Friday Poll

My dad had to put his beloved dog of 12 years down last week. It was very unexpected, and very hard for him. She had suddenly gotten a condition that is apparently common in older, deep-chested dogs, and my dad, not knowing exactly what was wrong, waited a little too long to take her to the vet (a mere six hours, and she had initially gotten ill at 1 or so in the morning, and he simply waited until his vet's office was open) and it had already damaged her heart and kidneys. She was going into renal failure when he made the decision to not have her suffer any longer, as she had suffered greatly throughout the day.

I feel very badly for him, but at least he was with her during her last moments, and she was being held and talked to as she slipped away. Not knowing she was going to die so soon, he had also recently gotten a Border Collie puppy, thinking they could keep each other company. Now at least the puppy is keeping him occupied and hopefully not dwelling too much on his much-loved Australian Shepherd.

What was your favorite pet?

Comments

chichimama said…
I am so sorry for your dad's loss.

Despite my grumblings, Dumb Cat is by far my mos beloved pet ever. M had to take him to the kitty ER last week at 2am in the morning, and said the only reason he did so was because he was afraid I would never recover if the cat passed away while I was away.
7:06 PM
Liz said…
There are way too many to pick one. Our much loved dog Gracie who died unexpectedly last year. Ozzie, the most perfect cat we could ever have asked for. I've had pets all my life and have had to deal with way too many losses.

I'm so sorry your Dad is having to go through this. Pets give us so much love and unfortunately, we also have to deal with losing them.
8:13 PM
Heidi said…
Cokee my 16 year old Siamese cat. I've known her longer than even my husband. She sleeps under the covers with me every morning. I don't know what I will do when she dies.
My thoughts are with your dad.
10:43 PM
Ortizzle said…
Sorry that your Dad has had to go through this, but what a blessing that he has the new puppy to ease the pain.

Favorite pet? The three dogs my family had growing up. I loved them all unconditionally and wept copiously when they died. I think dogs crawl into your heart deeper than any other pet, although I know there are cat-lovers who will disagree with me. JMO.
11:39 AM
Awesome Mom said…
I am so sorry for his loss. It is hard to have to put a pet down.

I liked all the animals that I have owned over the years. I really loved our family dog a lot, she was a sweet border collie/sheltie mix. I think she was my all time favorite and I hope to find another dog like her some day for my kids.
6:17 PM
Anvilcloud said…
I know that people grow very attached to their dogs, so I'm glad your father has another to take care of. Our present cat is a great guy, probably our best pet.
8:00 PM
Kelley @ magneto bold too said…
so very sad when you lose a family member. Especially so quickly.

Send my love to your dad please babe.
1:54 AM
J said…
My dog when I was growing up, Samantha. Though our current dog, Genevieve, is a pretty close second. She's had a lot of health issues lately as well, and it's creeping me out to keep coming to different blogs and find stories of dogs who have died. I swear, I've read at least 4 this week. :(
1:47 PM
dgm said…
Sorry about your dad and his dog. Ick, that's so hard.

Our cat, Hamlet, who died at almost 17 about a year and a half ago. Man, he was the perfect cat--he played fetch, never peed anywhere but where he was supposed to, never got mad at us, never tried to eat the kids when they were babies, sat on my bed all day and purred when I was sick, always greeted us at the door...he was awesome. Of Russian Blue extraction, he was so beautiful to look at.

We have two cats now and I love them to bits as well, but no kitty can ever replace Hamlet.
5:45 AM
Dandy said…
Poor thing and poor dad. :(

My favorite pet was a cat named Smokie. She used to live in my My Little Pony House.
8:22 AM
Scout said…
I don't think I could choose between my two cats. They are both favorites for different reasons. One had a tumor removed last week, and the other was put on insulin just this morning. Apparently I'll spend a fortune on the little guys.
3:53 PM
Bammy said…
that would have to be Buckeye the magnificent.. he is my pug.. and I am so very well trained to his likes and dislikes.. I thought he ran off 3 weeks ago.. and was damn near hysterical.. he didnt... he was just hiding... then last week he got into some sugarless gum.. pet owners.. Xylitol can kill a dog.. just note that.. He is fine now.. house payment wasn't made.. but the boy is fine... He snuggles with me.. he is my alarm clock.. and I couldnt last a day if he weren't here...
9:01 PM
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