Heartbroken

[Eamonn]

On Monday night I was watching Antiques Roadshow with my eyes closed.

Her Who Must Be Obeyed has a way of calling my name when something is wrong.

I got that call. I woke up to find poor Joe the English Setter having what can only be described as something like a epileptic fit.

Of course none of our local Vets have emergency hours, so we drove 50 miles to the Animal Hospital /Trauma Center.

They did manage to calm him down a little with some Valium, but his breathing was still rapid and his blood pressure was low.

They did a scan which showed he had a brain tumor.

On the recommendation of the Vet we had to say good-bye to poor old Joe.

Joe was never a very frisky fellow, but he was the kindest most gentle dog I ever met.

As you can imagine we all have done our fair share of crying.

He was a very special member of our family.

Of course along with the tears, we have taken the time to look back at the silly and good times we shared.

I really do miss him. I know in time the pain of him not being here will pass.

I''m just so happy that he let us be his family.

Eamonn

[Lisabob]

Oh Eamonn, I''m so sorry to hear your sad news. May he find a nice fireplace somewhere in the hereafter to curl up in front of.

[local1400]

My deepest condolences Eamonn.

[scoutldr]

As an animal lover, I feel your loss deeply. I am a cat person. I seem to connect with cats on an almost telepathic level. Stray cats will let me hold them when no one else can get close. We understand each other, like another human can''t. My first cat, Sydney was an SPCA special. Shortly after getting married (at age 20!), my new bride got the maternal urge. Not being ready financially or mentally, I said, "how about a kitten?"...so off we went to the SPCA. Thirteen years later I had to hold him while the vet administered the injection. It was, to this day, the hardest thing I ever had to do. I missed three days of work. My current buddy, Sam, the black alley cat, is almost 14. He got his name because we found him in the gutter at Sam''s Club on Thanksgiving eve...a frozen furr ball all of five weeks old. I know the day is coming, but I can''t stand to think about it. He has slowed down, but still wakes me up at 0515 sharp every morning to go to work, and when we are sick, he''s there by our side in the bed like a faithful watchdog. We have conversations regularly, and he talks back in a language that only we understand, but the meanings of the meows are unmistakable. My wife swears that when he goes, there will be "no more animals" in her house. I hope she''ll be happy living alone.

 

It seems the "new lady in your life" was sent for a reason. God will fill the void if you accept the gift.

[BrentAllen]

Eamonn,

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. They truly are members of our families.

Like scoutldr, we have cats. My wife got India, a Bombay cat, as a graduation present, the year before we were married. We had her for 17 years, until we had to put her down on December 19, 2005 - one of the hardest days of my life. She is buried under the Japanese Maple in the backyard, which turns the gold color of her eyes every fall.

I couldn''t stand the house without a pet, so we quickly found Belle and Binks and brought them into our family.

 

When we lost India, a friend shared this with me. Hope it helps.

http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

 

 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

 

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

 

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

 

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

 

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

 

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

 

Author unknown...

[Eagledad]

I''m so sorry. You touched my soul. I''ll pray that God mends your heart.

 

 

[Slouchhat]

Eamonn,

when I lived in Oklahoma in 1994, I picked up a young stray dog. He became more than a friend quickly and when I went back to Germany, MacDuff went with me. He now is old and the day will come when he will go ahead untill I meet him at the Rainbow Bridge just as Joe will be waiting for you.

 

best regards,

Volker

[AnneinMpls]

Eamonn, I am so sorry for your loss. I''ve always loved hearing you tell about the special place these creatures have in your life and your family. Love is a Good thing, with a capital G - and so because it is so very real, it will include hurt sometimes.

Peace ot you and yours!

Anne in Mpls

[Gunny2862]

Eamonn, I don''t know what you are going through yet, I dread the day the wifes dog goes to wait at the Rainbow Bridge - I know that for her it will be near to losing a child.

 

I hope you are able to recover and take solace in your remaining family.

[jr56]

Totally sad, my prayers are with you and your family.

