that face says âitâs raining & i hate itâ 
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Betty ate a prickly pear today; she treated it like a bone & thought i might steal it & just wondering if youâve ever heard of canines gettinâ ill from those. 
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Odin is my first rottie he was a rescue he got knee surgery and the owner never picked him up 
thankfully my mother and i saw him and got thru his aggressive behavior still working with him .
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No worries IME. My dogs would occasionally chew on them because they are thirsty. I eat them in salads too. Now if he ate thorns or flowers he could have some digestive distress but thatâs all I woul worry about.
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hehe. She didnât show any weirder signs than normal & I checked it for thornsâŚ
But on that same tangent⌠when I was younger & dumber I was playing with my dog with a piece of âbird of paradiseâ plant. An hour later he had the nastiest 2" hives all over & we went to the ER vetâŚwhere he got an antihistamine shot.
It was bad!
Now Iâm older & dumberest. 
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Thatâs too funny ManoâŚMy older one tryâs sleeping in my old cats bed all the time. That is a cat bed, right? Good on you for rescuing himâŚI have never understood, how others could give up an animal like that?
Regards,
K.
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That was my jack russells bed basically a cat she acted like a cat 
Odin is a goof rotties got a bad rap when theyâre giant hams lol
I wouldnât be able to live with myself doing that smh
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Rotties are probably the best dog, they are a very old breed so have a wide range of attributes so make good all rounders.
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Nice DoggyâŚHow old is Zamp?
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I can agree with thisâŚThey are No 5 on the top ten list for family breeds. No 9 for smarts. Although there are many great breeds out there. Check this story out : Russian Dog Guards Baby Abandoned By Drunk Mother â Dog Files
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This has been a horrible winter for me so far. Many things have gone bad for me this winter, making this the most depressed winter Iâve had in memory.
The absolutely worst part of the winter to date has been realizing my oldest dog, Hyde, a 13.5 year old, 95 lb. pitbull, was rapidly approaching his mortality. He has been living with me since he was an ten week puppy.
He was my sonâs dog, but he was way too old to take on the trip to Florida so he became my dog. Iâve been separated from him a total of 6 days of his life. These were for two hospital stays and 3 days last month for my sonâs wedding in Florida. I love Hyde as much as I love my son!
He was always a social dog. When he was 2, our neighbors got a dog, Casey, about the same age. They played together all the time until the neighbors had enough of Caseyâs constant running loose.
Hyde was loved by all whom knew him.
In early summer 2014, my 20 year old cat obviously sick. The cat was diagnosed with cancer and needed to be put to sleep. It was clearly time, no question. Despite the fact that the cat NEVER like him, Hyde got very depressed. My son and I worked different hours so He was only home alone for 2-4 hours per day, but that was too much alone time for such a social individual. I decided to had to get another dog to keep him company. I brought a rescue dog home. We named her Jackie.
From the moment they met, Hyde and Jackie were great friends. They did almost everything together. Until, that is, Hyde got too old to play. She still wanted him to play, but he became less capable as time went on. He still wanted to and tried to play with her, but it was more posturing than playing.
He had an x-ray of his hips in Dec 2017 because he had fallen while pooping. The x-rays revealed Hydeâs hips to be worn out. But, Hyde continued to be himself and it was easy to forget he had physical problems, except when he had occasional need for help getting up on a couch of bed. I had taken the legs off of my 2 couches to make it easier for him to climb up himself. I also put a small foot locker at the foot of my bed so he can climb up there easier.
Lately he had had difficulty walking. He is losing control of his right foreleg in the respect that it kept sliding away from him while he ate or drank. He couldnât just pull it to where he wants it, he needed to move it to his rear before he could move it back forward where it belonged. His balance had been unsteady more often as his back legs were often too close together. He had been back to needing help getting onto furniture more often. Often when he climbed back down, his back legs hit each other and it made him fall.
He often moaned softly even when he was lying still.
I loved this old man dearly and I had been horribly emotional since I realized he was so close to the end. He still had had a good appetite so I didnât even want to think of ending his life, but I was afraid I was being selfish.
Hyde always got panicked when he went into the examining room, so I had talked to my vet about coming to my home to help Hyde to a better place. They no longer did that due to being down to a single doctor in the clinic because of a retirement and a maternity leave. They suggested âPet Loss at Homeâ.
I looked at PetLossAtHome.com. The website has caring vets in almost any area that will do a home visit. The site contains a lot of useful information like how to determine if an old pet is suffering. I became convinced my stoic friend was suffering, most likely from many sources of arithritis. It was time to end his suffering, but I was not yet ready to let go.
I spent a lot of time crying.
On January 26, Hydeâs last day before he got his wings, I had a party for Hyde. All his human friends and a girlfriend, Kiki, came to say goodbye with his dad, sister, and granddadad.
Sarah arrived 1st with Kiki. Hyde acted 5 years younger. I was so caught up in how happy he was that for a few moments, I forgot to take pictures, so I missed capturing him posturing for her.
They played together for at least 10 minutes before he had to calm down a bit. That didnât stop him from being social though. He had to make the rounds with his human friends.
Later in the day, Cari and John arrived with their baby. Hyde has always loved babies. Our neighbors, Rick and Dawn arrived minutes after. Dawn hadnât yet recovered from their toy poodle, Jack, passing the day before Thanksgiving. Me and my dogs used to go visiting them and Jack frequently.
