Sep 03 2008
New Dog
A couple of weeks ago, I had to put down my fifteen year old Chow dog. He was having leg problems and he was also chewing everything including straight through steel chain link. I swore I would not get another dog but as fate had it, I found the perfect fit.
I had a German Shepard for 10 years before her hips gave out and she could no longer get up. She was the greatest friend I ever had. Well, I was on vacation a week ago and I seen an ad for a full blooded AKC registered German Shepard. I found out that she was owned by a breeding kennel and she was unable to breed. She is three years old and well trained. She is such a baby and if you let her, she will climb right in your lap.Her registered name is “Independent Thinker”.
She a pretty dog! What do you think?
So you just put down your dog because he has a problem with his legs and chews things.
I understand it was probably a difficult situation, but with time and patience you can train a dog not to chew through steel fences. my dog has a leg problem and I would never put him down unless he absolutely could not walk by himself and couldn’t eat or go out by himself.
I feel that some people are just really lazy when it comes to truly caring for their pets.
God forbid your new German Shephard which do require a lot of training and time, does anything wrong…
No, it was because he was struggling to stand on his own. It was done on the recommendation of the vet for the reason his age was 15 years old and the life span of most Chows are 11-12 years. He as did I believed that his problems with his legs and the change in behavior was a huge problem for the dog’s safety.
Not only was he chewing through chain link. He was also tearing his mouth open in the process. The dog was very well trained and until the last two years we had no problems at all.
We have repaired several pens and covered things that would cause him harm. We tried several modifications to correct the problems. In the last six months, his legs would lock and he was in pain often when he tried to stand up.
Upon counseling with a vet, we learned that dogs can get the dementia which causes them to lose all training. Unlike your accusation of being lazy, we cared for the dog from age 12 weeks until his age of 15 years. As a loyal pet owner, sometimes it is tough to put down an animal but better for the animal. Allowing a pet to get to the point that they are in such pain that they suffer all the time is more cruel than making the decisions to put the animal down at signs of major trouble.
In your ideal world, would have been better to allow him to become totally unable to move or to get into traffic and be hit with a car? That is the true sign of cruelty to allow a long time friend to suffer because you feel they should suffer for the sake of living.
By your standards, we should be able to euthanize human beings, as well as our pets. I know of people who are suffering and want to die, but the law forbids it. Instead, their life is prolonged by any means necessary. Why is the law fine with us killing our suffering pets but, when a family member no longer wants to live with the pain, we can’t do anything for them?
Anon got fucking pwned.
Becca, I am not here to debate something that is currently illegal. However, I do say, it should not be the government who makes personal life choices for families or individuals. We learned over the last week that it is no longer the Government of the people.
I did something both humane and legal when I put down my dog. It was not an easy decision nor one taken lightly. It was done with the consultation of a qualified Vet.
Tom, thank you for the second post explaining yourself, your original post didn’t give enough details and harped more towards the chewing than the leg problems, I’m sorry for the loss of a beloved family pet, sometimes putting them down to end their suffering is the only choice to make.
And for anyone else who decides to be a f*ckwad towards you by using stupid references like,”OMG old people hurt and can’t just be put to sleep it’s illegal and you’re evil!” well, suicide is easy there partners, a dog can’t purposely go grab a shotgun and end it’s pain and agony, even an old lady with dementia can walk into traffic if she hurts enough, pets need us to investigate and end their pain if need be.
Becca could probably use a good kick in the pants.
Again, so sorry for your loss, and I’m so happy you found a new friend! She’s beautiful, and deserves a good home after being a breeder.
She looks and sounds like a gorgeous dog. I’ve never had a Shepard, but I’ve heard lots of good things about them. Good luck with the decision
Tom I agree with you 100%.
I had to put down my beloved dog at the age of 5 a few months ago. I hated having to do it but it was best for her as she was starting to suffer (cancer in her jaw).
I just wanted to reply to tell you that your new doggy is beautiful as that is why you posted your picture.
I wish you alot of loving and joyfull times with her! And I hope when that dreadfull day comes that she has to go it is peacefully in her sleep and that she never has to suffer pain.
And everyone else trying to change the subject or jumping to conclusions about tom’s choice with his Chow, sorry but who do you think you people are? you cannot judge a decision without knowing all the facts. Tom sounds like a caring pet owner and surely thought it through very well. He didnt post this to be criticised, he wanted to know what you thought of his beautiful new dog.
Have a nice day
And Tom, give Independent Thinker a big hug from me
I think she is a beautiful Dog! I unfortunately have had to put two animals down in my life and I held them both and sobbed each time. I 100% agree with you that as a responsible pet owner and family member you need to do what is best for their interest and mental health and safety. It is sad that many people throw their animals away because they some how have become inconvenient. I do agree with part of what “anon” said regarding that. Instead of watching my poor cat Inky die of dehydration and hunger after the cancer had set in so bad she couldn’t eat or drink, I made the hard choice of putting my best friend down. My vet and I had already tried everything we could from visits hooked up to an IV to get some fluids in her she was hooked up to heart monitors and had many tests run on her. Honestly I have never regretted it. If a million dollars would have bought a cure for her, some how at 18 years old I would have found a way to do it. There comes a point in your life when you must decide what will win, your selfishness or the love for your best friend. Good for you that you were able to love him so much that doing what was best for him outweighed being a pansy and letting him die a painful slow death.
I am so very sorry for your loss…You did the right thing with your dog….I had to put down my cat that I had for 17 years last year and I am still heart broken….never mind what the others wrote…You wrote with out thinking and letting others think that you put down your pet for the wrong reasons…God bless you…..
At first I agreed with Anon based on the info that was originally provided. Now I agree that sometimes it is in the best interest of the pet to be put down.
As for your new beautiful girl make sure you get her hips checked. With the amount of inbreeding a lot of these kennels are doing hip dysplasia is a major issue. You will also want to get the OFA certification on the parents if at all possible.
i agree with tom completely. animals are not human even if you do treat them as family. i recently had to put my dog down because he had epilepsy and after his seizures he couldnt do anything for himself. he was only for but putting him down was best for him because other wise he would of had to live a miserable life full of suffering. say what you want but Tom did the best thing he could for his dog.
Tom,
I agree with you.
If your friend is having a hard time walking, common sense says don’t let him suffer anymore.
If his behavior has changed, common sense says something is wrong with his mind.
He was an old dog. They lose their function and mentality just as we do, but they cant tell the doctor to put them to sleep. They rely on us for their care.
The rest of you need to stop attacking him. I had a great dane for 12 years, we had to put her down 2 years ago because her back legs went out. You wouldn’t keep her alive and let her be uncomfortable.
He did the right thing. He was humane and didn’t let his friend suffer.
Now get off his back.
Back in May of 2008 I had to put down my Chow-Chow for the exact same reasons… he couldnt walk, couldnt go to the bathroom normally, and was suffering… He was 16 years old, well past the 11-13 year lifespan of a Chow…
It killed my heart… and I truly vow not to get another dog.
I totally understand and agree with Tom. I am glad you were able to move on… I never will.
-=R=-