Neal,

This is very sad for you and your family.Our dog Copper is 15 years old as well and he`s like our son..

Having a dog that gets older is very difficult for everyone involved.

Neal, Roscoe is adorable!!  I am a big animal lover.  We have two dogs, two cats and assorted small pets.  Our dog Sam is 10 and has seizures, is on daily medication for a collapsed disc in his back and he's also got arthritis.  His teeth are in awful shape, cleanings at the vet seem to do no good, and he's already had to have one pulled.  Still, he's the happiest little guy I know.  He helps me wake the kids every morning.  He follows me so much my husband calls him my entourage.  He feels important to our family and he's right.  I know the time will come when he won't be with us anymore, and it will be like I'm losing ... well, a cross between a best friend and a child.  I raised him from a six week old pup. 

You're taking great care of Roscoe.  You're not making too much about worrying about him.  We don't always get to say good-bye, but Roscoe already knows how much he means to you.  I saw a plaque once that said, "Heaven, where all your old dogs are waiting for you at the gate." 

I have no idea where I was going with this.

Just wanted you to know that I get where you're coming from.  Give Roscoe a pat from his friend in West Virginia.

Thanks Sarah

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/yahoo/sfl-cpdogshow11mar11,0,3682849.story?coll=sfla-newsaol-headlines

Hi Neal,  I know how you feel about Roscoe.  What a cutie!  We have two Beagles and spoil them way too much.  Our Dalmatian, Jack, had to be euthanized last year.  He was 16 and it was just a heartwrenching experience.  

But here's the deal.  The only way to protect yourself from suffering in this life is to not love anybody (humans and animals).  I'm sure you'll agree that's simply not an option.  It's the price you pay for love. 

I hope Roscoe stays healthy so your family can continue to enjoy him.  Tell him Baxter and Cooper say "hi". 

I don't know if this will help, but a potential client just gave me a book called "Marley & Me" by John Grogan.  She gave it to me last week after we lost our border collie.  He was the best and most infuriating friend I ever had.  I will miss him forever and there will never be another "Snickers".

My baby died in my arms 2 years ago.  She was 22 1/2 and I loved her so.  I will never get over it and have not allowed another into my home.  Just not ready yet.  

You made me cry.

Neil, my heart breaks for you, as Peggy said it's the price you pay for love. We love our little dog so much and I'm teary eyed thinking about the day he's not with us. I'm sure Roscoe bring so much joy to you and he's an important part of your family. Enjoy your time with him, he's adorable.

Laurie,

Damm! 22 1/2 years, come on ,I didnt know that pets could live that long, tha is longer than some relationships! Fabulous!

Thanks

Neal,

Gee, I hate to be the gloom and doom person of the day, but when you love a dog like you love Rosco you never get over the loss.  I lost my Alexandria 5 years ago and it is just like it was yesterday.  I miss her and I think of her everyday. She was with me for 17 years.  I would love another dog but present conditions prohibit it at this time. Although it would never replace her, no dog could, I love the companionship of dogs. They are so great! Love every moment you have with Rosco and make the most of it for the memories. 

Roberta, Thank you, it was a hard thing to write about, but it was bothering me lately, especially that I might need to go out of town for a week and it is hard boarding him long term instead of 2-3days.

Neal,

Is there any way you can take Rosco with you?  I used to travel and I made a bed of plywood out of the back seat so that Alexandria could travel with me.  I just knew she would be upset if I was gone to long.  Our four footed friends don't understand when we are gone and they get frightened that we have left them.  I just didn't want her to go through that.  What can you do to lessen his fear?

We leave him with our vet who boards, this way if there is a problem, I know he is in good hands, also I will be going from Florida to Arizona in a few months, so driving is not an option ,also he is too much to be in a car for long periods.

He just gets alittle disoriented when we pick him up and kind of does not know where he is for the first half hour, but then he is fine,thanks for asking.

