Saying Goodbye, A Dog Obituary
Posted: November 6th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Dog Health | Tags: dog, dogs, food, golden retriever, los angeles dog rescue, Pet loss, puppy, Singapore, The Complete Single's Guide to Being a Dog Owner | 7 Comments »It is always difficult to say goodbye to a beloved pet, and explaining how you feel to non-dog-crazy people is like adding insult to injury; not everyone understands how much our dogs mean to us.
Through the magic of the internet I have met a wonderful, dog-loving woman named Judy. She is a friend of my sister’s who lives in Singapore with her husband Russel who is a photographer (hence the amazing pics) and a pack of beloved Golden Retrievers.
Golden's at Christmas
Sadly, Sidney her first boy, his health had begun to deteriorate in recent months. Knowing that her friend Cynthia’s sister was a crazy dog person, who might understand her situation, she reached out and we began chatting online.
Judy wrote me the most beautiful emails about her beloved Sidney and her fight to keep him healthy and vital. Unlike the US where vets are abundant and understanding of the desire to keep dogs alive and well at almost any cost, Singapore was somewhat behind. And yet Sidney was born in 1994! Certainly Judy was quite a dog mom to have a Golden live strong for 15 plus years.
Sydney wearing Louis Vuitton Sneaker
But last week, it was time to let Sidney go. I asked Judy to write something about Sidney because if we honor our family and friends with obituaries, we should do the same for our four-legged family member who we love so dearly.
Here is what she wrote:
There is such a strange void and silence in my house after Sidney died. I can’t explain it. Even though I still have 3 dogs, I think his aura was really big.
My husband, Russel, brought Sidney home about 15 and half years ago. We were dating, not married yet. I named him Sidney (after Sidney Poitier) and he was the finest blonde I’d ever met! Like people, some dogs have a presence that cannot be explained and Sidney had that X factor. Everyone always remembers Sidney. It’s not that he did special tricks or anything uniquely special, but people have always gravitated to him. Even when we finally settled and with 4 adorable goldens, Sidney was always the one that stood out.
Sidney also remembers people really well. He adored Russel’s father (who passed away on 28 Aug, exactly 2 months before Sids) who took care of him when he was a sick puppy. Russel’s father, Dr Wong, would take time out of his rest to nurse and medicate this special doggy every hour on the hour and feed him soft white bread to encourage Sidney to eat. Up to today, Sidney’s favorite food is a loaf of baguette! Whenever Sidney saw Dr Wong, he would just go nuts! He would want to snuggle up close and put his lap on Dr Wong, like he was forever grateful to Dr Wong for saving his life and caring.
During Russel’s photo shoots, Sidney would walk over to the studio and sit down and posed. It was really funny because Russel always had to shoo him out of the studio. Sidney liked posing with people! He really did enjoy taking pictures! But more than anything, he loved being around people and people loved him. He was a sensitive soul, my boy, and he had a lot of friends. So many were in tears when I announced that he died, so many.
Sydney in his favorite spot
I knew he was going to die when I woke up on the morning of the 28th. He was so tired and he was having a hard time breathing. I carried him downstairs (they ALL sleep with me in my bedroom, no matter who is sick) and saw that he probably had hours or another day at most. I finally made the decision to call the vet to the house (I would not have wanted him to die at the vet’s, I had to respect Sidney’s wishes. I know how much he hated the vet’s office) because I just couldn’t bear to see him suffer anymore. What really hurts is that his eyes were so alive and well, but the rest of him was not. That makes me feel so guilty! The logical side of my brain understands that it was the best thing for him, but my heart was just in pieces.
Please God take care of my Sidney and forgive me. I’m trying to make myself remember all the wonderful years and be grateful for every minute of them, to have had the opportunity to love such a wonderful companion and get loved back. But it’s still hard. it’s going to take a while…. a long while.
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to give attention to the other 3 doggies. But there is a huge void in my home and in my heart.
What a beautiful letter Judy wrote and I’m glad we were able to connect and share about Sydney.
If you need to share about your dog, I’m always here at betsy@lovethydog.com or there are some amazing Pet Loss support resources online, including the ASPCA’s website and Petloss.com which has a lengthy list of grief hotlines.
