Today, I lost one of my best friends...

[JAC526]

My condolences. I have two dogs and they become real family members.

Putting one down or losing one is terrible.

 

[baturn]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Your post is beautifully written. My dog died in Oct. so I feel your pain.

 

[Desi]

I'm so sorry, Tyler. I lost my dog, Bear, similarly last year. It was heart-wrenching. But his memory always makes me smile.

 

[nmoody]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Loosing friend is hard but you will make more friends. Sounds like she had a very loving home and was very fortunate.

 

[sm4him]

Aww, so sorry to hear that. Beautiful dog.
I lost a 14-year-old cat just a couple of months ago, and I too, can empathize with the grief you feel right now.

 

[snowbear]

I'm sorry to hear about that, Tyler; I know what it's like to lose a cherished friend like that. She was a beautiful dog.

 

[12sndsgood]

It always sucks when it comes that time. sorry to hear this man.

 

[kundalini]

Sorry to hear bud. I know your pain and can only say it softens slightly as time passes.

 

[ThrowbacK]

Lost my dog when I was around 13-14 years old, at that time my family decided we would never have another pet.

Sorry for your loss.

The pictures are great,

 

[IByte]

Yesterday, my Greyhound Cleo broke her leg. It was a traumatic experience for my family, as she was getting old in age. She was a month away from being 12 years old.

We rushed her to the Vet about 30 minutes away, I sat in the back seat with her keeping her calm and petting her. She only yelped once, and that was when I accidentally touched the wrong part of her leg. She is the epitome of a trooper. Stoic, and calm, despite being in a world of pain. I helped carry her in on a stretcher to the vets office, and from there they took over.

She had X-Rays done. It turns out that a bone fractured in her shoulder. The prognosis was not good, and that she would at least need to undergo surgery to repair the fracture. The Vet gave us the number for the animal emergency hospital that's about 40 minutes from home to set up an appointment. We scheduled a surgical consult for today at 8:30AM. As we were scheduling the consult, the Vet was off doing some bloodwork so that it was out of the way and didn't need to be done tomorrow morning at the other facility. Her blood work came back better than it did the last time she was at the vet, which I took as a good sign. The vet had warned us that she could have Bone Cancer, as it's common at that age... But the cell counts were normal, so I had high hopes for the surgery the next day.

Later that night, she wouldn't stay down at home. She kept wanting to get up and move around, even when she knew she couldn't. We had no other choice but to bring her to the 24 hour emergency facility where her surgery was scheduled for this morning. We knew she'd be in good hands there, and they'd be able to sedate her and keep her calm. I went to sleep feeling optimistic, and figured she'd have options tomorrow even if they couldn't operate on her leg. My parents were going to go down and see her through the surgery the next morning, so they'd keep me update on her progress.

8:40AM, I receive a call. Cleo is inoperable, and has to be put down. This was not the way I wanted to wake up.

I rush down to South Portland with my girlfriend. I can't keep it together (4 hour later, and I still can't keep it together). I know this is my last chance to say goodbye to my wonderful dog.

We get there, and go in to see her. She's laying down on a bunch of blankets with her head on a pillow. She's comfortable and calm. Slowly, she lifts her head up to look at us as we walk closer to her. She's relieved to see familiar faces. I wasn't ready to let my dog go. None of us were. I kissed her, and told her how much I loved her, as well as how great of a dog she was. The doctor injected the anesthetic, and she was gone.

Still. Motionless. Not breathing. Our dog was no longer with us.

She was a gentle creature. She never ever barked (until we were finally able to train her to bark), she never bit anyone (or anything), and she never showed any sign of pain, unless she absolutely had to. Cleo had seven teeth removed at the age of 10, and showed no sign of slowing down. After her teeth were removed, her quality of life improved and she acted like she did when she was younger. It was the pain that was causing her to be docile, but she never showed us or let us know she was hurting. Cleo was a quiet companion, always near people and always listening or looking. Today has been really hard for me, and I feel like a piece of me is missing. I'd like to share a few photos of an absolutely wonderful creature who I wish you all could have met.

She loved to prance around in the leaves or snow.

Sorry man I have a dog myself and no matter what bad a$$ he maybe I love him. It's never easy to lose a pet that becomes family. I'm sure she had a good home and lots of love before her passing. The first pints on me and try to have a good weekend ...salute!

 

[LizardKing]

Sorry to read this. She was really beautiful from what I can see in the pictures and you'll all miss her for a long time. But that's how it is with dogs. Unfortunately they don't live as long as we do, and I've lost many of them over the years myself, but they are great friends and probably thanks to hundreds of great pics you've taken from her you'll probably be able to always remember how great she was

 

[Derrel]

What a simply amazing, wonderful,loving tribute to Cleo. Any dog who had an owner capable of that kind of writing was indeed a lucky,lucky dog.

 

[KmH]

I'm with Derrel. Well said.

The emotional connection animals can make with humans is amazing and priceless.

The unconditional love an animal can give should put lots of us humans to shame.

I wish there was something I could do or say to ease your grief, but having experienced that kind of grief myself, I know time is the only salve.

 

[Trever1t]

I always hesitate to offer condolences because I know words are trivial and pain of loss so overwhelming but I do feel for your loss, your tribute brought tears to my eyes.

 

[o hey tyler]

Thank you everyone for your support. It's very much appreciated in this tough time for me.

I have something else to share. Other photos were requested, and I have some to deliver. They are in the form of a digital book (soon to be printed book) by my girlfriend. If you'd like to look at it, you can visit this page:

Cleo: The Golden Greyhound

You can click on any page to get a closer look.