Awww Mr Roscoe!  Play with him everyday like it will be his last day.  We lost a cat that was less than 5 from acute kidney failure.  We thought she just had a cold and her health deteriorated in less than 24 hours after we took her to the vet for the news.  The grieving process was long and hard.  I couldn't imagine a pet that had been in the family that long!  We got a dog almost a year ago and dogs are almost like kids in some respects.  I hope Mr Roscoe keeps chugging along in his old age.  You keep him happy and healthy and he will stay there for you until he can't any more :(

Thanks Renee, from Roscoe the eveready dog, just keeps on ticking!

Neal...

I'm with you on this. My K-9 was shot with 22 bird shot. He has a pellet lodged against the nerve that let's him know he has to use the men's room :) The pellet can not be removed without causing severe damage to to his spine. He now has to live outside and in time I will have to put him down because the pellet has also affected his spine and his legs. He is slowing losing his range of motion and is no longer able to climb stairs or get around like he used to. It's very sad to watch this happen to Brutus Tutas. He's been a girl's best friend for many years. I have prepared myself emotionally, but I still get a little upset when I wrap my head around the fact that I will have to be the one who makes the decision about his future. In the meantime I am looking for another police dog so Brutus can train it while he is still able to be the leader of the pack. I am sorry that your pup is having similar problems. The only words of wisdom I can offer is to prepare your heart for the inevitable loss. Now, see. You got me all mushed out. :(

TLW...ROAR!

Neal - a year ago my wife and I left for a long weekend to attend a wedding.  During the service we got a call from my mother in law... our 12 year old Chocolate Lab had collapsed and was being rushed to the hospital.  One of our best friends was getting married and we were in tears on the phone in formalwear telling the vet to put her to sleep.  We had no choice.  My mother in law told us she was very peaceful and sweet... we had to do it.  It still makes us very sad.  We feel her spirit every day in our home.... she possesses our other two dogs when they do things out of their personalities that was so much HER.

It is hard ... it is hard taking care of an older ailing dog.  There are steps you can buy even at places like Bed Bath and Beyond to help Roscoe get up and down.  If he's happy and loves you and wants to be with you, then it is worth it.  If he's in constant pain and not enjoying life then you owe it to him for all the love he's brought to make the tough decision.  With Animals, unlike our human companions, we have the legal right to be humane.

I know I'm SUPERcontroversial now... so be it.. .I love my dogs.

My dog growing up had bladder problems because of her heart medicine... at night she didn't want to wake my parents so she would go into their bathroom!!  She would go into the SHOWER and pee on the floor.  On the nights that my dad would forget and close the shower, she would go into the separate "water closet" and pee on the rug.  Needless to say his morning wake up wasn't his coffee those days.  She was smart and she found a way to live with it... something dogs do amazingly well.

TLW

I am so sorry for what you are going through with your beloved Brutus.  I KNOW how hard this is on  you.  Been there. Done that. God bless you and him to give you the strength of heart when the time comes.  My prayers are with you at this time in you life.  Losing a loved one is never easy and let's face it our love is never less just because the one we love has four feet instead of two.

Hi Neal, Wanted to comment on your post a few days back but I have a few irons in the fire that needed tending. First wanted to say that I was very touched by your story about Roscoe and how amazing that he's lived so long, undoubtedly a tribute to the love and care he gets in your family. Looks like a real cutie-pie!

I am a cat person with 2 cats of different ages. Odo is 11 and Lucylou is 4. My older cat has always been a scaredy cat, which I knew when I adopted him, so it takes very little to rock his world. I've always made it a point to use a pet sitter for him or have someone who knows us look in on him when I'm away. I think it's easier on his temperament. Like you, as my little buddy ages, it's hard to be away for long periods of time so I feel for you.

I used to facilitate a pet loss support group through my local humane society. Once a week, I'd sit down with people who had just lost their best friend and the main thing that everyone struggles with is the difficulty of letting go: when, how, and the guilt of it. The best way to get through is to consider the following: Because you love them, you will make the best and most loving decision at the time. There is no right answer. The time of passing is inevitable for all of us.

