[AeroShooter]

http://www.john-ross.net/molly.htm

I got a cat approaching 13 years... don't know how I'm going to keep the small of my back warm when she goes.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

 

[merlock]

 

[tony218]

 

[AV8R]

Dammit.

I'm afraid I will have a story like this to tell in a couple three years.

 

[ls1ssdavid]

I couldn't do it.

 

[Thorsen]

Not ashamed to admit that story made me tear up.

 

[pro2am]

Yep. Me too.

Mine is ~12 now and can hardly walk. He's all I could think about when I was reading this.

 

[Sharky]

My parents had a dobbie like this when I lived in FL. I wasnt old enough to do something like that and my dad was out of town.

Our vet was really great. She couldnt get up any longer, made a mess of herself in the roon she was laying in. Of course feeling like she did something wrong going in the house she was obviously scared. We made her comfortable and cleaned her up. She was very happy and licking everybody.

Mom called the vet we always went to down there. They had a special room that felt like a living room at the vet. Carpeted and very warm feeling.

I had to carry Missy out to the jeep and bring her there. At least it wasnt cold metal and stunk like mentioned above. We all sat with her and the doc let her go.

Its amazing how different people are when an animal is involved. Dogs really are a families best friend till the end. And they know when its coming.

 

[River Bend]

Just lost one we had 14 years

It was harder on me than losing a human relative, sounds bad but its true.
Our Kitty even slept wrapped aropund my bald head in the winter, I had to take 2 days off work to grieve and created a beautiful pet cemetary which already contained a Kitty we had for 18 years, longer than our kids and a German Shepard we had for 12 years.
People that loose pets like those we really love should be allowed their time to grieve because it really hurts, I hope your 13 yr old makes it as long as our 18 yr old did, of course the last 3 months of her life we gave her Saline IV's twice daily to keep her comfortable.

 

[Thorsen]

I lost two pets in a matter of one month about three years ago. One was a cat named Chloe that was my wife's pet. This animal absolutely adored my wife and wouldn't let her get out of sight. When my wife wasn't home she would hide until she got home. She was just a sweet animal.

Anyway, she had cancer in her jawline and we had tried removing the growths, but had been told they would grow back, which they did. Eventually, I could tell that the animal was in pain and told my wife it was time. We took her to the vet and petted her while she was administered the drug cocktail that put her down. It was hard, especially so for my wife, but we were sort of prepared for it.

Two weeks later our thirteen year old black cat, Rover, started acting ill. I took him to the vet for a checkup and found out that he had cancer of the liver. Nothing could be done. We administered IV's to him to keep him hydrated, but it wasn't too long before it was time for him to take that last ride to the vet's office as well. I cried over that cat like a damn baby. I have had many cats and dogs in my life, some more intelligent than others, but I have never had a cat as intelligent as this one was. Without exaggeration, I can honestly say he understood at least twenty different phrases and words and would react to each of them. He was just one cool cat and I miss him to this day.

I just don't have it in me to be able to do what this man did. I understand him. I just couldn't do it myself.

 

[HannitizedRushBaby]

I knew better than to read that story. Now I'm sitting here crying like an idiot. I have a 12 year old beagle. She is slowing losing her hearing, but she is still pretty spry. I dread the day that I lose that dog. I've had her (Bertha) over half of my life! Having an indoor pet creates such a bond... the "pet" truly becomes part of the family. I don't think that anyone can understand that bond unless they have indoor pets too.

Even the little things of having a pet indoors are endearing to me. I love to hear my dog walking along the floor in the kitchen with her paws clicking against the ground. I love to fall asleep with her snoring as she rests on the pillow next to me. And I love the way she reacts to me walking in the door... no matter if it was 5 minutes or 5 days it's the same reaction.

Okay, enough of that mushy stuff. I've gotta go mop myself up. LOL! Why did I read that story?!

Here's a pic of my Bertha Mae...

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

I had to take my sisters cat to the vet a few years ago to put her down. That cat was 22 years old. She was having mini strokes almost everyday. She could not bring herself to do it so she asked me if I would. I said yes. I knew that cat meant the world to her. She cried like a baby before I left the house with her. But I gave her all the time she wanted to say goodbye before I left. She gave me a few instructions which I followed. When I got back to the house, she was waiting for me at the door. Tears started flowing again. When your little sister hurts, its hard for big brother not to hurt to.

 

[Thorsen]

I have a 12 year old beagle.

Beagles are definitely some of the coolest dogs on the face of the earth. I had a beagle named Barney and that little guy went everywhere with me. Smart dogs as well! I still miss him.

 

[gunsmoker]

Touching

I think John Ross did the right thing. I don't think it would have been any better (or worse, either) if he'd taken Molly to the vet for a lethal shot. But in Georgia, this would probably be not only the crime of animal cruelty, but the felony variety as well. Our law does not distinguish between killing an animal to put it out of its misery and killing an animal just to be rid of it as an unwanted, surplus thing (this used to be common many years ago-- e.g. drowning some puppies and kittens from a big litter and keeping only a few of the best-looking ones), and even killing just for the sake of killing and inflicting pain, i.e. sick teenagers baking a kitten in a microwave.

There are a couple of instances where you can kill an animal with legal justification (self-defense, defense of a farm or your livestock, hunting, etc.) but a mercy killing is not listed.

Don't trust police and prosecutors not to enforce this law. Certainly you don't want to have to hope for a jury's acquittal. If John Ross were put on trial, it would already have gone too far. If you think the law is too broadly written, demand that the legislature go back and re-write it!

 

[blind_shake]

In the book Mice of Men the old ranch hand got bullied into letting the gang boss take his aging dog out back and shoot him. The old man started crying after he heard the gun shot and later regretted it and said repeatedly, "I should've shot him myself, a man needs to take care of his own". It was a foreshadow for the rest of the book, if you read it then you know the rest of the story.

Something about dogs can bring the toughest man to tears.

 

[Rammstein]

I don't think I would be able to do what he did.

 

[AeroShooter]

In the book Mice of Men the old ranch hand got bullied into letting the gang boss take his aging dog out back and shoot him. The old man started crying after he heard the gun shot and later regretted it and said repeatedly, "I should've shot him myself, a man needs to take care of his own". It was a foreshadow for the rest of the book, if you read it then you know the rest of the story.

Something about dogs can bring the toughest man to tears.

The Gary Senise / John Malkovich Film adaptation is quite excellent too.

 

[merlock]

In the book Mice of Men the old ranch hand got bullied into letting the gang boss take his aging dog out back and shoot him. The old man started crying after he heard the gun shot and later regretted it and said repeatedly, "I should've shot him myself, a man needs to take care of his own". It was a foreshadow for the rest of the book, if you read it then you know the rest of the story.

Something about dogs can bring the toughest man to tears.

The Gary Senise / John Malkovich Film adaptation is quite excellent too.

+1

That is still one of the very few movies that makes me bawl.

 

[Tinkerhell]

I won't read the story. I'm choked up just reading the above & knowing what it's about. I've got an 11 yo basset that I've had from a pup. He has already started slowing down a bit and having some minor troubles. I don't know what I'm gonna do when his time comes up. Cry like a babe that for certain. I think I'll be having him cremated though. And as much as I appreciate the idea of "taking care of your own" I could never do it unless there was no other option. It will be a trip to the vet when that time comes. I need to find me a good vet with some kind of hospice care room...

Any man that doesn't cry a bit when Old Yeller dies ain't a man in my book.