Putting your dog down.....

[sailorman]

This saying has comforted me over the years as one companion after another had to leave me .

Heaven's the place where all the dogs you've ever loved come to greet you.

 

[teejk]

This saying has comforted me over the years as one companion after another had to leave me .

Heaven's the place where all the dogs you've ever loved come to greet you.

You pretty optimistic about your direction I guess

 

[sailorman]

You pretty optimistic about your direction I guess

Not particularly but, Its nice to think me and the dogs will end up in a good place . Frankly my past and present dogs deserve it more than me .

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have done it and it was as hard as anything I have done. My mind thought all kinds of thoughts and I had to put them aside and do the job that needed to be done. Hope and pray I will never have to do it again. Ed

I did it once, and it was a terrible thing. I dug his grave, carried him out, and stretched him on the new turned dirt. He couldn't stand, but loved the smell. He died happy, and it tore my heart out. The last one we put down I hired a vet to come to the house and give him a shot.

 

[om21braz]

I did it once, and it was a terrible thing. I dug his grave, carried him out, and stretched him on the new turned dirt. He couldn't stand, but loved the smell. He died happy, and it tore my heart out. The last one we put down I hired a vet to come to the house and give him a shot.

+1 I had to put down a Labrador we had for 13 years - Cole. He slept in our bed for about 10 of those. He was to the point of not eating and could barely walk. That didn't make it any easier. I cried like a three-old year. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone that's as attached as we were and my heart goes out to anyone in the position of having to put down a best friend.

 

[teejk]

Not particularly but, Its nice to think me and the dogs will end up in a good place . Frankly my past and present dogs deserve it more than me .

We have had 3 that are no longer with us...I know they all went "up". We have 2 young dachs now and unless their demeanor changes dramatically, they'll go "up" also. I have a feeling I won't go "down" but I might spend some time in that waiting room.:laughing:

 

[teejk]

+1 I had to put down a Labrador we had for 13 years - Cole. He slept in our bed for about 10 of those. He was to the point of not eating and could barely walk. That didn't make it any easier. I cried like a three-old year. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone that's as attached as we were and my heart goes out to anyone in the position of having to put down a best friend.

After Lonergan (the most comical/loyal cocker ever) was put down it took me 8 years before I would even think about getting another dog...it hurt that bad...thinking about this thread a lot...if I were a dog in great pain I guess I wouldn't care how I went out as long as it was quick.

 

[teg]

...but could you put your own dog down by pulling the trigger yourself?...

If I had to, yes. Would I want to, Never. I don't think its the best way for a dog to go. I will always be by their side when it happens. Took one into the vet that didn't mind going... the other was done at the house since he knew the way to the vet, and he did not like going there.

 

[Clint S]

I am the cheapest sun of a gun you ever met, but I will pay to have the vet do it. Farm animals are a different story. I have put down several cows and barn cats (that got stepped on by cows ect).

 

[QRTRHRS]

To be honest, I'm torn regarding this decision. I have two horses, there is no 'large animal' vet in my Shire (county) and there have been stories that the vet is not skilled in the dosage required to put down a beloved horse. A neighbour is known for humanely putting down with his rifle.

That being said, I have read up on where to 'put a bullet' if required as I believe I could and would do it. They're my horses and pets and I owe it to them as part of my 'pact' of having them in my life. To me, it's the honourable thing to do.

As my Queen, Elizabeth II has said,"Grief is the price we pay for love."

For those that are not around horses, the vets I have worked with administer a seditive and then another drug to stop the heart. I was at work once when we had to have a horse put down and the vet did not do it correctly. My wife looked at the vet tech who was with the vet that day and he was rolling his eyes. The vet who owns the practice has since left that one go by the way. Anyway, when he does it, the animal is usually dead before they hit the ground.

Anyway, growing up, putting down dogs with a bullit was the rule not the exception. I have done so myself but the dog was injured, etc. It would take me some time to recount the number of animals that I have had to have put down or put down myself. My first choice is the vet especially for a dog or cat but if an animal is in pain and there is little hope, I do what needs to be done. Either way, my only issue is if the animal is otherwise healthy. You know, putting down a beagle say because the dog won't hunt does not cut it for me.

That said, if I had a horse that was downright dangerous, I would put it down myself rather than dump it on some unsuspecting person.

Something not mentioned yet is what to do with the body. For lage animals, either having the abator pick up the animal or dragging it to a remote corner for the vultures to take care of are quite acceptable. That said, my wife would never let me do that to our horses so I always get stuck digging a big hole, etc., along with the dogs and cats.