For any of you suffering about either the loss of a pet of who know that a loss is coming and want to talk to someone outside of A/R, there is a wonderful service from the Veterinary School at Washington State University at Pullman http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ for people suffering from the loss of pet. They were very kind to me when my kitty passed a few years ago and there is no charge. They are also a good resource on all pet things.

I was very moved by all of the kind people responding to this post. Blessings to you, I'm so proud to be in this group.

Neal 

There's nothing like a good terrier. I've raised 3 dogs from 8 week old puppies until I had to put them to sleep due to health problems around 13. Two Chow Chows & a Gordon Setter. They were much larger than your friend Roscoe. Small dogs live much longer. Losing a dog is amoung the hardest things I've ever done.

Joe

Thanks guys for your kind thoughts, Joe.... love the beard!

Love Roscoe all you can.  We had four mini doxies and we just had to put one to sleep on Monday.  We had two girls and two boys.  Angel, Annie, Bandit and Koby.  Angel was the one we lost.  They are like your children and all hae different personalities.  Angel had gone thru alot.  When we was a puppy she got into the trash and ate something that wouldn't come out.  We had to take her to our local vet and they did surgery to remove what she swallowed.  She started going down hill, her kidneys and liver started to fail.  One of our friend referred us to another vet out of town.  We took her there and he consulted with another vet and they dermined that he had to go back and open her up.  We ok'd that, anything to save our baby.  He went back in and found that the other vet didn't stitch her up right, there were loose stiches and stitches missed and an infection in her that caused her kidneys and liver to start shutting down.  Then about the same time my husband had neck surgery, so they both had the neck thing going on.  You know the plastic thing they put on dogs so they can't get to their stitches.  And my husband has his neck brace on.  She recoved from that.  Then last Sept we had to take her in again, she wasn't doing good.  The vet tested her and it was her kidneys, oh yah, I forgot to mention, when we took her out of town to the vet, he took x-rays and told us her kidneys are small for her body so that didn't help.  So last Sept he then gave us pills for her to take.  Well, she started we thought doing good then went down hill again.  We took her back two weeks ago and he said to take her off the pills and we will do a biopsy of her kidneys to see if she might have a bacteria and then we can treat it.  He scheduled her surgery for last monday.  Well over the weekend she wasn't doing well at all, not eating, not drinking water.  We gave her water and chicken broth by dropper.  Then Sunday morning when we came back into the house she met us at the door with her talk wagging.  We thought she was feeling better, then Sunday night she ate her dinner and was drinking water on her own.  We thought great!  She is feeling better.  Then as night passed by, she was really going down hill.  She could barely walk, she was drowling alot.  We knew she wasn't going to make it.  She would walk around the house all night putting her head against the wall and just stand there or she would go over to her bed and put her head against it and stand there.  It broke our hearts.  We took her to the vet on Monday and by the time we got here, 8am, she was really lifeless.  The vet told us he could take our money and he could give her a blood transfusion and do other things but she probable wouldn't make it.  He flipped her ear up and noticed they were yellowing, her liver was shutting down.  So we deceided it was time to put her to sleep.  We really broke down.  We loved her soooooooo much and miss her.  My husband keeps saying, what if we did the transfustion and she was getting better.  Then he realizes that it was best.  I held her all day Saturday, and cryed.  We thought we were going to lose her on Saturday.  We are just thankful we got six great years with her. 

Here is our Angel:

Here is Angel with me:

Michelle,

I AM SO sorry for your loss.  I know the pain.  With our animal family it is two fold.  One WE are the ones that have to decide when it is time for them to go and two the final good by.  God bless you my dear.

You will meet again at Rainbow Bridge!

Hi All,

Very touched by the remarks.

If anyone is interested , I started another group called PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO, if anyone is interested, please feel free to join.