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I understand the sentiment that logically it made sense to put my Shiba Inu mix Cassi down but my heart is still in pieces almost a month later. She was 16 years +4 months and the best traveling companion a girl could ask for. So full of life, such an independent spirit, so protective, and such a giver of unconditional love. Her condition deteriorated daily the last few weeks. What helps with my guilty feelings are the two statements I and the vet made that stand out in my mind… I told her “I don’t want her to suffer” (bottom line) and the vet told me “You’re doing the right thing”… Only time will convince me of the last… God bless people everywhere who love their pets and go through the sadness of saying good-bye to them forever…
Thank you for publishing this. Our own Sydney, very young at just 7 years old, passed away this July 5th. A lot of the descriptions of Sidney the Retriever here could also be said of our little girl, Sydney the Pug. She also “stood out” amongst 3 other dogs and everyone remembered her. She was even cast in a movie! Sadly, a routine dental cleaning went badly and she died of fluid in her lungs (although we are not sure if there was an underlying disease we did not know about). Such a good girl all the way to the end–she waited for us to come see her back at the animal hospital before her little heart gave out. Thankfully we did not have to make the decision to “put her to sleep”, as I know many pet owners have to suffer through. God bless our loved ones and may they all be running happily together until we see them again.
Thank you so much for publishing this article my beloved companion Ricky pass away this morning and I am just devastated. Ricky was loved by everyone. He was the clown the one that would make me laugh on a really bad day… your words ran true for me since I too debated with putting Ricky down at the end Ricky went on his own…..for almost 11 years his was my comfort today it was my turn to comfort him as he took his last breath…to his new journey where there is no pain where the grass is always green and they sky blue….Love you Ricky Forever…..
Our big, black and beautiful girl Zelda passed yesterday. Her eyes were brown and caring but her body had broken down and we were being selfish to try and keep her with us.
We are lucky to have a vet who came to our house so that she could be in her favorite spot in our yard, a corner of her world where she guarded us for 11 wonderful years, always protecting us and giving us so much love and joy. She is put to rest in our back yard where a tree is planted and where she will be shaded from the sun, she had such alot of hair being malamute and shepherd. She liked to lay in the shade.
Our young son grew up with our Zelda, he went from being a young boy to becoming a man with her and all of his friends. She loved to “hang with the boys” and get pizza left overs from them. She loved us all, she loved her baby boy Zeke, a yellow lab puppy that she believed was her own, she was able to be a mom later in her life. She will be forever in our hearts, we loved her so much.
This passed week has been nothing but a nightmare.
Sooner Kinnan January 23,2004–October 31,2010
Our beloved Sooner was diagnoised with cancer this Tuesday and passed away today.
In one week our life has been turned upside down.
There is such an emptiness in our home and our hearts. Our eyes are filled with tears and our hearts are breaking.
Sooner loved being the center of attetion, playing in the snow, laying in the flower beds on a nice sunny day, loved car rides, played with the neighborhood dogs and didn’t like to get her feet wet in the rain. Most of all she loved playing with her family. There was always a race from our house to the garage to greet Daddy after a hard day of work.
Sooner wasn’t the oldest but she was the “BOSS”, there was never a kinder or more gentle dog. She was not only the love of our lives but also the love of the neighborhood kids.
Sooner always greeted company like they were family.
She wasn’t just a pet she was our little girl. She leaves behind Zeus, Bugsy, Mommy & Daddy.
Special thanks to Brandywine Hospital For Pets, Dr. Lou Ann Taylor.
Med Vet Medical & Cancer Center For Pets, Dr. Roger Hostutler , Dr. Schabbing , and a special thank you to Dr. Warren Maurer, and Tech Selu Foster, for treating our little as if she was their own. Thank you so much Sooner’s family.
I am so sorry for your loss. I am sure that Sooner is in a wonderful place where she feels strong, healthy and appreciative of all that you did for her.
My condolences,
Betsy
Becky Posh joined the family in Y2002 when my younger girl passed her Primary Six Leaving Examination. She left us this morning after the vet diagnosed her with liver infection just the night before. She collapsed this morning and had internal bleeding. She breathed her last when my elder daughter was there with her. She was my little girl and a gem who always ran to me after dinner when I cut fruits for the family. I miss her alot and she will continue to live in our hearts.