The Passing of Pets

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 17 Mar 24 - 03:19 PM

No Good News for my wife and I today.

Our beautiful Border Terrier, Baxter, left us today for his final journey over Rainbow Bridge.

The challenges he’s faced with serious health issues this past couple of years finally overwhelmed him, and the vet helped him on his way quickly and peacefully in Lucy’s arms.

Farewell our lovely boy, you are forever in our hearts. We will never forget you, the happy adventures we shared, and the love and comfort you brought to our lives.

Safe journey little man. xxx

---

The post headers say GOOD NEWS but in fact, they follow the arc of a pet's temporary improvement (the good news part) before its eventual death. Which has been transported here. ---mudelf

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Mar 24 - 04:49 PM

That is sad, and confusing. Why in the Good News thread? I read this precisely for *not* dead pets, children, etc. But sorry for your loss...

Maybe we need a different thread for actual good news? Like, one titled, I don't know, good news?

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 17 Mar 24 - 05:12 PM

Mrrzy, it’s Because earlier up-thread I had made a number of postings about his speedy recovery from major surgery - i.e. Good News - but also with the rider that, during surgery, the vets discovered that he had a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. I received some very kind, and very much appreciated, wishes from a number of contributors at that time.

This post was by way of an update for those who had so kindly taken the time and trouble to express their good wishes to Baxter, my wife, and I, and it seemed perfectly logical to put it in the same thread.

End of, AFAIC.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Helen
Date: 19 Mar 24 - 03:32 PM

I'm sorry for your loss, Backwoodsman. The good news is that Baxter spent his time here as your loving canine companion and has now crossed the rainbow bridge.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 19 Mar 24 - 04:10 PM

Thank you for your kind words Helen, they are very much appreciated. That you, along with hundreds of followers on his ‘X’ page, care sufficiently to offer your condolences is indeed Good News.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Helen
Date: 19 Mar 24 - 06:59 PM

After a lifetime of owning cats for both my Hubby & I, we sent the last of a family of six, i.e. three generations, across the rainbow bridge about a year ago. We are now catless, but there are so many happy memories of all the cats we've had in our lives. It is definitely good news sharing our lives with our pets. I look at their photos and smile.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Mar 24 - 09:58 PM

I'm sorry about your pooch, BWM. My late pitbull has a Facebook page, but it is uneditable at this point; FB has made it difficult to logon to do anything there. I didn't think of making a Twitter page. It's tough to lose them, but when they've struggled with the ravages of age and arthritis (in our case), it is also a relief. I lost my old lab last week, at 15+ years; when we staggered him into the office the vet agreed it was time.

The good news will come when eventually another dog is rescued and moves into your or my home to have a good quality and long happy life. Not right away, the heart needs time to heal, but rescuing another is a great way to honor the one that has passed.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 20 Mar 24 - 12:15 AM

Thanks Maggie, kind and thoughtful words. ‘He’ (in realty Mrs Backwoodsperson of course) is a member of a Border Terrier Group on Twitter, not sure how many members there are - certainly in the high-hundreds, maybe thousands - and ‘he’ has received a huge number of messages of condolence, sympathy, encouragement and, yes, even joy for a good life well-lived, from all over the world (including the US, Canada, and NZ). It gives my wife great comfort, and the Good News is that the Group has proved itself to be something of worth in the all-too-often cesspit of social media.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Mar 24 - 06:36 PM

Commiserations BWM. I do know how sad it is so maybe a separate thread would be better than bringing those looking for good news down?

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 21 Mar 24 - 07:35 AM

As I said earlier in reply to an insensitive twerp’s criticism, my original post reporting the Good News of my dog’s recovery from major surgery was on this thread so, for the sake of the continuity of his story, it seemed to be the right place to report his loss. Perhaps grief affected my ability to reason, who knows? But, if the Mods agree with you, I have no objection to all my posts regarding my dog - the early, happy ones as well as the recent, sad ones - being moved to a new thread.