Thanks

Neal

Is someone suggesting Dogs aren't people?  Don't tell Casanova that.  I wasn't much of a dog person, until I got Casanova.  He is 11 1/2 and I almost lost him a couple years back and devastation didn't even describe how I felt.  I have lost family, friends and there was a part of me that felt worse when the Dr. told me, he is probably not going to make it. I am soo thankful he has but know that day is going to come, so

I treasure each day we have together and I am sure as Casanova knows Rosco knows you do as well.

I believe, in my humble opinion that the reason we love dogs so deeply and grieve so extremely is they are the only ones we will ever know that love totally unconditionally.  They don't care what we look like, or what we do for a living or how much money we have.  All they require is a little food, water and lots and lots of love.  If you give freely to your dog they will love you no matter what. You can't love more completely than that.

I know what you mean about these fuzzy friends. I'm so in love with Chanel my Lhasa-pom. I'd do anything for her!

Lizette

What an adorable family member you have.  How bigis she?

Hi Roberta,

Now she weighs about 11 lbs., but I think most of it is hair. She's skinny chicken under all that fluff! 

Kelly , Lizette ,Joe,great photos of pets!

Thanks for everyone's thoughts as well!

    The "beasties" in our lives...what an influence!  I have never met a dog I didn't like.  Even cantankerous dogs, I seem to forgive. 

  I have a boyfriend. (Please don't tell my husband). He has short golden curls and a sexy under-bite.  He has a real sweet tail, too, if you know what I mean...

   OK, Brutus, his real name is Facia Brute, (Ugly Face), is a toy-poodle.  Unfortunately, he is not a Westminster poodle.    He has his under-bite, extremely short tail and to top it off a bad heart.  But, he doesn't seem to care.  Brutus goes a million miles an hour.  He loves to play "bingle ball" and will not let you rest.  He can retrieve for hours on end.  All this with a bad heart.  I get nervous sometimes, I think he is just gonna drop dead.  In which case, my heart will be broken, too.  ---If I think about it  I have to laugh about it, because it scares me!  I really love this little guy!

Oh God... my heart sinks and smiles for you and the thoughts of my dogs .. whom are no longer with me.  I will never be over the loss I had Bailey for 14 years and Barkley for 12 -m to large lovable labs that were my family.

I will recommend for a great great read and espeically for someone in your current shoes the best seller "Marley and Me" - Any person who is a fan of Dogs and has owned a dog for and that dog was family well love, laugh and cry.  

This book your relate too deeply and hold dear to your heart.   My best to you and Rosco... As many others said in their posts... I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Desiree

Chris and Donna,love the descriptions of your pets and yes...at least in my life they do make a big influence.

Desiree,didn't know my story made you come to tears, also a few others recommended that same book,thanks!

I lost a child that lived only 28 hours.  I thought I would die too.  It never feels good to loose even a little love.  Sometimes we never appreciate love like we should, until we loose it.  Take care of it while you still can.  Good thread.

Thanks John!

John

I have experienced both.  I lost a child and I lost my beloved Alexandria (a dog that didn't know she was a dog).  I still grieve.  My son died in 1969 and Alexandria died in 2002.  I don't cry every day, the pain moves from the front brain to the hind brain, but it is still there. 

The deeper we love the greater the loss when we lose the ones we love be they two legged or four.  But not to love is out of the question because just think of all you would have missed.  I'll take my chances with loving every time.  Hang in there your with friends. :)

Neal...

Do you know about the pet food recall? The recall indicates that the dog food that is being recalled is causing kidney failure in dogs.

<CLICK HERE> For more information about this.

Feel free to write a post about it. I make no claim to this idea :)

TLW...ROAR!

Hi Billie,

Yes, we saw it on the news right after we signed out of A/C last night.

No alarm, his brand was only pouches and cans, our was the large bags, but I still will be calling the number to confirm,that is all I need, he already has enough problems with his kidneys, no need to accelerate it.

Thank you kindly.

