Dogs Passing

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ESS13
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Dogs Passing

Post by ESS13 » Tue Dec 02, 2014 4:56 pm

My 5 year old springer spaniel just had a hypoglycemic seizure on 11/6/14 and it completely freaked me out. I thought my dog was dead and I had no experience with seizures at all so it took me a few days to realize that my dog was still alive. She is close to normal but it certainly got me thinking about the future.

What is the best way to deal with a good hunting dog getting put down or passing away? Specifically your first dog. Maybe something someone did or used helped them because I will probably be a mess when that time comes for me.

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Sharon
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by Sharon » Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:40 pm

There is no easy way. I have my dog cremated at the vet and I don't save the ashes. Others would never do that.

I've had several young siblings from my family die. I take death as a matter of fact. That's not to say I don't cry/grieve.

Personal choice .
Last edited by Sharon on Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

41magsnub
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by 41magsnub » Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:42 pm

What I plan to do, hopefully 10+ years from now, is to cremate my dog and spread her ashes at our favorite hunting spot.

ESS13
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by ESS13 » Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:58 pm

Does having another dog help the loss of another dog? I would imagine you would still miss the dog that passed away. You simply cannot help but visualize how a specific dog would attack a situation in the field I suppose.

Max2
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by Max2 » Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:55 pm

(IMO) it's the hardest part of having them. Having had dogs my whole life it's never easy to let them go. Of all the dog's I have only had two gun dogs. For me I bonded more with the gun dogs which is why it seems to have a pretty heavy impact when you think about them not being here for ever. But you know when we get them that is the deal. We give them the best life we possibly can and when it's time we have to do whats best for them. Now as for seizures in dogs . That's an entirely different hand you have been dealt. Dog's can live a productive life and have seizures though they can be unsettling to witness. Love the dog, hunt the dog & don't worry about what comes at the end. You can make yourself crazy. Pup wouldn't like that .

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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by shags » Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:56 pm

There isn't a "best" way because it's much too personal and circumstances vary too widely. You just suck it up and do what needs to be done for the good of your dog. Much better to let one go a month too soon than a day too late IMO. The worst thing is to hang on because our hearts hurt, while the poor dog suffers.

We have ours PTS at the vets, and cremated. If they die at home we either have them cremated or bury them ourselves. Some ashes are buried, some scattered, and some ( :oops: ) still setting on a shelf in the pantry until the time is right.

mnaj_springer
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by mnaj_springer » Wed Dec 03, 2014 6:59 am

You do what you have to when you can. I bury a toy or something with them. Say a pray, and keep the collar.

But I'm with Shags... Dogs don't deserve to suffer because we selfishly can't let go.

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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by RayGubernat » Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:51 am

I will say this:

When the time comes that I do not feel terrible about losing one of my dogs, I will know that it is I who have lost something.

They are here and gone waaaay too soon. That is a fact of life with dogs. Death is a part of life. That is also a fact.

The way I figure it is this...the dogs give me everything they have to give. So, I owe it to them to take the best care of them I can. That is especially important at the end, because that is when it needs to be about them...not us.

I buried my first bird dog in the mid seventies. He was 17 and I had to have him euthanized. It was not easy, but it was time. I cried like a little kid and I was in my late twenties. I still think of him and still miss him and all those who have come and gone since. I hope it never gets easy to lose a friend.

RayG

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UglyD
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by UglyD » Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:22 am

RayGubernat wrote:I will say this:

. I hope it never gets easy to lose a friend.

RayG
Couldn't think of a better way of saying it.

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DonF
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by DonF » Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:36 am

When the time come's with a dog of mine, I bring them home to bury them, hard to let them go. My ash's will be spread on their graves and the container they are in will be buried on top of my first shorthair, Hannah. I had to put one of my dog's down myself on a Christmas eve. I hope I never have to do that again! I felt like a traitor!

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ezzy333
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by ezzy333 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 1:42 pm

I had to do that for my pony when I was twelve. Dad handed me the gun without a word and I knew what I had to do. Was very hard but I also knew I was ending her suffering. A memory I will never forget and an action I will never regret.

Ezzy

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wems2371
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by wems2371 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:50 pm

I don't think having another dog negates the loss of the first one. I do think though that having another dog to hunt and enjoy, helps to ease focusing on the one lost.

