Back in 1994 some" Rat" shot our Australian Shepard on our property. It broke my wifes heart. I scanned the local classified adds in search of a replacement. I found an add. "Mac Nab" pups. We drove about Fourty miles to a farm. The farmer greeted us and took us to his barn. There in a box stall were two pups. One was white with black speckles, the other was black with brown on her ears, tail and belly, marked like a Rottweiler. He told us that the father was Australian Shepherd and the mother was a Queensland Heeler.The Heeler part was true as we witnesses the pups nursing. I cracked up. Both pups were huge and kind of fuzzy. I wanted the white one but the other one stopped nursing and waddled over and sat on my wifes shoe. That ended our search. That dog has faithfully loved and protected our family for fourteen years. She is now feeble and almost unable to walk. She is almost deaf as well. She spends most of her day sleeping near wherever I am. At night in our bedroom, beside our bed. She is failing daily, and I know her remaining time with us is short. Soon I will have to make a family decision, and I (We) don"t want to.
Lucy
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\/(-_-)\/showman
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ah man that is a sad story :frowns: . I hope i make the best decisoin.
bigbull338
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i feel for you.you have a hard road ahead of you deciding what an when todo what has tobe done.go get you an your wife an new pup soon.i know it cant replace your dear friend.
It's a shame that dogs don't live any longer than they do. We want them in our lives forever. Lucy has been a good dog for you, and a loyal companion. It might be a blessing for her to be relieved of her pain, but it is still a very hard decision.
Green Creek
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Putting down a dog that is part of your heart is something we should never have to do but do it we must. We have painfully put down four dogs over the long years but the one we loved the most did it herself by running under the wheels of the truck. She was 15 years old, had cataracts and was hard of hearing. What a shock for us but it was instant and the kids swear she did it on purpose. Foolish how we ascribe human thought and feelings to dogs. I am sorry you and your wife are up against such a painful decision for Lucy.
VanC
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Sure sorry to hear that, Kerley. Losing a good friend is never easy. When it's her time you'll know it, and you'll do the right thing.
bward
Well-known member
Buddy the Border Collie was 13 this spring and like your Lucy started to age rapidly about 2 months ago. Although he's had a greying face for a few years he was never sick his entire life. He started to go lame and lose his appetite and so I switched to a tastier canned food and had to encourage him to eat... which he did. He quit barking when people drove in the yard, and he slept a lot. I considered taking him to the vet for his final injection but was waiting for the right time.... not today....maybe tomorrow was the daily plan.
One evening he refused to come to bed in the barn. He preferred to lay curled up in a ball in one of his play holes in the trees behind his dog house. It was strange to have him defy my command like that and he just stared at me with sad eyes. I felt grim. The next morning he still refused to leave his 'nest' and he again lifted his head and looked at me. When I peeked through the trees at him at noon I knew he was gone. He looked like he was curled up sleeping. toes tucked in,nose under the end of his tail.. but not breathing.he was still warm and looked like he would just pop up if I called his name. It was sureal.
In the end I was glad I never took him for that last injection. He died peacefully in a place of his own choosing. Had he been in greater distress I would have been infuenced to use the veterinarian.
Kerley, I do know what you are going through. One day at a time....
One evening he refused to come to bed in the barn. He preferred to lay curled up in a ball in one of his play holes in the trees behind his dog house. It was strange to have him defy my command like that and he just stared at me with sad eyes. I felt grim. The next morning he still refused to leave his 'nest' and he again lifted his head and looked at me. When I peeked through the trees at him at noon I knew he was gone. He looked like he was curled up sleeping. toes tucked in,nose under the end of his tail.. but not breathing.he was still warm and looked like he would just pop up if I called his name. It was sureal.
In the end I was glad I never took him for that last injection. He died peacefully in a place of his own choosing. Had he been in greater distress I would have been infuenced to use the veterinarian.
Kerley, I do know what you are going through. One day at a time....
♥red_angus♥
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my grandpa has a herding dog named magic && he is blind for most of his life && he is 15 or 16 years old.
he goes EVERYWHERE where my grandpa goes. hes always going on rides when we go check the cows.
he goes EVERYWHERE where my grandpa goes. hes always going on rides when we go check the cows.
ToddFarmsInc
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Lucy's are wonderful dogs! 
