Putting my Fiance's dog down.. :(

[dz]

So the time has come to let my fiance's dog go to sleep. The guy has been around for 19 (human) years, so he's like a brother to her. This dog has eaten tons of pills, chocolate; anything you can think of. He's gone through a lot and has been super strong the whole time.

Recently though, his back legs started getting really stiff. Within the last day or two, his back left leg was giving out on him non-stop. We could tell he was actually in pain now and we didn't want him to continue suffering.

We have a vet coming to the house now to put him to sleep. Kristin wants to be alone with him, so she asked if I'd stay upstairs until everything's over. Her mom and her are downstairs with the puppy in his final time.

It's a pretty tough thing to go through. I've known him for a couple years now and it was hard enough to say goodbye. It'd be like losing my little brother to me.

Anyways, the point of this post is, for those of you who have lost a pet that you've loved, does it help to have another dog and if so how soon? I don't want that to come off as mean and as that we're just replacing Lucky, but I just want Kristin to not feel as empty. I understand to some he's just a dog, but he's been around for so long that he really is a part of the family and it is a huge, huge loss for the family. I want to help make Kristin feel better, but I've never been in this situation so I don't know what to do? Any advice? :?

[GP99GT]

We had to put our dog down a few weeks ago, she was around 14 years old (once again, human years) and was just getting tired and had trouble breathing..she also had some sort of tumor going on in her stomach. I miss her, but i dont think i'd want another dog at this point...not sure why. My suggestion is wait a little while, and ask if she'd like another dog...then suprise her one day and take her to the pet shop and have her pick one out.

[79CamaroDiva]

I agree with GP99GT on everything except one point. Do NOT buy a pet shop puppy.

If you want purebred, research a breeder, and do a LOT of research and talk to references. If you dont want purebred, go to the pound or animal rescue. Theres sooooo many dogs out there waiting to get new homes that could be the best pet you've ever had.

also, the reason i stress not getting a pet shop pup isnt just an ethical one, its because we bought my akita from a pet shop and while she is the most incredible dog i've had, she came with her share of problems. When she went into her first heat, she never came out of it, and had a cyst on her overy so had to get an emergency historectomy, then at 9 mos old she had hip displaysia, which is common in big dogs, just not that young. She had to have her hip replaced. Then about 2 years ago she blew her knee out. This probably isnt due to the pet shop thing, but her own stupidity of chasing a squirrel when we told her to stop. Problem is, she needed two knee surgeries, and she see's a specialist for both her knee and hip. If we couldnt afford all these vet bills, someone who would've had this cute 9 month old puppy would have been SOL and had to put her down.

I'm sure you know, most come from puppy mills. (I would say all, but honestly haven't done research on what store gets from wehre) And they are massively inbred, the mothers have no space, and just have litter after litter until they cant have them anymore, then they put them down. Just for that cute puppy in the window.

My first dog when I get my own place WILL be a rescued greyhound. They're not the cutest animals, but they need rescuing.

[dz]

The puppy we get will end up coming from PetSmart, only because Kristin has volunteered there and all those dogs are from an actual shelter. The people that sell the dogs are from the shelter as well.

[bad64chevelle]

i couldnt tell you what to do as to getting another dog for her, and how soon since it kinda depends from person to person. I have my golden (The one im closest to) , the black lab, and the cocker spaniel, and i know if i had to put them down id be in really bad shape. They become like a family member, and when they are attached to you it would be even worse. Good luck man!
Jon

[Ian]

I know how it is putting a dog down. I went through the same thing about a month ago. My dog was having a hard time breathing so we dicided to put her to sleep. It broke my heart.

There really is no clear cut answer as to how long you should wait before getting another dog. Its all a matter of personal opinion.

Best of luck with the situation. Feel better, the dog is in a better place now.

[ar0ck]

It took my family about a year to get another dog. We rescued our Puppy from a rescue in Long Island. My Beagle like Matts, was with me for about 14 years, and had a tumor grow in her stomach and she stopped eating, eventually causing her to starve to death (we believe) in her sleep. But she went natural so it wasn't that bad. It was defenitly different without a dog around the house. But since my mom does not work due to a heart condition she has the time to raise a puppy as a third child since neither my sister or I are home during the day.

[Tsar]

Definately sucks, i remember when i had my dog... :(
Good lcuk with finding a new one tho!

[Fasterthanyou]

I had a golden lab that was given to my father when the pet store couldn't pay the bill. Kind of an exchange program that worked out well for us. That dog was almost 2 years older than me and when I had to put him down with my dad it was REALLY hard. I was only 14. We grieved his death for a few months but honestly it shouldn't last more than that. After a month of not having the dog around you reform a new routine without the dog. When that happens and things trigger memories of the dog you should immediatly think of the GOOD times you had with him/her. Smile, force it if you have too.
On my 16th b-day I got a puppy from a neighbor's litter. It didn't fill in the same gap and nothing will (nore should it) but it was a new family member. So the moral of that long and borring story is to wait at least a year before considering a new dog. If you get one too soon you'll feel like you've just replaced the other dog with a newer younger version. That in itself can trigger memories of your old dog.

[Tru2Chevy]

That sux man, sorry to hear.

After having a cat and dog put down (both of them being with me pretty much my whole life) we waited about 3 weeks after each to get a "replacement". If your fiance was as close to this dog as it sounds, I would wait at least two to three weeks before you even bring up the subject of getting another one.

Who knows, if she is friendly with the rescuers at PetsMart (that's where we adopted my current dog from), maybe she will mention the idea first if she sees one that catches her eye.

- Justin

[dz]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I'm going to wait a while and see if she brings it up. It's been a pretty tough night and I'm actually at work now (running on very little sleep), so Kristin has some time to herself. I figure we'll just let time heal things for now.

Again, thanks for the advice.

[foff667]

dude thats like 133 years old lol thats one old ass dog.

[dz]

Hell ya that's long. That's one thing that's making her feel a little better: he's lived a nice, full life.