Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

sinkingfeeling

(51,279 posts)
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 09:48 PM Sep 2018

I had to release my best friend of the last 14 plus years this morning.

Last edited Thu Sep 13, 2018, 08:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Hank came to me as a teenager, about 14 or 15 months old, back in 2004. He was pulled from a shelter in northern Kentucky by an American Eskimo Rescue in Ohio. It was there that he became the BFF of another Eskie, Sugar. It was estimated that Sugar was 10 to 12 months older than Hank.

I found Sugar on Petfinders and was given the opportunity to adopt him. My mom and sister were in Ohio and went by to check him out and discovered the deep bond between Hank and Sugar. I decided to adopt them together.

Sugar lost his right front leg to cancer in 2012. I lost him suddenly the day after Thanksgiving last year.

Hank had lost his hearing and could only see light and blurs. He had a rough attack of vestibular syndrome on Jan. 27th., spent 5 days in hospital and had a CT scan. He recovered fairly well physically, but seemed not to remember anything from his former life. He needed help finding his food and water. I carried him up and down stairs every day. He slept with me every night for over 14 years.

About this time last night, he became unstable on his feet and vomited his dinner. I knew it was another attack of the vestibular syndrome. I rushed him to our emergency clinic where they could start IV fluids and watch him overnight. I picked him up there at 6:30 AM and took him directly to our vet's office. He barely stirred. She said she doubted he could recover again, so I sent him to rejoin Sugar.

I've cried until I don't think I can cry any more. And I keep looking for him. How can I sleep tonight without my Hankie Boo next to me? I loved him. It hurts so much to see them go.


64 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
I had to release my best friend of the last 14 plus years this morning. (Original Post) sinkingfeeling Sep 2018 OP
I'm very sorry to hear Dennis Donovan Sep 2018 #1
I'm crying for you. fierywoman Sep 2018 #2
So very sorry. You gave him a good life and lots of love and then helped him skylucy Sep 2018 #3
I am so sorry. Your post made me cry for Hank and for you. nt tblue37 Sep 2018 #4
🕯️Hank irisblue Sep 2018 #5
RIP Hank go play with Sugar . Take care sinkingfeeling lunasun Sep 2018 #6
I'm so sorry about Hank. Sending positive thoughts. There is never enough time with them. onecaliberal Sep 2018 #7
Hank was awfully lucky to have you. babylonsister Sep 2018 #8
This is the hardest thing we have to do for our fur children. I had to let my rescued calico go Tess49 Sep 2018 #9
I cried tears as I read your post...... chillfactor Sep 2018 #10
All my love to you and any DUer who so loves their furry friends hlthe2b Sep 2018 #11
I am so sorry Ohiogal Sep 2018 #12
I am so terribly sorry for the loss of your pal Hank. phylny Sep 2018 #13
So sorry to hear of your loss .... CatMor Sep 2018 #14
I'm so, so sorry lunamagica Sep 2018 #15
dog love msdogi Sep 2018 #16
I'm so sorry sinkingfeeling. I'm crying with you on the livetohike Sep 2018 #17
Holding you in my heart. MuseRider Sep 2018 #18
He was beautiful. I'm so sorry. Nt Blue_playwright Sep 2018 #19
I'm so sorry for the loss of your loving companion. FuzzyRabbit Sep 2018 #20
They come in and get their furry feet MFM008 Sep 2018 #21
What a beautiful boy. MontanaMama Sep 2018 #22
That face! What a love.. I'm very sorry for your loss. mountain grammy Sep 2018 #23
My heart aches for you williesgirl Sep 2018 #24
I'm so sorry. It's a special bond and they love pnwest Sep 2018 #25
It sucks when they get sick and die. Cary Sep 2018 #26
My heart aches also saidsimplesimon Sep 2018 #27
I'm so sorry for your loss. yardwork Sep 2018 #28
Even when it is the right thing to do, it still... 3catwoman3 Sep 2018 #29
So very deeply sorry for your loss. Zoonart Sep 2018 #30
Losing a loved one pamdb Sep 2018 #31
What a beautiful dog.. Permanut Sep 2018 #32
It hurts so, so much.... luvtheGWN Sep 2018 #33
Oh, I Am So Sorry :( DarthDem Sep 2018 #34
For me, the silence in the house and at my heels is the worst part. shanny Sep 2018 #35
Please get another dog as soon as you're ready. Shemp Howard Sep 2018 #36
You have our sympathies RainCaster Sep 2018 #37
So sorry for your loss Power 2 the People Sep 2018 #38
I lost my boy Roy last Thanksgiving. I know how you feel. Honeycombe8 Sep 2018 #39
Awww, you gave Hank and Sugar great lives. May they rest in peace. Hugs to you. nt iluvtennis Sep 2018 #40
Found this the other day...... Bayard Sep 2018 #41
As hard as it is for us to lose our animal family members, it would be worse if we went first. Bluepinky Sep 2018 #42
Dedicated to you & Hankie Poo BigBearJohn Sep 2018 #43
It's miserable when they leave. calimary Sep 2018 #44
😢 seta1950 Sep 2018 #45
Crying for your loss... StarryNite Sep 2018 #46
I am so sorry for your loss. dixiegrrrrl Sep 2018 #47
it's absolutely heartbreaking, i know orleans Sep 2018 #48
I'm sorry that you had to say goodbye The Polack MSgt Sep 2018 #49
skittles always posted this for someone who lost a furfriend orleans Sep 2018 #50
I'm so sorry. Solly Mack Sep 2018 #51
My heart is with you during this awful time. ZZenith Sep 2018 #52
Sorry for your loss. Doreen Sep 2018 #53
So heartbreaking, sinkingfeeling. Laffy Kat Sep 2018 #54
Love and peace to you DonaldsRump Sep 2018 #55
😥 Duppers Sep 2018 #56
What a sweet pup! I am so very sorry... Rhiannon12866 Sep 2018 #57
Here... lamp_shade Sep 2018 #58
pets do not live so long so you can have more pets. pansypoo53219 Sep 2018 #59
I am sorry for your loss Gothmog Sep 2018 #60
So sad. I'm so sorry to hear that. geardaddy Sep 2018 #61
My heart aches for you. PearliePoo2 Sep 2018 #62
I know your anguish all too well. sellitman Sep 2018 #63
So sorry. He was certainly beautiful. My heart aches for you. littlemissmartypants Sep 2018 #64