My Lucy I picked out of a litter when I was 15 years old. It was a hard period in my life, I wasn't getting along too well in the friends department in highschool, and this little puppie ment a great deal to me. She was a person, loved all people, and was pretty good with the cows. (note I say pretty good, not perfect, but the best cow dog we had up to that date) Mostly she was my dog. Sure she listend to my parrents, selectively, and minded them sometimes, but she listend to me and did what I told her to exclusively. I still remember when she was a puppie and chewed up moms favorite wooden broom handle, (broom still attached) Mom grabed the brome and started swatting her with it, kinda hard, and Lucy just loved the new attention she was recieving, which made mom even madder. LOL :lol2: When Lucy would bark outside after dark, mom would hollar at her to shut up, and that would just send her into high gear with the barking... she might as well said "sickem" I would open my bedroom window, and say "Lucy, go to bed" and then..... silence..!
In her finaly year, she was starting to slow down and act lathargic, so I had her given the complete look over at the local vet, and he said she had cancer. You could feel some sort of growth or bump near her overies. I asked if it was operatible, and the vet said, she's an old dog, and had lived a good life, operating on her would only prolong the inevatble. So shortly after I turned 30, I burried Lucy under a cotten wood tree that I walk past every day on my way from the house to the shop building. (she always liked to lay in view of what I was doing.
I had that border collie mix for 1/2 my life. Sure she lived to be 15, but when you get a dog as a kid, they grow up with you, and it's a completely different math figuring up their age. Putting her down was a logical, and correct thing to do, but emotionally, it was probably the toughest decision. Actually it was easy at the time, and it just sorta sneeked up on me later how much of a hole I had in my life without her there.
A couple years later, the next border collie that come into my life, was named LC. (Ironic huh? and I didn't even name her) She has been and still is a wonderful dog, and she is very simular to Lucy, but she is completely different too, a unique personality all her own. She is way, way better with the cattle, but she is particular with people. She doens't love all people, and in fact, I have to watch her around children, because she will grab "little people".
All dogs are like that, the same and yet different. And you will remember what made your Lucy special and unique. And you will love your new dog too.... but it will be different, because it's a different dog, it's always different.
Hows that for some paper back psychology? ;-)
My Lucy I picked out of a litter when I was 15 years old. It was a hard period in my life, I wasn't getting along too well in the friends department in highschool, and this little puppie ment a great deal to me. She was a person, loved all people, and was pretty good with the cows. (note I say pretty good, not perfect, but the best cow dog we had up to that date) Mostly she was my dog. Sure she listend to my parrents, selectively, and minded them sometimes, but she listend to me and did what I told her to exclusively. I still remember when she was a puppie and chewed up moms favorite wooden broom handle, (broom still attached) Mom grabed the brome and started swatting her with it, kinda hard, and Lucy just loved the new attention she was recieving, which made mom even madder. LOL :lol2: When Lucy would bark outside after dark, mom would hollar at her to shut up, and that would just send her into high gear with the barking... she might as well said "sickem" I would open my bedroom window, and say "Lucy, go to bed" and then..... silence..!
In her finaly year, she was starting to slow down and act lathargic, so I had her given the complete look over at the local vet, and he said she had cancer. You could feel some sort of growth or bump near her overies. I asked if it was operatible, and the vet said, she's an old dog, and had lived a good life, operating on her would only prolong the inevatble. So shortly after I turned 30, I burried Lucy under a cotten wood tree that I walk past every day on my way from the house to the shop building. (she always liked to lay in view of what I was doing.
I had that border collie mix for 1/2 my life. Sure she lived to be 15, but when you get a dog as a kid, they grow up with you, and it's a completely different math figuring up their age. Putting her down was a logical, and correct thing to do, but emotionally, it was probably the toughest decision. Actually it was easy at the time, and it just sorta sneeked up on me later how much of a hole I had in my life without her there.
A couple years later, the next border collie that come into my life, was named LC. (Ironic huh? and I didn't even name her) She has been and still is a wonderful dog, and she is very simular to Lucy, but she is completely different too, a unique personality all her own. She is way, way better with the cattle, but she is particular with people. She doens't love all people, and in fact, I have to watch her around children, because she will grab "little people".
All dogs are like that, the same and yet different. And you will remember what made your Lucy special and unique. And you will love your new dog too.... but it will be different, because it's a different dog, it's always different.
Hows that for some paper back psychology? ;-)
kerley
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It has been six months since my origional post about our Lucy. The kind replies we have received from our CT friends have been heart felt. Lucy has not improved. Lucy still has a good appetite and is retaining her average weight. She sleeps most of the time and has a very difficult time getting up on her feet. Her hip movement causes her pain. When we let her go outside she wanders around and gets lost. Maybe we just think she is lost. We keep her in the house where it is warm and Kathy takes her outside several times a day and night for potty time. Lately Lucy has been having accidents on the floor, she also barfs and when she passes gas it stinks so bad it will wake up the whole house. Her care requirements are becoming difficult, you have to love her to do it. Her quality of life is poor and we believe she is suffering. She will stand in front of me and just stare with no expression. We know her last trip to the vet is not far away. The question is when do you tell your faithful friend good bye. Tom.