In the past, we've always buried our pets, but I'm leaning towards cremation now. In a hunting group I'm in, a gal mentioned burying her dogs with some rooster tail feathers. I've always buried my pets with a favorite toy or something sentimental, but I thought the tail feathers a fitting gesture for a hunting dog. On my front porch I have a sign that says "Dogs gather here" and next to it a hook with my labs well worn leather collar and tags. She's buried out back with an apple tree planted over her as a marker.

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oldbeek
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by oldbeek » Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:54 am

I have lost 4 great hunters. It is hard. One died while hunting at one of our favorite spots. We buried him right there. 20 years later, my hunting partner lost one at the same place. His dog had seizures and was on medication. She ranged real big. She just went out never came back. We hunted for her all afternoon, then started a camp fire and waited for her to come back all night. That was hard. We sat around all night remembering all the great hunts and dogs we hunted with at that place. Makes you think you shouldn't hunt an old dog but every one of them was under 11 yrs old and they loved to hunt birds. That winter my partner also died while on a pig hunt in Arizona at 80yrs old. That is even harder, but death is a part of life.

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Sharon
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by Sharon » Fri Dec 05, 2014 5:33 pm

oldbeek wrote:I have lost 4 great hunters. It is hard. One died while hunting at one of our favorite spots. We buried him right there. 20 years later, my hunting partner lost one at the same place. His dog had seizures and was on medication. She ranged real big. She just went out never came back. We hunted for her all afternoon, then started a camp fire and waited for her to come back all night. That was hard. We sat around all night remembering all the great hunts and dogs we hunted with at that place. Makes you think you shouldn't hunt an old dog but every one of them was under 11 yrs old and they loved to hunt birds. That winter my partner also died while on a pig hunt in Arizona at 80yrs old. That is even harder, but death is a part of life.
Hope I'm not getting too off topic. MY 14 year old will not be left at home . Jogs slowly at a steady pace for only about a half hour now. I'm not leaving her at home. I'd rather have her go in the field than on some vet's table

ESS13
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by ESS13 » Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:01 pm

I just want my dog to be having fun until the end. No misery just fun. If that's hunting than so be it. If that's watching Nascar on the couch than so be it. Its easy to get hung up on filling your limit everytime you go out afield. No more. Me and my dog are having fun and if we are lucky when afield than great. Its easy to get hung up on over correcting every bad thing your dog does trainING. In going about it different from now on. Correct than forgive and forget. I don't need to be a "bleep" hero what I do need is for my dog to enjoy her time afield or with our family. Simple stuff and it takes us humans to screw that easy stuff up.

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luvthemud
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Re: Dogs Passing

Post by luvthemud » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:52 pm

I just had this happen. My 2 year old GSP suffered a seizure in the field while we were hunting and then suffered another one at the vet, in which he didn't recover from.

While this dog wasn't my first dog, I did consider him my first true companion dog. He was the first dog that has ever lived in the house with me, slept with me on occasion, drove to the store with me and was my "up north" buddy. He was the first dog that listened to me complain about my wife, helped me forget about work, and had me truly loving hunting more so than I ever had in the past. So, when he passed, I was devastated. Initially, my reaction was fairly typical of the standard grieving process. I cried like a baby, rejected the idea of hunting again, promised to start selling my shotguns, and all that jazz.

Then a few days later, I snapped out of it. What really helped me was talking to others who went through the same thing. Also, my phone was going nuts with calls and texts from pretty much anyone that hunted with us. Compliments of what a good dog he was and how he brought out the good in the other dogs he hunted with felt great. Also, everyone kept reiterating that losing a dog in the field is better than in your living room or the highway in front of your house.

My partner went out like a champ. He went down seconds after just retrieving his 18th bird of the day and was absolutely perfect from the time he got out of the truck. Can a bird dog go out any better?

He will never be forgotten, but I already have a new pup coming. The house is way too quiet, and the silence is driving me and my wife nuts. The best way in my opinion for me to honor my fallen partner is to move on while always remembering.

So, to answer your question, there really isn't a "best" way. Everyone will handle the situation differently.

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