We buried him in the front yard, where he always liked to hang out and patrol. His headstone is a tall saguaro cactus.
He's been around for so long, it's hard to imagine life without him...he was really close to all of us.
Now, he's gone.
Tippy Watkins, a cockerspaniel-dachsund mix lived for a good long time. He lived as part of the Watkins family from 1987 to 2002.
He was a good dog.
I only the hope the same will be said of me, when I'm gone.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
You may think cats are better than dogs, and you may not like dogs. Even if you didn't like them, dogs never stopped liking you. They may not have had as much personality as the common cat, but they knew when you felt bad and they wanted you to feel happy.
A dog knew just how to make you feel better. A dog knew just what you were feeling, and he would share that feeling with you. A dog was probably the best companion I ever had.
If you have a dog, give them a pet for me. Tell them they're good dogs, because they are. Give them lots of attention and care, so that when they die, they'll know they left you a little happier than they found you.
C.W. McCall, Aurora Borealis [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: Aaniele ]
My grandparents had to put their dog down too, because she had diabetes, and her hips were starting to go out, she was old too. Alaskan husty/German Sheperd mix. *sigh* She was such a gentle dog too. She was extremely protective of me when i was young. My parents say she would go BALLISTIC if i started to cry.
Im sorry, but anyone that says a dog isnt a family member is totally full of it. They are, and more.
Illanae hugs Parcelan tight!
Hugs ya, and pets her cat, too.
I'm not a dog person, but I know how nice they are. All pets are members of the family.
I'm sorry to hear that you've lost a friend. Loosing a pet is always like loosing a part of the family.
For what it's worth, anyway. Losing a pet is awful.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
*huggles Parce tight
In the decade or so since finding her, PeeWee's become an integral part of our lives, a constant. PeeWee's had a lot of near-misses when it comes to death. She's had her hip broken twice by speeding cars (and limps when it's cold), and two years ago nearly died of lyme disease she got from a tick (love is forcing your beloved pet to take her pills by sticking them down her throat, believe it or not). She's been around to soothe the pain of heartbreaks, she's been around to see my sister leave home, and she's been around to see my now-married sister come to visit with her baby, who PeeWee adores.
I'd like to think PeeWee will be there when I get married, but it's not likely. And when we move from NC to Indiana, it'll be the first time PeeWee's ever lived off of her farm in her life. And we won't have all our cats. I worry sometimes that it'll break her heart to leave all this. But she'll still have us, she'll get to see Emily more often, and she'll stay inside more (she's primarily an outside dog) since we know she's starting to get up there in years (we figured she was a year or three old when we found her; she was/is just too small a dog to get out of the big box, the bottom of which had soggied out in the water of the ditch) and she's not as spry as she was.
When the time comes, I hope she doesn't suffer. I hope it doesn't come down to one of us having to take her to the vet to be put down, as I know I'll have to be the one to do it. I hope she dies, warm and safe, in her sleep, on her favorite pillow in the living room. Having to take her to be put down would about do me in. It'd be like killing a part of myself, a part of my life.
I know what you feel, Parce, having had a friend like that, and knowing that the "forever" you promised as the duration of your friendship seems so much shorter than it did when you were younger. Yours has left now. Mine will no doubt leave before this decade is done. And when she's gone, there'll be nothing left of her but a lot of good, strong, happy memories. Learning to live with the memories rather than the living, breathing animal is the trick, I guess.
I am sorry for your loss, Parcelan. Hold those memories and that love tight. It's the best way to memorialize your friend, and the best way to stay true to your friendship.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
[ 01-04-2002: Message edited by: Timpofee ]
I'm sorry, Parc. Losing a pet hurts a lot.
I feel for you, Parce... I really do. I still cry occasionally thinking of the last two we had to put down, and that was 2 and 5 years ago. *HUGS*
My dog died last year.
Again...I'm sorry.
My only regret was not being there when it happened. I'm convinced that he died of a broken heart, but he may have felt otherwise. He was old, time was growing short for him, and in the end.. I was away in Texas for 2 weeks. He died 1/2 way through my vacation.
In a wierd way, I think Dexter (my cat) knew he was dying, and DIDN'T want me to be there to see it. He was quiet and listless, lying in the cold bathtub with my mother by his side. She left for 5 minutes to get something and when she returned, his eyes had already closed for the last time.
For the longest time, it was just him and me. After meeting Synjari, he may have sensed that I found a "people" to be happy with and it was time for him to move on. He's been gone for 2 years now, but I'll never forget him. The fact that I'm sitting here at my desk forcing back tears is proof.
"If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around" - Cowboy Wisdom
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." - Roger Caras
"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." -Robert Benchley
"Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one." - Anonymous
"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as a dog does" - Christopher Morley
"To err is human,
to forgive canine" -Anonymous
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher" -Plato
And finally...
I miss the little wagging tail;
I miss the plaintive, pleading wail;
I miss the wistful, loving glance;
I miss the circling welcome-dance.
I miss the eyes that, watching, sued;
I miss her tongue of gratitude
that licked my hand, in loving mood
when we divided cup or food.
- Henry Willett, "In Memoriam"
Sorry to hear of your loss, may the memories live on...