As the day neared the end, all the excitement and activity got to him and he had to take a break to rest for a while.
He even âsawâ his stepmom on a video call.
It was a good day for him.
All the visitors left about a half hour before Dr. Monica arrived to relieve my old friend of his pains.
He got a shot to relax him. We got him up on a couch (with a pad under him) and he laid his head in his dadâs lap.
When he was real calm, the doctor did what I could never do myself. I sat with him and his dad while he left us. We shed what Iâd hoped, in vain, would be our last tears for the friend that had been such an important part of our lives for nearly 14 year.
We put him on a stretcher, all tucked in, for his final journey.
Now, with two weeks gone bye, I am able to finish this memorial to the dearest friend Iâve ever had. I hope these will be the last tears I have for him, Iâm having trouble finding a dry spot on my pillow.
Goodbye, Big Guy, the little girl and I really miss you!
Love, Granddad!
Thank you OverGrow for giving me a place to do this!
Cobra50
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@Cobra50 what a wonderful tribute to your friend. I am sorry for your recent loss.
Thank you so much for posting the memorial and story, most people donât want to talk about it, but when I lost my dog 4 years ago I found it very comforting to know about how other people go through the experience. He was a lucky dog to be with you guys!
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Thank you for your sympathy. I never expected to hurt so bad over losing him. The only other dog I ever personally owned, I gave to a good home after I proposed to my wife in 1983. She was frightened by large dogs and he was a St. Bernard weighing in at 203 lbs. Since he went to a home where the woman of the house had wanted a St Bernard all her adult life because her parents had one when she was young, I didnât feel nearly so bad about losing him.
Iâve had maybe a dozen cats in my life (purr-fect pets for a single man). I never felt the loss with them that is weighing heavily on me now. I was planning on going out and getting Jackie a companion. Now, I wonder if I have the strength to go through this more than the one more time it will be when Jackie goesâŚ
Maybe when I can get through a day without crying, Iâll be able to think about it, but not now.
I havenât been able to talk about it until now. I broke down to tears every single time Iâve tried to. I had type through blurry, wet eyes to get it done.
It is SOOO difficult at bedtime. When I was brushing my teeth, heâd climb up in my bed and wait for me. After I got in and settled, heâd scoot over so he was touching me with his full back. I donât know if that made him feel safe and loved, but it sure made me feel that way. I am doubling up on my normal sleep meds and still waking up all night long (which, btw, is the exact reason I need to start taking them to begin with).
I have all this love for Hyde and no place for it to go.
Each day hurts a tiny bit less, and Jackie gets a bit less clingy.
Thank you again, @Muleskinner. 
C50
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Sorry for your loss. Owning dogs can bring the most joy in the world. Only problem is that they usually die before us and we pay for all that joy they brought. Iâve had 3 straight red nose red apbt. I have named them all the same name. My messed up way of dealing with their deaths. My current red nose is 12 and within the last few months her age has caught up with her big time. I will not replace her. As this one will be mourned by not just myself as my kids have only known life with her in it. Time will heal your woundsâŚthere are a lot of dogs that need new homes, esp apbt. Good luck on your healing.
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My heart breaks whenever I hear that anyone has lost their pet. @Cobra50 ((hugs)) Iâm sorry for your loss.
My pit bull is getting old too, she has a blown out knee and has had some mast cell cancer removed, but she still doesnât want anyone to know it. You know, pits are tough dogs and she compensates very well and thinks she is a puppy. The sweetest dog ever too! Pits get such a bad rap. My dog is just a big lover and people are her absolute favorite. Your story reminded me of her good nature and temperament.
Once you have grieved for awhile, I sure hope you consider rescuing another dog, obviously you give your pets a great life! As sad as you are now, just think of how happy you could make another dog who has no home.
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words are really failing me right now but iâm right there with you.
i havenât used Timmyâs couch since 2014, canât bear the sound of it, and i gave away about 30 blankets & comforters to my vet because I couldnât stand the constant triggers.
you are an exceedingly decent person, sir.
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My condolences ManâŚLosing a pet after that long really stings. Keep yer head up PalâŚ
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Thank you @PoppaPuff.
Iâm reminded of a line in Jim Staffordâs rendition of Mr. Bojangles. He sings the song and puts words in Bojangles mouth between. At one point Bojangles asks, âWhy is it dogs donât get to live too long, but they still gotta die old?â. I thought a lot about that the last few months.
Dogs live to 12-15 years and cats live 18-25 years. Horses are large animals and they live 30+ years. Whales can live 80 years and sea turtles can live 150+ years. Why is it only manâs best friend only gets to live such a short time?
You and your family have my sympathies that you beautiful red nose is so near her end.
That was Hyde, @Meesh. Even when he was walking on the back of his front foot or the the backs of his rear toes, he never whimpered. The only real clue to his pains was the soft moaning heâd make right about the time he was falling asleep.
Since we got Hyde, Iâve met a lot of pitbull owners. They all feel the same way. An interesting bit of trivia: Before pitbuills got the bad reputation from the scum that entered them into dog fights, they were commonly known as ânanny dogsâ. Parents didnât hesitate to let them watch over the kids while they did the everyday things necessary for family survival.
Maybe when the pain has calmed leaving only fond memories in its place. It is just hard to think about right now, though.
I completely understand, @cannabissequoia
Thank you brother @Kobracom420.
My friends, your good wishes mean a lot at this time. Thank you!
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