A Sad Day

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I had to put our 10 year old Great Dane to sleep today. :depressed

He started limping around the house and we thought he had a pulled muscle or a strain so I took him to the vet not thinking much of it.

Well, the vet took a few x-rays and determined the ol' fella had advanced bone cancer. Amazingly enough, before he started limping I had no idea anything was wrong. This morning, in fact, even though he could barely walk he went and picked up a toy and wanted to play chase around the house.

Great danes are very human-like, they show a lot of emotion...fear, joy, sadness, etc. They get jealous and angry and giddy. Where they separate themselves from humans though is their ability to love unconditionally.

Anyway, the doctor said they could give him drugs to ease the pain, but she expected the disease to take over within a matter of days. The last thing I wanted for Sam was for him to suffer...he was too good of a friend to me through the years for me to put him through that. So I did what a friend would do, I let him go.

I had another dane that I had to put down several years ago, but this one was much harder on me. I always told Mrs. Chopper that she was my second best friend, running a close second behind Sammy.

Sorry to be so sappy. I know it's very un-Chopper of me. Damn dogs.

[manustarting2gd]

I feel ya, Dog. Be strong.

[SpursWoman]

I'm sorry to hear that, EHJ. :( :makeout

[jalbre6]

Hey Chopper, I'm sorry. That really sucks. I'm sure ol' Sam is fetching tennis balls for God, now.

[exstatic]

Sorry Chopper. I had to put a pet down last year. Very tough thing, but I knew that he was better off not suffering. I waited about 6 weeks and adopted a new pet, totally on the spur of the moment when i was in PetSmart getting supplies for my remaining, very lonely pet. Give it some time, but you will at some point want a new slobbering best friend. You'll know when the time is right.

[Goddess Spur]

Aww, I'm sorry about your dog. :( I lost my cat nearly two years ago, after he'd grown up with me for half my life. It's always hard to lose pets.

[JFK]

sorry bout that man, its a shame when you lose a pet like that.
At least he's not suffering now. Great Danes are wonderful dogs too by the way.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Thanks all. I've owned 3 danes over the years, and they were all awesome in their own ways. It's going to take a long time before I'll be willing to go through this again.

[Jimcs50]

Sorry man. I lost 2 cats and a dog in the last 5 years because they all got old, and I was very upset about it, so I know how you feel. They become part of the family and when they leave, you feel a void, that really makes you depressed. Now we have 3 cats and 2 dogs, so I am starting all over again....that is another good thing about pets....they can be replaced after a time and it helps ease the pain.

Again, sorry about your loss.

[Shelly]

Sorry to hear that, Chopper :(

We had to do that to our dog when I was a teen and it was hard.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I had to put a puppy down last year. I know what you're going through, Chopp.

Sorry, man.

[Mijo]

Leave it to the loss of man's best friend to make me post.... My lab is part of the family and she's getting up there in age. When I'd take her hunting she used to fetch dove and flush quail since she was a puppy and she's still up to the task but I know she's got arthritis in her joints and she tires rather easily compared to past years. It brings tears to my eyes to see her try and take a back seat to the pup who now handles her duties. I feel you. :cry

[samikeyp]

I feel your pain chopper, I had to put down the family dog of 15 years for my mom...the same week my grandmother (her mother) died. stay strong my brother.

[maxpower]

I lost my little doggy a couple months ago. I feel for you. I still miss her very much.

[Experiment2100]

Sorry for you, it's real tough,I lost my 13 year old Spitz this past year.

[Solid D]

Sad, Ed. I'm not sure how much little Chopper understands about these things but I hope the healing process is underway and it's all going okay.

[Duff McCartney]

I'm glad I haven't ever had to put down a dog..but I know some day I will have to. I want to get a new dog now so my dog won't be so lonely now that her puppies are living somewhere else.

I've always wanted a great dane.

[Taco]

That Sucks man.

I know what it's like to have to put down a beloved pet.

[T Park]

I have a 11 month old basset hound and he is the greatest thing on earth.

Nice to everyone, happy to have around.

Cute, funny little guy.

I couldnt imagine, nor can i comprehend what its gonna feel like when I have to put him down.


I dont know how you feel, but it does break my heart to hear that, because I put myself in your shoes for my dog.

Amazing how it is after you get a pet, how before, when you heard about kids teasing a puppy, or stranded dogs didnt bother you, but now,
it breaks your heart, what really gets me is the kids throwing rocks at a puppy or something, it always brings a tear to my eye immediately.

[Kori Ellis]

Sorry, Chopper. :(

[xcoriate]

Thats no good dude, i can't stand to think what its going to be like when my little puppy gets old

[Spurgal]

I'm sorry about your Pup :depressed

But, just remember that he Is In a better place now, feeling no pain. :angel

[JoeChalupa]

I had to put my dog down after she started having seizures.
I feel your pain.

[billboardbill]

I'm real sorry. I know its hard. I had to put our dog down, she also had cancer.

[bigzak25]

sorry for the loss chopper. been there. :depressed

[Jimcs50]

Kori, do you still have your Bulldog and Doberman?

[Hook Dem]

Chopper...I had to put my cocker spaniel down in 1999 and it almost killed me. I was living alone and that dog was my best friend. It took a long time to get over it and I could not go get another one because I could never go through that again. I now have a Rotty. He is 2 feet tall and is made of bronze. He guards the front door and watches the place while I'm gone. He don't eat and he don't shit! Makes a good pet. I just turn out the lights when I leave and don't have to board him or get anyone to watch him. P.S. he doesn't have to make trips to the vet either. Just keep him dusted and he's good to go!

[CosmicCowboy]

man that sucks Chopper...I had to have my red heeler put down last year...same type of story...inoperable cancer...best damn dog I ever had...I wasn't about to leave her with the vet and held her in my arms as the drugs took effect...

the worst thing along those lines I have ever had to do was help put a cowboys horse down out at the rodeo...it twisted a gut which perforated...an awful and nasty death if you let nature take its course...the damn feds have taken all the "good" large animal euthanasia drugs off the marketplace even for vet only access...so the alternative isn't very pretty either...very dangerous and takes way too damn long...shit...the "hard as nails" cowboy was crying and we were all choking back tears by the time we finally lost the pulse...

[TNT21]

Chopper, sorry to hear about your loss. Man's best friend, they were'nt joking when they coined that phrase. They'll love you through thick and thin. Your puppy is in a better place now, playing with the rest of our companions that have given their life to make ours more enjoyable. Hang in there bro!!

[Samurai Jane]

Sorry to hear about your loss, Chopper. It's always tough to lose a member of the family. Be at peace knowing that you did the best you could and helped alleviate some of the pain. God bless you and your family!

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Thanks again everybody. Obviously from what I've read here, it sounds like many of us have experienced similar loss over the years. I appreciate all of the kind words.

Little Chopper has no idea that Sam is gone. He goes to the back windows of the house and makes a "rupp, rupp" sound which was his imitation of Sammy's bark, and he seems a little confused that Sam doesn't come running like he used to. It's gives me a little heartache everytime he does that. But we have some pics of this 25-pound little boy with this 180-pound dog which is comforting. I'm sure Chopper Jr. will forget to go to the window and call him here pretty soon, but when he gets older he'll see the pics and hopefully have some recollection of that big dane of his.

Thanks everyone. . .some really nice folks post here. Don't let anyone tell you any different!