Thanks for the commiserations.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Mar 24 - 08:32 AM

Sorry to hear about your loss

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Neil D
Date: 28 Mar 24 - 09:34 PM

Backwoodsman, I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a dog is every bit as sad as losing any other loved one, something people who have never loved a dog will never understand, but my wife and I know all too well.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 03:00 AM

Thanks Neil, that’s so, so true.

The Good News is that we’re both recovering from the trauma and we now have his ashes back from the crem. It’s a strange thing, but we feel much better having ‘him’ back in the house. Eventually, I guess, we will scatter him in one of his happy places - probably one of the beautiful Northumberland beaches he used to love running free on.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 08:32 AM

"something people who have never loved a dog will never understand"

I don't want to detract from the good news but that is not true at all, Neil. Sorry. Do you seriously think that only dog lovers can empathise?

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 09:23 AM

No Dave we're just saying the unqualified love from dogs is special and significant. Not everything needs to be addressed as an argument Mr. Sunshine.

There is no love lost on Coyotes.

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 12:50 PM

That is not what was said, Don.

Losing a dog is every bit as sad as losing any other loved one, something people who have never loved a dog will never understand

I have never loved a dog but I fully understand what it is like to love and lose a pet. And I was not arguing, just pointing out the fallacy of the statement,

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Neil D
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 01:24 PM

Sorry

Subject: RE: BS: GOOD news
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 01:37 PM

Thank you Neil and, in case you wondered, I have loved and lost a number of cats.

Subject: The Passing of Pets
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 02:15 PM

The loss of a pet is something we talk about, at least in passing (not meant as a pun), in context with a lot of other subjects. We've kind of sideswiped one thread that is supposed to be happy with the passing of family dogs and cats, so some of those will be moved here. Since they predate today, this post will seem a non sequitur as the first in a thread made up of existing posts in other threads.

It'll sort itself out.

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 03:07 PM

That makes sense, SRS. Thanks for sorting it out.

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 03:23 PM

Thumb up emoji!

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: robomatic
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 03:29 PM

Since my close association with an elderly and very deeply loved Lab, I am now Dogfather to a young 'mostly' Lab who gives great affection and happiness to her owners and protectors.
So I understand and empathize with your loss. I hope you draw comfort from your memories and stories.

I draw great pleasure from watching nature documentaries of all sorts, with special attention to anything with David Attenborough and specifically the NATURE series which has had individual shows about dogs (and cats).

Possibly you can be diverted by some of these shows or movies about the significance of dogs and other pets in our lives factual and fictional. thee is an interesting effort that is wither French or European about the imagined first interaction between hominid and canid. It is called 'Alpha'. This is to be informative it's not a recommendation.

Your writing is important because it highlights what absence does to us as well as presence. Be well and continue to share both here and at home.

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 03:58 PM

I've never got over the passing of the family dog from my childhood,
and have never owned or been owned by a pet since.
I still love animals, and enjoy the enjoyment of others in their pets.
I just don't want to go through that loss again.

I am as susceptible as anyone to the charms of puppies and kittens.

Subject: RE: The Passing of Pets
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 04:36 PM

Keb, that first loss is terribly hard. You do have to harden your heart just a bit to get more pets, knowing they probably won't outlive you.

The Lab was healthy, except for the arthritis, and for the last couple of years he was profoundly deaf. The arthritis is what finally made it so difficult for him, he often couldn't get up and he kept getting stuck in places like under furniture. With past pets when they lost interest in food I knew it was time. With this guy, it was the forlorn intermittent bark he let out when he needed something (but couldn't hear if anyone was responding until we startled him with our touch). Labrador retrievers apparently don't lose interest in food; as I was half-carrying him from the SUV into the vet's side door, we passed a bowl of cat food on the ground for neighborhood strays and he headed straight for it.

I had two dogs for several years, then the Lab arrived needing a home when my friend was badly injured. I kept it to three dogs for the last dozen years, but for now, two is good.