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Dog, cat, something else, or nothing?


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11 hours ago, Reacher said:

Had to put my dog down this afternoon. We had adopted him 3-4 years ago so don't know his exact age but believe he's about 12. He had been suffering for awhile and even the pain medication wasn't helping. It's always a tough call deciding if you are prolonging a life for your benefit or taking care of your pet by ending his suffering.

Sorry to hear that. Never an easy decision.  

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12 hours ago, Reacher said:

Had to put my dog down this afternoon. We had adopted him 3-4 years ago so don't know his exact age but believe he's about 12. He had been suffering for awhile and even the pain medication wasn't helping. It's always a tough call deciding if you are prolonging a life for your benefit or taking care of your pet by ending his suffering.

Know your pain well....Hang in there.

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On 11/29/2021 at 8:36 PM, Reacher said:

Had to put my dog down this afternoon. We had adopted him 3-4 years ago so don't know his exact age but believe he's about 12. He had been suffering for awhile and even the pain medication wasn't helping. It's always a tough call deciding if you are prolonging a life for your benefit or taking care of your pet by ending his suffering.

It’s the worst decision to have to make. We’ve had to do the same thing twice in the last year with our senior dogs. Both times it was pretty obvious that we needed to let them go, but it’s so hard. And walking home with that empty dog carrier is so painful. 

I’m so sorry. 

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26 minutes ago, Lostin76 said:

It’s the worst decision to have to make. We’ve had to do the same thing twice in the last year with our senior dogs. Both times it was pretty obvious that we needed to let them go, but it’s so hard. And walking home with that empty dog carrier is so painful. 

I’m so sorry. 

I just had to walk out of the vets office with a dog crate and put it in my car. I can't imagine walking home with it.  Sure is a noticeable emptiness around the house now. 

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14 minutes ago, Reacher said:

I just had to walk out of the vets office with a dog crate and put it in my car. I can't imagine walking home with it.  Sure is a noticeable emptiness around the house now. 

It's been about 3 years now, I heard a meow from under my car.  Thought it was one of our cats but it was a stray. We did everything we could to save it. Had it 6 months. I left for work one day and a couple hours later my wife rushed it to the vet and it pretty much died in her arms. You don't really get over it.  She had this kitty cube she would hide and play in. We didn't throw it away, just stuffed it in a closet. 

My family had a lot of pets while I was growing up. I've lost count how many I've had to take in and bury among other things. I guess I just handle it better than most but doesn't mean it don't bother me. 

I can't imagine what it's like to be a veterinarian. 

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14 hours ago, Reacher said:

I just had to walk out of the vets office with a dog crate and put it in my car. I can't imagine walking home with it.  Sure is a noticeable emptiness around the house now. 

They leave a big empty hole when they are gone. Our place was SO quiet w/o a dog. We feel blessed to have been able to find out current rescue and it’s really helped us recover from the loss. 

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5 hours ago, Lostin76 said:

They leave a big empty hole when they are gone. Our place was SO quiet w/o a dog. We feel blessed to have been able to find out current rescue and it’s really helped us recover from the loss. 

That is how we got our last dog. Our previous GS died and within a month my wife was in contact with adoption agencies. Not long after, we brought him home. This time, I'm thinking we will wait a little longer. I can use a break. 

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On 12/3/2021 at 2:40 PM, Reacher said:

That is how we got our last dog. Our previous GS died and within a month my wife was in contact with adoption agencies. Not long after, we brought him home. This time, I'm thinking we will wait a little longer. I can use a break. 

And sometimes a break is healthy. It’s been a little over a year since we had to put our last dog down, and with buying a new house, knew it wasn’t the right time. 
 

But, that year has given everyone time to heal, and now we can all talk about the happy memories that our dogs provided during their lives. Will always miss them, but the sadness of their loss has faded, replaced with the memories of the better times in their lives. 

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We are in our mid-60’s. Quite a conundrum whether to get another dog. Dexter has been gone for just about 4 months and there’s not a day that something doesn’t remind me of him. We talk about the freedom to go where we want without worrying about finding someone to watch our pet. We talk about getting older and whether we can physically handle a dog. But then I worry that when I am gone for business, my wife is alone. But then I think about the long walks, the unconditional love, the joy…Like I said, a conundrum 

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11 minutes ago, Steubenhoosier said:

We are in our mid-60’s. Quite a conundrum whether to get another dog. Dexter has been gone for just about 4 months and there’s not a day that something doesn’t remind me of him. We talk about the freedom to go where we want without worrying about finding someone to watch our pet. We talk about getting older and whether we can physically handle a dog. But then I worry that when I am gone for business, my wife is alone. But then I think about the long walks, the unconditional love, the joy…Like I said, a conundrum 

Saw my step-dad a few days ago. He's 62 in a couple weeks. Lives alone and just remodeled one of our farms pole buildings into a house. Turned out really nice. 