Just wanted to make sure you knew about it. :)

Of course you did, I feel we are like family from all the blogging

LoL!

God...I got Elderberry this time!

I love this!  I just knew that I'd see a bunch of picures!  So here's my "baby" (I tease that my children wouldn't give me grandchildren so I had to get a doggie)

Sally

Your "baby" is adorable.  Thank you for sharing her pic with us.  I too love to see others babies. :)

Brook  4/3/1995 - 9/30/2006 

Words cant even describe... 

Molly

 I am so sorry.  I know greving can be so hard.  Just remember the Rainbow Bridge!

I know she's waiting for me! 

Thanks:)

Neal,

Incredible responses to an incredible tear jerker!  Hope you had a safe and uneventful trip back in time to get the listing!

Teri

Teri,

Are you in another local?

Thanks, did you send it to Colleen? HEHE

Hey there ..I enjoyed our little talk, next time maybe I can party more,instead of driving.

A much better idea and perhaps it could be somewhere halfway to be fair to all!

yes true, closer to me for sure!

They are all so special & we have lost many dogs, cats & horses over the years because we have owned many. But we will get others and love them & lose them as well - you'll know when the time is right to let go. I have many fond memories of ours that are gone but I love the ones we have now. Adopt & save one or two - it is very rewarding & they seem to know that you rescued them.

Hi Kathleen,

Well Roscoe is still running on all cylinders today...as a matter of fact,he is bugging me for food, I swear....when he does go, if I put a biscut in front of him .,he might wake up.

Thanks, very tough.

Hi Neal,

Hang in there. Enjoy every minute you have with Roscoe. 

I lost my baby (Chubby) four years ago after a long battle with cancer.  I feel so guilty that I wasn't there when he past away.   He was slowly deteriorating the last few days before my wedding.  I didn't want to put him to sleep.  I figure once I come back from my honeymoon, I would decide then.  Chubby past away a day before I was to return from my trip.  To this day, I still feel that I deserted him when he need me most.  After all these years, the grief doesn't get any better.  I still have good days and bad days.

Best wishes for you and your baby.

Yen,

You definitely struck one of my cords...I do not know how I would have handled that one.

When my daughter was born, I took him to the vet and they thought they found cancer...the vet didn't want to tell me but they thought he had 3 months and I was pretty upset then and had mixed emotions between the birth of my daughter with was joyous...but the possible loss of him..well that was almost 11 yrs ago and he is approaching 17 and he still amazes me.

He can be a real pain in my butt....but generally very affectionate and I think he still likes to spite me.

Bless you & Roscoe!  I had to make that very difficult decision not once, but twice last year and am still greiving. 

Rosie was a Boxer mix who was resuced from the Augusta GA animal control facility after being used to hunt pigs (she was surrendered because she wasn't agressive enough!) and was full grown when we got her.  She lived with us and blessed our lives for 16 years; last summer she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  After being on Lasix and several other medications, she was having great difficulty breathing and the decision to euthanize had to be made. 

Buster, a purebred boxer was rescued from the University of Georgia after being used for a feed study.  He was also full grown and was with us for about 7 years.  Buster started losing weight and not eating and was diagnosed with stomach cancer (after 2 vets, numberous xrays and finally an ultrasound).  We fed Buster Ensure with a syringe for 6 weeks while exploring options, but there just weren't any, when he got to the point that he couldn't go out and he had lost 35 pounds, we just had to go ahead.  Last year was really tough!

Rosie                                          Buster

Michelle,

Sometimes I wonder if I should have wrote this post....too many sad stories...I'm not ready and neither is Roscoe..hopefully we will have a few more with him...thanks and sorry.

