I lost one of my dogs today . .

My older schnauzer, Bismarck, was euthanized this morning. He had been sick for a few months now and his condition has quickly deteriorated. The last two days were really bad, and I made the decision at 8:30 this morning that he needed to be put to sleep. It is so sad, but I knew that he would suffer and there wasn't any chance of him getting better.

We got Bismarck three years ago, when he was about five. He was a rescue. He was abandoned, and in his wanderings had gotten fishing line wrapped around one of his feet. It cut off the circulation and gangrene set in. He had a partial foot amputation, and I was only going to foster him until he was medically released to be adopted. Well, he was the best behaved pet I had ever had the pleasuring of meeting, so I adopted him.. To this day I think his owner must have just dropped dead, because I cannot imagine why anyone would abandon him. He was very well trained. He ended up being the leader of our six other dogs. He liked to be in charge and was very bossy.

Bismarck was named after the German battleship. He was originally named Aachen (by my son, the WWII enthusiast) but none of the adults could pronounce that name, so it was changed to Bismarck.

He is going to be missed by our household. We loved him a lot, and he loved us a lot too.

I'm so sorry you've lost your companion.It must have been such a hard decision to make...
R.I.P. Bismarck

I'm sorry. It's never easy to lose those we care about. I grew up with pets. They become part of the family.

Oh, Kay....

It's good that you could make the decision before all the suffering had to happen.

When my Rudy (cattledog--you might remember him) was diagnosed with Cushing's disease, I really should have had him put to sleep then. Cushing's is not always fatal, but surviving with it is not so great either. By the time I did take him in for euthanasia, he was so sick. I remember thinking, as I drove away after our goodbye, that basically I had spent more than a thousand dollars just so I could watch him suffer for three extra months.

Never again.

Goodbye, Bismarck. You sound like you were wonderful.

Remember, Kay: it's much harder for us than it is for them.


(ok, fuckin great. now i'm actually crying. the tapu does not like to cry.)

Man I am sorry to hear that Kay, thats tough, I always fall apart and cry like a baby when we have to put a pet down. I have a wonderful tuxedo cat now that is a big part of our life and he is young so not a worry yet but I know I will face it again someday and I can never prepare myself for it.

Hang in there he is in a better place resting in peace.

tapu wrote:Oh, Kay....

It's good that you could make the decision before all the suffering had to happen.

When my Rudy (cattledog--you might remember him) was diagnosed with Cushing's disease, I really should have had him put to sleep then. Cushing's is not always fatal, but surviving with it is not so great either. By the time I did take him in for euthanasia, he was so sick. I remember thinking, as I drove away after our goodbye, that basically I had spent more than a thousand dollars just so I could watch him suffer for three extra months.

Never again.

Goodbye, Bismarck. You sound like you were wonderful.

Remember, Kay: it's much harder for us than it is for them.


(ok, fuckin great. now i'm actually crying. the tapu does not like to cry.)

Oh, I do remember Rudy. I think it is just human nature to try to do everything we can to keep our loved ones, including pets, with us as long as possible. It is hard to make the decision, but once it is made it is almost a good thing because you know they won't be sick anymore. I know I'm very sad but Bismarck is much better off than if I had not made the decision.

Thanks to all for your kind comments.

OH Kay , hugs big time. There's nothing quite like a great dog and those like Bismark are wonderful and rare and I'm glad he didn't have to suffer. I hate doing it too. It's so hard to say goodbye and live with their shadow for months because they just become a part of you, your environment - I'm so glad he had someone to love him through his last years. Mr. zig still has his dog Shroeder's collar in his car and he has not been around since the 1970s (also a schnauzer). We never forget the faithful companions.

Kay you did the right thing by not letting him suffer but I know what a tremendously difficult decision it must have been. My thoughts are with you as you adapt to life without your furry friend.