Stopped by to see it, first thing he asked, take care of my dogs when I'm gone. Of course I will. 

I guess what I'm getting at is if you have someone to trust to take care of them it helps with the decision.  

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33 minutes ago, Steubenhoosier said:

We are in our mid-60’s. Quite a conundrum whether to get another dog. Dexter has been gone for just about 4 months and there’s not a day that something doesn’t remind me of him. We talk about the freedom to go where we want without worrying about finding someone to watch our pet. We talk about getting older and whether we can physically handle a dog. But then I worry that when I am gone for business, my wife is alone. But then I think about the long walks, the unconditional love, the joy…Like I said, a conundrum 

We went down that road and decided against another dog.  Had one after our best dog and she just didn't measure up to the one we lost.  We loved her, but after she was gone, it was an easier decision to not get another dog.

Living in the country, we get stray cats instead.  They are all trapped and spayed/neutered.  The ones that stay become mousers and low-maintenance pets.  Those that leave after the spay/neuter, we feel no guilt over.  Dogs are generally more loving and loyal, but cats are the ultimate low-maintenance pet.  Aside from basic veterinary visits, the most we do for them aside form feeding them is plug in a frost-free water bowl and a couple of heating pads in the shed during the winter.

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14 hours ago, Steubenhoosier said:

We are in our mid-60’s. Quite a conundrum whether to get another dog. Dexter has been gone for just about 4 months and there’s not a day that something doesn’t remind me of him. We talk about the freedom to go where we want without worrying about finding someone to watch our pet. We talk about getting older and whether we can physically handle a dog. But then I worry that when I am gone for business, my wife is alone. But then I think about the long walks, the unconditional love, the joy…Like I said, a conundrum 

I am starting to envision the freedom of a dogless lifestyle. Because we had an old ornery German Shepherd and most of the family has other dogs, we had to rely on kennels when we travelled. I'd imagine we will get another one in  a year or so but we will see how it goes.

Have you considered adopting an older dog?  Most people prefer the younger ones for obvious reasons. You could get a smaller sized 10 yr old dog that barks when people / cars go by that would give the illusion of more security and still be easy to handle. At that age, they won't need much training and exercise. 

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14 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

Saw my step-dad a few days ago. He's 62 in a couple weeks. Lives alone and just remodeled one of our farms pole buildings into a house. Turned out really nice. 

Stopped by to see it, first thing he asked, take care of my dogs when I'm gone. Of course I will. 

I guess what I'm getting at is if you have someone to trust to take care of them it helps with the decision.  

 

14 hours ago, FKIM01 said:

We went down that road and decided against another dog.  Had one after our best dog and she just didn't measure up to the one we lost.  We loved her, but after she was gone, it was an easier decision to not get another dog.

Living in the country, we get stray cats instead.  They are all trapped and spayed/neutered.  The ones that stay become mousers and low-maintenance pets.  Those that leave after the spay/neuter, we feel no guilt over.  Dogs are generally more loving and loyal, but cats are the ultimate low-maintenance pet.  Aside from basic veterinary visits, the most we do for them aside form feeding them is plug in a frost-free water bowl and a couple of heating pads in the shed during the winter.

 

37 minutes ago, Reacher said:

I am starting to envision the freedom of a dogless lifestyle. Because we had an old ornery German Shepherd and most of the family has other dogs, we had to rely on kennels when we travelled. I'd imagine we will get another one in  a year or so but we will see how it goes.

Have you considered adopting an older dog?  Most people prefer the younger ones for obvious reasons. You could get a smaller sized 10 yr old dog that barks when people / cars go by that would give the illusion of more security and still be easy to handle. At that age, they won't need much training and exercise. 

For us, one of the biggest factors is....how much room do we have in our hearts to add another dog to our family. Our last guy was pretty much the perfect dog for empty nesters, and I don't know/think/believe we could find a dog nearly comparable. We have lost too many furry friends and just not sure that the heartache is worth the effort again. Certainly, you guys make some good points, just don't know if/when we'll be ready to open our homes and hearts to another pet.