Neal, I understand the sorrow.  Maybe what I need to tell you about instead was the joy they brought and the stories my kids laugh about.  I'll share this with you as encouragement (I really didn't mean to hijack this post...and I'm writing a full piece that I hope to post soon).  Two weeks before Buster passed, we received a call from a rescue organization about a 6 month old Boston Terrier who was being surrendered because his owner was being called to active duty in Iraq, so even while feeling the pain of Buster's illness we decided to bring him home....meet Bo below!  His antics brought smiles to our faces from the day he arrived.  I will never forget the dogs who have blessed my life and been members of our family, but we keep our hearts & doors open and have 4 dogs who help us live with joy today!

Michelle,

You are not hijacking my post..I welcome the comments..look how many I have gotten.

Also you can post it to my group PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO if you want when you are done.

Thanks again.

I am pugged by my portable pooch, Lilly the pug.

She is my buddy and I would be sad to leave her in a kennel too. So we have developed relationships with people we can leave her with who will take care of her very well. And I will do the same for them if they need to travel. (With a pug, it is important to find people who understand the limitations of the breed.) So when I took a 10 day trip to St Maarten, I was completely content knowing she was being loved and cared for, as was my cat-monster Louis.

Good luck finding someone to leave your friend with, and don't forget to impose on the rest of your friends & family! I have even sat dogs for friend/clients because it was important that the dog was well cared for.

Thanks..cute dog.

I probably won't get another later on.

WOW you hit the nail on the head with regards to how you feel about your dog. Animals are important and if you've had one for a significant amount of time they become family PERIOD! I cannot imagine my dog not being around. She's so happy to see me when I come home from work...I find hanging out with her is very theraputic. So to answer your question NO you're not wrong for feeling this way...it's a part of life. I hope you do get at least 2 more year's out of him!

Trenton,

Thanks for stopping by...he is right here waiting for me to give him part of my dinner.

Pets are very important part of our lives.  I volunteer with New England Pet Partners -- pets to to senior homes, help kids read and just are members of the family!  We honor our pets and wish them long lives.

To me ,although he can be difficult at times...he keeps us company when we are alone.

I also have seen shows where they give life prisoners pets to help rehabilitate them.

I am reading these posts, teary eyed, with one dog on lap and one under my desk (who has bad gas!).  Don't feel bad about posting this, it makes me feel even more bonded to this site and to the rainers who have opened up.  Sometimes being the competent ones all the time gets lonely, pets and rainers know that..thank you.

Victiroia,

Thanks.

I am real and sometimes I get a little sad about it.

But I am still all man! HA!

Funny Victoria I just noticed an odor coming up from under my feet and it is not me. Got to love them!

Kathleen,

I see that too many times a day with his bladder both one and two!

I missed your post the first time around. And found it now because of a link from Michelle. I completely get where you are coming from! My dog Belle is a very important part of my family. I savor / treasure every day I have with her. She is just such a character. Sounds like Roscoe is too. Here's hoping you have another 2+ good years with him.

Debi,

Roscoe is still running at pretty high speed.

Hopefully we have some more time with him.

Neal,

My cat accidentally died when he was only 5.5 years old. My healing process did not begin until I got another cat after 3.5 years after his death. Nothing will replace him, but I just had to move on.

I'm a big animal person, too.  We have a Beagle named Shiloh who we got from a shelter and a lab/pekingese cross named Conan.  I also have a slew of cats, which definitely brighten my day.

Can you tell I love them?  They make me smile, and after a stressful day, there's no one better to go home to than my fiance and my animals.  :)

You can see the whole family on Catster and Dogster! 

Anna,

Sorry to hear of your loss but i am glad for your recovery.

Hey Joslyn,

I see you are following me now. You have a real pet oriented home

Mine still loves us but also gives me stress!:)lol!

Roscoe is lucky. I have an 18 year old pet and I will not leave him because it would be too hard on him. I feel my beloved pets are with me, always. It is difficult to process in the moment, but for some reason, animals are only given to us for relatively short periods. I think all we can do is be kind to them and be the best owners we can be.

We are going to AZ for a week in June and he has not been away that long for a long time so I hope he remembers us when we get back.

I tell you what...when it comes to a pet some people just don't realize how it becomes part of the family.