Hard to say good bye to an old friend.... again

[Go Big Red!]

So my parents have now put down our second German short haired pointer.  She was 14 years old and the first one we had was almost 18 when she was laid to rest.  Both of them stopped eating, back legs were giving out and you could see they both were "tired" at the end.  Damn fine dogs though.  Loved to chase roosters to swimming for ducks..... 

Why is this such a hard thing?  In the grand scheme of things, it's only a dog.  Don't get me wrong, it's a member of the family yet you would think it would be easier since we've gone through it before.   

[dakids]

Saying goodby to a member of the family is never easy.  Sorry for your loss.

[Randy Kaar]

Sorry to hear of your loss...

randy

[Bobby Bass]

It just never gets an easier, even when ya know it's coming. I have two that are ten now and I know it won't be that much longer. When it comes I'll bawl like a baby.. Sorry for your loss

[Go Big Red!]

It is a crappy deal and even more difficult when you have to explain to your kids why grandma and grandpa's dog died......

[thunderpout]

Yep.... its always tough, Ive never had to, but it would even tougher to explain it to kids.... I never took it well as a child, I think I kind of blamed mom and dad for not letting me in on the whole thing... but Im sure they thought it was best that I wasnt involved in putting them down... I do know that it was harder for me to put down my bird dogs(english setters) than our "house dogs" because I did things with them outside the realm of regular, daily pet things... when you spend so much time training, hunting and just going thru things together with that lifestyle with a dog, you usually bond much more and are really more of a best friend than just a pet owner.... It can be tough to lose a best friend every ten or so years... but the good times had are well worth the heartache that goes along with it......

[HUNTER2]

Sorry for your loss. It's always hard.

[Go Big Red!]

So my parents come up from Wis to visit and the first things my kids ask (shows how much they listen), "Where's Pal?" 

My Mom breaks down even before trying to tell them so my Dad has to do it.  Not the easiest thing to watch, breaks a man's heart.

[Outdoors Junkie]

So sorry for your families loss.

[snow]

I'm with ya,goin thru the same thing,ole Buck is 10 and has cancer~

This is Sarge~He has some BIG shoe's to fill~And its never easy letting go~







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[thunderpout]

Great pics Snow...... It is realy nice if you can "overlap" dogs like that.... makes it easier to deal with as a whole....

[Go Big Red!]

Great pics Snow...... It is realy nice if you can "overlap" dogs like that.... makes it easier to deal with as a whole....

What are the pro's and con's to overlapping?

[thunderpout]

Good question.... just from personal experience... The Pros: You have the Veteran dog showing the youngin the ropes a bit, which helps scocialize the little guy some,  you get to taper off the field time some (if you have an aging bird dog) with all the training given to the young dog, and when the time comes that you have to say goodbye to your old hunting buddy, you have a "reliever" in the bullpen to take the mound, so to speak.... which is really nice so you dont take the empty nest deal quite as hard.  The Cons: Twice the vet bills, and a puppy can, and usually does terrorize your older dog to no end, they can be relentless!  But as a puppy the old guy did that to his "mentor" also so what goes around comes around I guess... but it almost seems like you are punishing the older guy instead of rewarding him for all the good years he gave ya.... BUT the Pros definatly out weigh the Cons... just dont ask the veteran dog his opinion on that.

[thunderpout]

By the way Snow.... Sarge looks very mellow and content for his young years... Looks like he has a good attitude and knowledge beyond his years... but I have a feeling that aint the case most of the time....

[thunderpout]

Awesome name too!

[snow]

Pout~

Don't let the looks fool ya,he's a holy terror if I don't run him in the morning before work and the evening after work.

Good points above on the pro's and con's,the little guy watches grandpa retrieve and is already doing well with bumpers,just a few atta time,at 12 weeks now he has the basic commands,sit,come and stay pretty well down pat.

Something new for me with this guy is he "points" sure my other retrievers on occassion would lock on a game farm bird but this little booger locks on the ball launcher,I'm talking tail straight out,front foot up and the slow-mo moves until I give the "okay" command,pretty cool,took some pics.will post up later.

Yeah "Sarge" came to mind the 1st day just like Buck did (registerd name is Buckaroo Bonzai,because he was crazy wild) Sarge (wildfire master Sargent) came to me when he took charge and was at large the 1st day home.

[thunderpout]

It is amazing how quick such "little balls of fur" take over and realize the untapped power that they have in their little paws, and then unleash it on the household and every living being, human and otherwise in it .... and how quickly we have forgotten how to "puppy-proof" (not sure if you fully can ) a house and yard .....