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1 hour ago, Steubenhoosier said:

 

 

For us, one of the biggest factors is....how much room do we have in our hearts to add another dog to our family. Our last guy was pretty much the perfect dog for empty nesters, and I don't know/think/believe we could find a dog nearly comparable. We have lost too many furry friends and just not sure that the heartache is worth the effort again. Certainly, you guys make some good points, just don't know if/when we'll be ready to open our homes and hearts to another pet.

I get that. Sunday was the 1 year anniversary of the loss of our Huskey Hoosier. I put some red and white flowers on her grave and was an emotional wreck again. 

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3 hours ago, Steubenhoosier said:

For us, one of the biggest factors is....how much room do we have in our hearts to add another dog to our family. Our last guy was pretty much the perfect dog for empty nesters, and I don't know/think/believe we could find a dog nearly comparable. We have lost too many furry friends and just not sure that the heartache is worth the effort again. Certainly, you guys make some good points, just don't know if/when we'll be ready to open our homes and hearts to another pet.

Man, do I know how that feels.  We had a fantastic dog...a big beautiful cream-colored chow that just showed up at our place already spayed and well-behaved.  We looked for lor lost dog notices for weeks and finally decided to adopt her.  She was fantastic...even let the cat sleep on top of her in her fur when it was cold.  She loved the cold.  She was tremendous at killing moles and groundhogs.  She was so gentle with our family and yer very protective when she felt we were threatened.  Never had to be chained...just the perfect dog.  We adopted another dog after she died and that poor girl was sweet but could never live up to the ideal of our Chelsea.  We loved her and she loved us, but when she passed, the decision not to get another dog was easy.

We'll probably always have a few cats and miscellaneous critters hanging around to help the cats eat their food, but I don't see any more dogs in our future for the many reasons already hashed out.  With cats, when we travel, we pay a local a few bucks to stop by twice a day and make sure they have food and water.  Beyond that, they are pretty self sufficient.

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, Lostin76 said:

The rescue organization that we got our latest dachshund from reached out to us on Monday to see if we could foster two dachshunds that were owner surrendered. I was a bit hesistant as we live in a tiny place, but they said the original foster fell through and they were stuck in the pound. 

They are two dachshunds that are a bonded pair and had been in their home for about 9 years. We wanted to know the story, so my wife looked them up from the dog’s medical records. Looks like they were very loved, but the owners recently had a baby and moved into a new house. Apparently the dogs were disposable to them. 

They are super sweet, happy, and completely house trained. 

Meet Macintosh and Apple, hopefully someone wants to adopt them soon, b/c three dogs, two cats, and two humans in a 500 sq ft apartment is not a long term fit! 

 

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Good luck not falling for that sweet face

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12 minutes ago, Lostin76 said:

Ha, we can’t. They are a package deal and we can’t have three dogs. But, we will keep them safe and happy until someone wants them. 

Yeah, that's alot for a small big city apartment.  I don't have that much more space than you but do have the luxury of a yard. 

Edited by mrflynn03
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Wife is going to harness train a cat. Ha! Good luck. This is our cat Tyson she wants to train. I named her after Mike Tyson because my favorite animal is a tiger, Mike had tigers, and she kind of has tiger stripes. 

She doesn't look thrilled. 

Resized_20211212_092732(1).thumb.jpeg.8f9e6821abbcd7bfd6d951e7a99b3199.jpeg

This is one of 2 we kept from the litter we saved. This thing was once no bigger than my thumb. 

Edited by mrflynn03
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11 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

Yeah, that's alot for a small big city apartment.  I don't have that much more space than you but do have the luxury of a yard. 

We do have a large fenced in courtyard in the back of our building and a good sized dog run that’s secured. So, we do have a lot of outdoor space, but wrangling three dogs into harnesses and leashes for the elevator trip down is a production. Good thing we are not in a walk up!

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11 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

Wife is going to harness train a cat. Ha! Good luck. This is our cat Tyson she wants to train. I named her after Mike Tyson because my favorite animal is a tiger, Mike had tigers, and she kind of has tiger stripes. 

She doesn't look thrilled. 

Resized_20211212_092732(1).thumb.jpeg.8f9e6821abbcd7bfd6d951e7a99b3199.jpeg

This is one of 2 we kept from the litter we saved. This thing was once no bigger than my thumb. 

We tried that once with our cat Seymour when we were in college in Bloomington. He was not a fan. He would end up just going limp and making us feel like total a**holes for taking him out. 😂

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