturday night when I took our dog to the emergency vet I suspected she may have to be put to sleep but I didn’t call my son because he was out of town with friends. He knew about her other medical problems when he left for school a few weeks back and I had told him about her having trouble walking over the last few days, etc. I know how hard it was on him to hear that I had put her to sleep and I hope he knows in his heart it was the right thing to do. I am sure he would have liked to be there to say goodbye and I wish that would have been possible. I hope this weekend we will be able to talk about it and if he is angry at me I hope he will be able to talk about it.</p>
<p>Charlottemom, have you considered getting another dog? A new dog won’t replace the one you lost, but it will provide you with a diversion, a reason to rush home every day, and a new, wonderful companion.</p>
<p>Veryhappy - I have thought about getting another dog. I even looked online at the dogs available at the humane society :)</p>
<p>I think I will wait before making a decision. I have had a dog or child for ±30 years - always had someone to take care of. Maybe I need to just take care of me for awhile. I think as sad as it is to come home to an empty home I will enjoy being able to just GO - no schedules! I will see how long it lasts. I even thought about getting involved with foster dogs.</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear about your loss. We all love our furry babies…they are family.</p>
<p>Give yourself time to grieve. </p>
<p>{{{{{ hugs }}}}}</p>
<p>Charlottemom, I am so sorry. We lost our old lab about a year ago and I still get teary thinking about her. We have another lab so the hole isn’t too big…but the one we lost was the puppy that helped me get through a rough time after my dad died suddenly. She was a special dog.</p>
<p>All of us who are responding to your thread, are dog lovers, and understand the hole in your heart. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>Charlottemom,</p>
<p>Even at the time I knew I really wasn’t angry at my mom, I was just so very upset that my beloved pet was gone (the first time I had gone through the loss of a pet). And as upset as I was, I totally understood that my mom was saving us all of us from the pain that she took on herself. It was so clear that my Kitty was suffering and that was sad to see. Later on, I felt bad that my mom had to go through that alone, and I can only imagine how tough it was for you. I’m sure your son will understand and it will be so good for you to be together this weekend.</p>
<p>Charlottemom,
I hope you are feeling a bit better. We had to put our 12 year old golden chow mix down 2 years ago and I could not believe how long it took me to get over it. Lots of little things would make me cry and miss him–and he was a real pain the tush dog! He didn’t like other dogs or other people much, but he loved our little family and we loved him. They very quietly occupy a huge space in our lives and they’re very missed when they are gone. </p>
<p>I hope you’re hanging in there.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry for your loss, Charlottemom. It’s a very hard thing to have to do. I’ve been there before and now my 12yr old dog is dealing with liver disease (hopefully not cancer.) Blood tests in a few weeks to see if her enzyme level has decreased meaning the antibiotics have been successful and the chance it is cancer would be minimal. We definitely won’t put her through surgery or extreme life saving measures due to her age.</p>
<p>
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<p>Charlottemom, two years ago we had to put our kitty to sleep while D was out of town visiting friends. He had been sick for a while, and we all knew the end was coming. But he took a sharp turn for the worse on the very night she left, and DH and I knew it was time. We then faced the tough question: Should we wait the four days until D returned, so that she could say goodbye? We decided not to. </p>
<p>When she got home, she immediately and completely understood. I started to explain our decision, and she interrupted, “Mom, it’s OK, you did the right thing. He would have been suffering those extra days, and I wouldn’t have wanted that.” We spent, oddly, a wonderful evening reminiscing about Bobby, lots of tears and lots of laughter, and that ended up being her goodbye, I think. </p>
<p>Of course, every kid is different, but your S loved your dog, and he loves you. He knows you had good reason, and I think he will understand, if not immediately, then soon.</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone - you all are the best and I really appreciate all of your support!</p>
<p>I had the sweetest surprise today when I got home. A small package on my front porch. Inside was a beautiful note from the vet that put my girl to sleep last weekend. She said it was evident how much I loved her and she hoped I remembered all the good times we had. Wrapped in bubble wrap was a plaster-type cast of her footprint stamped with her name. I of course broke down all over again - but in a good way. What a wonderful gesture from this vet (I believe she is an intern). I know she will be a great vet for many years to come.</p>