Angus Cowman
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I had the same decision a few yrs ago and it was hard
what made my decision was I asked myself am I making him suffer because of my attachment if so then I need to let him go it was hard but that is what I did
I hope in life that I am able to go while I still have my dignity
what made my decision was I asked myself am I making him suffer because of my attachment if so then I need to let him go it was hard but that is what I did
I hope in life that I am able to go while I still have my dignity
It is probably better for you and your wife to be with her when she goes than if she wandered off somewhere to die alone. The one think I cannot forgive myself over with Precious is that I let her die alone and away from home, when I felt like she should have been with us because she loved us so much. If I had it to do again, I would have taken her home to die, instead of leaving her at the vet's. I don't think they did anything for her anyway.
Kerley, I asked my vet a few years ago how I would know when it was time for my old Chow Sam to be helped down the road, he said simply "you will know". Sounds to me like you "know" already. Sorry for your pain. I wish you the best. 3way
kerley":2kqk7pwc said:
The decision you're faced with is never easy, but you're going to have to deal with it at some point or another - unfortunately it goes hand in hand with the decision to have pets. I have a sneaking suspicion that you know what you need to do, but are wavering because of your reluctance to lose her. Is that fair to her? She has given you nothing but unconditional love, and unwavering devotion since the moment you got her. It is now your turn to make sure she does not suffer, and she maintains her dignity. Kind of a strange word where pets are concerned, but I believe it to be true - especially for dogs.
kerley
Well-known member
I don't know what is going on with Lucy. After misscamp's last post lucy got very ill. She crapped all over the house for about two days. Kathy and Kelly {Kelly is our daughter} just kept cleaning up the mess. Finally Kathy decided it was time for that trip to the Vet. It was Sunday and the Vet was closed. Kathy opened the garage door and put Lucy and her pillow- bed in. Left the door opened so Lucy could come and go at will. Lucy has always been an outside dog. {long story short] Lucy is thriving. I was on the tractor yesterday and Lucy followed me every where I went. She is back on her food and all over the yard just like the normal Lucy. She is happy and looks and moves like she used to.
Is it possible that Lucy was so unhappy being in the house that she didn't want to live? I know when I have to stay in for long periods due to medications or whatever, I some times feel like I want to just die. I think I will put Lucy in the back of the pick-up and drive around for a while. I just love that old girl.
Tom
Is it possible that Lucy was so unhappy being in the house that she didn't want to live? I know when I have to stay in for long periods due to medications or whatever, I some times feel like I want to just die. I think I will put Lucy in the back of the pick-up and drive around for a while. I just love that old girl.
Tom
kerley
Well-known member
I don't know what is going on with Lucy. After misscamp's last post lucy got very ill. She crapped all over the house for about two days. Kathy and Kelly {Kelly is our daughter} just kept cleaning up the mess. Finally Kathy decided it was time for that trip to the Vet. It was Sunday and the Vet was closed. Kathy opened the garage door and put Lucy and her pillow- bed in. Left the door opened so Lucy could come and go at will. Lucy has always been an outside dog. {long story short] Lucy is thriving. I was on the tractor yesterday and Lucy followed me every where I went. She is back on her food and all over the yard just like the normal Lucy. She is happy and looks and moves like she used to.
Is it possible that Lucy was so unhappy being in the house that she didn't want to live? I know when I have to stay in for long periods due to medications or whatever, I some times feel like I want to just die. I think I will put Lucy in the back of the pick-up and drive around for a while. I just love that old girl.
Tom
Is it possible that Lucy was so unhappy being in the house that she didn't want to live? I know when I have to stay in for long periods due to medications or whatever, I some times feel like I want to just die. I think I will put Lucy in the back of the pick-up and drive around for a while. I just love that old girl.
Tom
Caustic Burno
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kerley":erzvmgz6 said:
We sure can get attacted to an old dog I am glad she is doing better. I will most likely weep when I loose Ole Rube she is my hunting compainon, stock dog and friend. She has been one in a life time we are blessed with owning.
kerley
Well-known member
Lucy 7-1-94 to 3-10-09. Lucy passed last night. We found her on her pillow bed this morning. I will bury her today. Lucy had a good life. She was never tied up to anything, always free and never once left home. She protected my family when I was working out of town and gave to us everything she could as a dog. We thought about taking her to the Vet for the last time about six months ago when I first posted about her. Kathy did not want to as Lucy was terrified of the Vet. Right up to the end Lucy was by my side. Last week end I painted the Chicken house and Lucy was right there with me. I hope some day I can be the man she thought I was. Were sure going to miss that old girl.
Tom.
Tom.
