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Ive had to put all of my pets to sleep when they got too old. My first dog, Lady, had a brain tumor, so she got really mean and insane. My second dog was this old beagle, Patches. She just got too old. It reached a point where everything she did was painful. What makes me the saddest is how she reacted when she saw the vet,m right before we put her to sleep. she loved the vet, so she tried to run over to her, but couldnt manage, and just fell down in a heap about three feet after she got up. I miss her.

My first cat just got waaaaaaay too old. He was like Patches. He got so old that he could barely move, so we had to put him to sleep. He was oddly serene about it, as if he knew that it was going to happen. Normally he hated the vets, and would kick and scratch to avoid going there. But that day, he just sat and waited his turn. My other cat wandered around the house for days, yolwing for him, as if he knew that Ben, the cat, was never coming home. His name was Tiggy. We had to put him to sleep because a blood clot reached his spine, and paralyzed him from just udner his chest down. He was an old cat too, though. We might have been able to save him, but we didnt know about it until he started yolwing. We found him dragging himself up to the porch, and knew that we had to end it. He was like Ben, serene to the last.

I never was able to be in the room when we put our pets to sleep. I always had to wait outside. My brother always went in though. HE alway held them, till it was all over, letting them know that we lved them.

We loved all of our pets. Sadness is what you get when living with a friend that you know wil die long before you do. The dog that has been mine all along, Neal, is getting old too. He is turning twelve in two weeks, and hes showing it. Funny thing is, hes still as muscular and healthy as he always was. The only reason we know that hes getting old is because his once chiny black hair is turning a sort of matte black, and white hair is now creeping up his paws and chin. Hes the only pet that Im going to be in the room with when they put him to sleep. Hes my dog, and Ill have to be there for him.

Patches on the other hand, was sickly from the beginning, and the old bird managed to reach 17 years, something that no beagle her size was supposed to do, the vet said. She was a good old dog, if a little thick skulled at times.

I wish I could relate. The most I've ever had were hamsters. My brother and I used to breed them (in a controlled manner of course) and give them away so we only really got to know a few of them. My mom did keep one litter at home and let them grow old and die though. But by that time, I think we were both a too desensitized by having to give them away every other year that the litter we kept didn't really feel like anything.

At least you can still relate to your pets and treat them with genuine love.

I guess. Another thing is that it might be a bit different with cats and dogs as opposed to rodents, reptiles, etc. Well, I actually don't know. I've never had a cat or dog before. I know that I DO have rather intense feelings when it comes to human issues though. xp

Anyway... I hope you're feeling better Jewl. It's good that you're trying to see the optimistic side of things despite your dog's death.

ooohhh my goodness I remember the day my husky died. I had came home from church with my grandparents and cousin and i found him laying in the front yard and i thought he was asleep because he normally slept in the front yard the way he was laying, but when i got inside everyone was crying and my mom said sorry to me so when i didn't understand i went out side and shook him trying to get him to wake up but he never did. crying
and my rottweiler was @ my sister's when my other relatives came to visit and the day before they left i found out that she killed my sister's dog and even though i had the choice to still keep her my dad was an a*****e and had her put down.
and this recent Halloween sucked the worst because my sister and i went to go trick or treating w/ her son and when we got back we found her dog had broken it's leg in a L shape and it would have cost 2k to even begin to fix him because he was so small and my sister just didn't have the money. so we had him put down i was so mad at myself for not staying home to watch after them and i'm still mad at myself.

Yeah, people said I should have been cool when my pets were put to sleep, since I am a dude. I dont give a damn about the masculine stereotype, so I cried. It wasnt how I normally was, but by god I loved those pets. They were as much my family as any human ever will be.