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That is very sweet, thank you for sharing. Our stories are similar in a few ways, and I’m in about the same place now - our 10.5 y/o rescue has fluid repeatedly entering his chest cavity and it’s just a matter of time, probably a day or three, before we make the decision. My first dog as well and the precursor to our children. Having a tough time accepting it. I’ll edit this post with his memorial. Thank you to everyone for sharing your stories.
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Sep 17, 2023 22:03
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| # ¿ May 8, 2024 20:33 |
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I mostly lurk and shitpost so I have no idea where to host images but I’d like to share at least some text about Forrest, who I had to say goodbye to this morning. If I can figure it out I’ll edit in some pics. It’s long but cathartic for me, so thank you for those who choose to read. I’m just so sad. RIP Forrest, my first dog, and my forever buddy. He was almost 11 years old catahoula-mutt. A random cough and heavy breathing Saturday night turned into an ER visit to get his chest cavity drained because it was filled with lymphatic fluid. We knew the prognosis for a dog his age, so we had an amazing Sunday full of pets, hugs, rides, and a trip for a doggy ice cream sundae. He ate fine, did his business fine, and even moseyed up to bed, so I thought he’d have a bit longer, but by early morning he was panting extremely heavy, and with another trip to the ER, they found he had even more fluid built up than the day before. The time had come and I was with him until the end. Forrest was my first dog. As a ~ 1 year old rescue trucked up from Alabama, he was hard to want to adopt - during the trial walk at the shelter he jumped up and ripped a 2 inch hole in my jacket and I was done; however, at the very end he went over to my wife, put his muddy paws on her brand new shows, and gave her a big kiss on her knee. That was Forrest in a nutshell. What follows is your classic boy-girl-dog story. Boy and girl adopt and spoil the poo poo out of dog. Boy and girl get engaged and dog gets a photoshoot with us. Boy and girl get married and get a house, and dog has rule of the roost. Boy and Girl suffer losses and dog is there to comfort us. Boy and Girl have kids , and dog was there to pave the way in how to be responsible for small things. He was a part of our lives for almost a decade, our first baby. We like to think we gave him the best life we could. Pretty much every year he’d need a procedure or special vet visit. In late 2021 he got overly excited and jumped off a tall rock right onto our driveway and mis-judged the distance. He instantly sat next to us and lifted his front right paw up, it was dangling at the wrist. Forrest became the owner of a $10k metal leg so he could walk again. We told ourselves that, along with 3 months PT, was our “big” gift to him, that any time after that was bonus time to be appreciated. He was only 8.5 and we knew he had so much more to give. After the surgery Forrest slowed down a bit, but still loved his one walk a day. He was never huge on being pet, but always wanted to be where we were, which I guess is a Catahoula thing. It was tough when we had kids and we weren’t able to give him as much attention as before. No longer allowed on the furniture, or going on car rides all the time, yet he never showed aggressions or jealousy, never destructive or did business inside. He transitioned into being a loyal and low key companion. He loved just being around, and was simply perfect for us. I worked from home for the last few years so he was forever by my side. The hardest part in all this is that I always had visions of him being a crusty old man. I’d guide him to his food bowl or bed, and he’d always be nearby with a happy little Forrest grunt and warm, soft fur. I’m so sad he didn’t make it there. He was a senior dog, but definitely had a few more years left in him, if it wasn’t for whatever inside messed up his lymphatic system. Probably a huge tumor. We declined in his final morning to do more scanning to find the root cause, we knew nothing could be done. When my son was born, I’d always think about the phrase “A boy and his dog” - looking forward to him keeping the old senior dog going. They actually never really formed that type of a bond, and that’s when I realized that I was the boy, and Forrest was my dog. I’m realizing I’ll never have another Forrest, and I don’t want another Forrest, I just want him by my side. With the death of the dog, the boy realizes that he must grow up. Goodbye my sweet little doggie, and thank you for being with this boy and guiding me along to become a man. I’m so heartbroken and reading these stories let’s me know that’s ok.
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Sep 18, 2023 21:39
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