Goodbye to Sarah

[AngelaT 2]

I am sorry Carlene... she will always be with you...

[djmath 0]

carlene....

so sorry to hear about your lost..when we had to have our beloved "friends" put to sleep 3 years ago..both with in a year, it was one of the hardest things I had to do in many years....I held them, petted them and told them what good doggies they were..I knew it was the best for them, but it did not feel the best for us at that time..... but it was.....I told myself that was it..no more pets...I was so heart broken and missed them so much......well my husband has gotton me two new companions..they do not replace Squirt and Lady ...but they are now part of our lives...and we enjoy them so......

I hope your pain is less as the days go on.....you did the right thing....

God Bless you..and yours...

Jenny

[cahuber 0]

Carlene,

I am so very sorry for your loss. I believe that you made the best choice possible for Sarah and the fact that it broke your heart to have to do so proves just how much you loved her. I'm sure that you know this already, but dogs don't just age 7 years for each of our years, they also love 7 times stronger than we do...you are a very fortunate lady to have had such a doggie in your life ... you were truly loved.

Time will ease the pain and you will be able to look back on Sarah's life and smile ... it will happen, I promise.

[Carlene 12]

The two hardest things I have ever had to do were to decide when to pull the plug on a Human loved one (twice)

And to hold my dog as the vet put him to sleep (3 times).

I cry as I write this.

I had to fill out some paperwork when my mom was in ICU....what they could do to prolong her life, and what they couldn't. It was awful. I felt like I was signing her death warrant.

[Carlene 12]

Thank you all for your kind words. I'm grateful too that I have Lucy, my little Shih Tzu who has issues and is loved by no one but me.

Like most Labs, Sarah loved all living creatures. Her greatest joy was pleasing humans. It's too bad that people don't care as much about people as that big yellow dog did.

[Northernsun 4]

You have my sympathies. It is probably the hardest thing I had to do. After 3 yrs and a new dog that has become just as special Tho you can't compare- apples to oranges- we still remember and talk about our old dog Chester. For the longest time we were sure he was still with us- Jake would stand and stare into the corner Chester used to sleep in and would not even go there to get his toys that rolled there. Now that he knows Jake is trying to fill his shoes the best he can, we don't sense him and I know he is waiting for us on the other side of the rainbow bridge. We swore after him we would not get another dog so we would not have to go through that again ( we have had dogs all our lives so have done this before) and this time we actually lasted about 2 months before we were back looking at the adoptions and when we saw Jake - skinny and boney with the big American Bulldog head sticking out we were sunk and once again became parents. Our daughter is out of the house and it was just too empty with just a cat and a tank of fish.

[paula 4]

Awe Carlene... another LBT pet loss ((big loving hugs))

We lost our 'Clare' (doxin) back in late August.. car accident. I truly believe that we will see these loved ones again.. one day.

[tonya66 13]

Oh, I'm so sorry. We had to put our best friend down 3 years ago, and it still pains me to think about it. As I was standing there with my DH, both of us crying our hearts out, the vet was so kind and passionate, I'll tell you what he told me - he placed his hands around me and said "He would have done it for you". And I think he would have, I didn't want to see my precious dog, my friend in pain any longer, and the fact is, we put them down because of our love we have for them. Its never easy saying good-bye so my thoughts and prayers are with you & hubby today.

[kim2bhealthy 3]

Carlene - (((HUGS))) I can relate.. It is soo hard to say goodbye to an old friend that you have nurtured and cared for for many years. I respect the fact that you didn't let her quality of life deteriorate. Quality, not quantity, is after all what matters! Remember her fondly and with a smile on your face, I'm sure she thinks of you that way!

[winner 0]

Many people don't understand how deep the loss of a pet can be. I am so sorry for your loss, and so happy for the great times you had together.

[TruBlueSue 0]

I'm sitting at work with tears running down my face in empathy. I lost my 18 year old cat, Peanut recently - it was like losing my first child in a sense - she was with me in college, all over the world in the Army, and watched my daughter steal a piece of my heart from her...I kept her here too long but I couldn't bear the thought of my life without her. In the end she was starting to go into renal failure; she was frightened all the time; hid in the closet, and even ran from me cowering until I would say her name...I am sure she was losing her eyesight and her quality of life...

I hope she forgives me. And I know your furbaby is happier and well, too.

Sue

[Carlene 12]

Sue...

I also had a kitty that I couldn't let go of. She was 17 and I spent weeks and lots of $$$ trying to "fix" her - IVs and kitty ICU and labs/tests. It was awful for both of us. I came home on my lunch hour to force feed her, wouldn't go anywhere on the weekend, etc. I envisioned the rest of my life being tethered to this poor sick cat. I should have let Susie go. Like you, I feel guilty and selfish for not ending her suffering, instead of adding to it. I thought about Susie when Sarah got sick. I was not about to make that mistake again.

If the vet had told me that Sarah had a better than 50% chance, I would have treated her but he was not very encouraging. And the thought of chemo was too much. I've seen it with people and it's not pretty.