skylucy

(3,734 posts)
3. So very sorry. You gave him a good life and lots of love and then helped him
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 09:53 PM
Sep 2018

cross the Rainbow Bridge when it was time. Hugs to you.

babylonsister

(170,963 posts)
8. Hank was awfully lucky to have you.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 09:57 PM
Sep 2018

Your love shines, and that's what pets are about. I'm sorry for your loss.

Tess49

(1,577 posts)
9. This is the hardest thing we have to do for our fur children. I had to let my rescued calico go
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 09:59 PM
Sep 2018

about a month ago. I cried for two days. Sorry for your loss. I know it's rough.

chillfactor

(7,566 posts)
10. I cried tears as I read your post......
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:05 PM
Sep 2018

I have had dogs in my life since I was a little girl. I am retired now and have had my little girl Fajita, a 4#Chihuahua for 16 years. She sleeps with me every night, cuddles up to me when I sit in my recliner, goes for walks with me. I will be devastated when it is time for her to cross over the rainbow bridge.

hlthe2b

(101,730 posts)
11. All my love to you and any DUer who so loves their furry friends
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:06 PM
Sep 2018

I KNOW how much it hurts to let them go.

May the happy times and memories sustain you.

phylny

(8,353 posts)
13. I am so terribly sorry for the loss of your pal Hank.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:10 PM
Sep 2018

It's no consolation, but what a wonderful life you gave him and he you.

CatMor

(6,212 posts)
14. So sorry to hear of your loss ....
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:11 PM
Sep 2018

I know how heartbreaking it is. You were wonderful to take Hank and Sugar and give them so much love and they gave it back.

msdogi

(430 posts)
16. dog love
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:13 PM
Sep 2018

They are a gift, and make us better people if we love them as they love us. So sorry you lost your beautiful boy

livetohike

(22,084 posts)
17. I'm so sorry sinkingfeeling. I'm crying with you on the
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:14 PM
Sep 2018

loss of Hank. May the good memories you have help ease the pain from his final days. He had a great life with you. .

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
18. Holding you in my heart.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:18 PM
Sep 2018

The hardest thing in the world. I am so sorry. They were so very lucky to have found a wonderful person who would take them both in and give them such wonderful, long lives. Sleep knowing they are out of pain and at least they never had to go through what you are now. 💗

MFM008

(19,782 posts)
21. They come in and get their furry feet
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:49 PM
Sep 2018

all over our hearts.
They dont want to go, but they must.
We lost a 15 year old kitty friend a few weeks ago.
It was my moms kitty and companion.
She has been going downhill ever since she found out kitty died.
So sorry.

MontanaMama

(23,242 posts)
22. What a beautiful boy.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:51 PM
Sep 2018

I am crying with you. Please accept my condolences on this proufound loss. I’m sorry.

pnwest

(3,265 posts)
25. I'm so sorry. It's a special bond and they love
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:55 PM
Sep 2018

So fully and completely, we’re in awe of being found worthy of that love. May you find solace in your memories.

Cary

(11,746 posts)
26. It sucks when they get sick and die.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 10:59 PM
Sep 2018

But it does sound like you gave them full, great lives. Can't do better than that.

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)
27. My heart aches also
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:00 PM
Sep 2018

I had only one dog in my lifetime, an American Eskimo. They are so loyal, and protective, and intelligent. Mine could actually wink, among other amazing feats. Ah memories and tears for our dear sweet companions too soon gone.

3catwoman3

(23,820 posts)
29. Even when it is the right thing to do, it still...
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:06 PM
Sep 2018

...completely sucks.