[John-in-KC]

Barry said it more eloquently than I:

 

I''m so sorry. You touched my soul. I''ll pray that God mends your heart.

 

[packsaddle]

Eamonn, you have such a wonderful, loving heart and tender place for children and creatures. I am deeply sympathetic. We have both dog and cats (and glass lizard, fish, python...and I saw a mouse in the garage last night ) and we also share your feelings toward creatures, maybe not the uninvited ones.

Our dog is a mutt (the best kind, IMHO) and she came right out of Sesame Street. Incredibly kind, loving, and gentle. But she''s really old now and I know we''ll be sharing your experience in the near future. She has had a wonderful dog''s life and she still takes a run through the mud in the creek once in a while. Fortunately, after three tries, she finally learned that ALL skunks can do the same thing. But now, she mostly just stays close and settles on the rug in front of the fireplace (which I will light soon, if the cool weather stays around.)

 

The cats are siblings and fairly young so we''ll be with them for quite a while longer. The non-mammals are mostly novelties and, of course, don''t return much affection. I do enjoy watching the koi gobbling food from the water surface. If I wave a fingertip in the water they''ll come and nibble it. The glass lizard is getting old and I know it will become a museum specimen within the next year, probably...got the forms ready. The python, well, what can I say, we keep it away from the other pets. I appreciate it as well - a reminder that under the surface, life is cold and without conscience if it''s left to creatures like that.

 

But life goes on and times like this are for celebration of that fact - with memories of lives previous and thoughts of those to come.

[dancinfox]

Eamonn,

When we humans have a lot of love to give out, even our animals become part of our family. We have a Greyhound, Shepherd mix who is 9 years old and sleeps in the bed with us at night. she travels with me in my jeep whenever I go on non-Scouting trips and knows it is very hard to leave her, if only to go to work. I have lost one such dog once in my life and know I will lose another good friend in the distant future. My heart goes out to you and your family.

David Harrison

[kenk]

We have LOTS of animals in our family - two horses, two dogs, two cats, two birds, three guinea pigs, one rabbit, and some number of guppies of which only my 11-year old daughter knows the count and each of their names. With all those animals comes a ton of love and affection in each of their own ways. But, as you know, it also brings its share of searing heartache. Making the decision to put down a dog (or horse, or a cat, or guinea pig, ...) is just about the toughest thing I''ve experienced in my life. At some point the pet (and God) tell you it is "time". The most loving thing you can do is to let that animal go and releive their pain and suffering, all while knowing that you''ll never ever see them and enjoy their warmth again.

 

Thank God the actual process of putting a dog (or cat, or guinea pig) to sleep is an amazingly calm and peaceful experience. Unfortunately the same can''t be said for putting a horse to sleep. The three times its happened to us the horse was standing, and though the end comes quickly, there is a certain violence to it that is really tough to see.

 

My heart breaks for you and your loss. It will get better. The pain fades, but the memories stay strong. Just the other day I was in Google Earth looking at the park where my first dog and I used to walk when he was a puppy (some 20 years ago). I could even see the curb he fell off of head-first and scratched up his little 10-week old nose. Though the pet may pass away, their memory lives on.

 

I''m confident I''ll see my beloved friends again in Heaven.

[Eamonn]

Thanks for the outpouring of kindness.

One sure way never to get hurt is to never care.

I''m not that clever or wise.

Still I do believe that it is caring and loving that makes us human.

The price of loving and caring can at times feel high.

But the rewards are even greater.

I feel truly blessed that God has given me so much to love and care about.

While here in the forum we might not always agree with each other and at times things can get heated. We all share a passion for Scouting which is a passion for helping young people.

Some of these young people will just pass through, while others have a way of almost becoming family members and do become lifelong friends.

The older I become the more privileged that young people are willing to spent their youth with an old timer like me.

 

"Dance like nobody''s watching; love like you''ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody''s listening; live like it''s heaven on earth." -Mark Twain

Joe was never much of a dancer, he did put up with my singing!! He gave love freely. He had a good life and I''m a better person for having known him and spent time with him.

Eamonn.