As my father-in-law once told me, "I'd rather put the old lady down than the dog"

Sorry for the loss of your family member.

It doesn't sound very silly to me. We lost our 16 year old dachshund last October to a sudden respiratory problem turned heart attack. The silence on our house was deafening. In three days Sophia came into our lives, one reason was to bring the house back to life again.

Rest in Peace, Buddy.

I know exactly how you feel,I had to put down my 14yr old german shepard yesterday as well,I know it was the best for him as the doctor told me that he had cancer, but still, thats one hard decision to make.Hopefully racing this weekend will help me and you get over it.

RIP our friends, Lucky & Buddy

I feel for you and your family, Jerry. My wife and I have normally had four dogs and four cats for the last 26 years so we have had to put down a lot of loved ones. Sometimes it's terribly hard to do the right thing in life but putting to sleep a sick pet and not letting them suffer is the greatest act of love an owner can show. The best medicine for me is to go to the dog pound and find a basket case that needs you desperately. Pretty quickly you find that you need him or her just as bad. Tom

We lost our German Shepherd a couple months after she turned 9. She passed 6 days after being diagnosed with cancer. It's never easy losing a pet.
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Sorry to hear of your loss Jerry. That one stings every time. We had to put a 14-year-old pug down in January and our other 14-year-old pug is getting near the end as well.

Jerry, we are Dog Folks too. I am sure you have seen Hoosier stalking the pits... 2009 we lost our Pomeranian of 20 years. Iroc (yes, after the car) made the local news when he turned 20. He died shortly thereafter. We lost our Shepard of 9 years later in 09. I am not sure why they are referred to as animals when they are Family. Time will help heal your pain and the fond memories will take over for sure. And, I am sure there is a little puppy somewhere that would love to be the next "Little Spencer"...

pg

Thank you all for your thoughts. Growing up a lot of my friends either died or killed themselves, I cheated the reaper twice at the same time growing colder to death. Some say I had no heart, I can tell you there is something there cause this is a pain like no other. Knowing you guys care has made things better. Like you said it will get better with time but until then it hurts like hell.

Bill you have made a difference in the world with this site, you gave our family a place to go for support, you also give all of the people in the I.O.W. family a place to go good or bad. Thank you and thank the rest of the I.O.W. family for all you do.

Jerry, Sarah, Paul, Audry and Josh Spencer #66j
stida.com

Great story....Someone has a big heart!

We don't know who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God