I agree with your choice of the word release. In our family, when we have had to bid farewell to cats, we speak of liberating the spirit.

One of our vets once told me that we take animals into our lives and heart, knowing that, almost always, we will outlive them. And we do so, because our lives are richer for them being in it. So true.

Zoonart

(11,750 posts)
30. So very deeply sorry for your loss.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:06 PM
Sep 2018

I have been through this so many times, but it always tears your heart out to lose a beloved pet.
The good news is, you will love again and another sweet soul will join with yours.

pamdb

(1,331 posts)
31. Losing a loved one
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:07 PM
Sep 2018

I cry as I read your story. We lost our beloved Mocha Jean to bone cancer. She was 13, a cinnamon pit/ lab mix. Beautiful girl. Smartest dog I ever knew. My husband and I had to take her in to the Vet the morning after the Night of the Red Hats, as I refer to the election of 2016. She couldn’t get up off the bed we made for her on the floor and even with the painkillers we were giving her, we were afraid of her being in pain and she just laid there and she wasn’t going to get better. So we took her to our Vet and we both held her and petted her and cried. Please accept my condolences but, and I know it’s too soon, but there are thousands of dogs just waiting to be adopted. We still have our other dog, our 13 year old black lab, and 3 months after Mocha died, my husband sent me from his computer, pictures of 3 dogs from the shelter we have gotten our dogs from. So a few days later we drove out and met Buster, a Black lab/hound mix somewhere between 5 and 8.
A week later we brought him home. So hang in there and know that you gave Hank a good life.

Permanut

(5,439 posts)
32. What a beautiful dog..
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:09 PM
Sep 2018

and he was very lucky to have you. My little 14 year old rescue Jack Russell Terrier Joey is helping me type this.

 

shanny

(6,709 posts)
35. For me, the silence in the house and at my heels is the worst part.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:27 PM
Sep 2018

So sorry for your loss....both of them, so close together.






Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
39. I lost my boy Roy last Thanksgiving. I know how you feel.
Wed Sep 12, 2018, 11:47 PM
Sep 2018

I'm SO sorry. I know the loss is tremendous. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that Hankie Boo was a lucky, spoiled little fella who had a wonderful life with you. This is the hardest part of being a pet owner. Having to say goodbye to our best friends, our companions, our little loves.

Hank was a beauty.

Bluepinky

(2,260 posts)
42. As hard as it is for us to lose our animal family members, it would be worse if we went first.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 12:09 AM
Sep 2018

Nobody would love them like we do, and they would suffer for it the rest of their lives. I have lost loving cats and a wonderful dog, and I feel so blessed to have had that time with them.
But it's painful to lose them, and I feel for you. Rest easy knowing you gave and received love from a true friend.

calimary

(80,700 posts)
44. It's miserable when they leave.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 12:17 AM
Sep 2018

We lost our oldest cat, dB, a few months ago. I still miss her. She sure hung on, though, even after suffering a stroke. I spent a lot of time nursing her back to some semblance of health.

I don’t know how one gets over these things, except one day at a time. I still think about her every day.

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s good that you shared this here. DUers offer some wonderful shoulders to lean on, especially at a time like this. Lots of us have gone through something similar, so the empathy is strong here.

You do not grieve alone.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
47. I am so sorry for your loss.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 12:51 AM
Sep 2018

and glad that so many here understand the pain and sadness of losing our fur kids.

orleans

(33,987 posts)
48. it's absolutely heartbreaking, i know
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 12:56 AM
Sep 2018

i've had my heart broken repeatedly when i've had to part ways with my doglets. it's a tremendous loss


i suspect there is no comfort for now and i'm so sorry. my heart goes out to you.

The Polack MSgt

(13,159 posts)
49. I'm sorry that you had to say goodbye
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 12:59 AM
Sep 2018

Every time we accept the love of a dog - as long as we aren't monsters who could abuse them - We accept the fact that we will be heart broken in 10-15 years

That knowledge never makes it easier.

You saved your dogs from an institutional environment (I am NOT denigrating rescues with this, but a kennel is not a home), and made them family members.

Which they remained as long as their lives lasted

That my friend is as much as you can give to any life you encounter

My eyes are leaking right now, because I remember all the dogs I've loved.

It's helped me to just remember that after they pass, I will go back to the pound and I will rescue another life from that institution and make that dog a family member.

I will give them a place in a family that loves them, and they will live the entire dog's lifespan in a good place free from terror or hunger or suffering.

I will be a loving presence at the end of their days so that when the suffering is too much they will not be alone and I will make the hardest choice and release my friend from the pain.

It sounds like you've done all of those things sinkingfeelings and I'm willing to bet that you will again.

Peace



orleans

(33,987 posts)
50. skittles always posted this for someone who lost a furfriend
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 01:01 AM
Sep 2018

i think skittles would like to give this to you now:

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you -

I loved you so -
'twas Heaven here with you

~Isla Paschal Richardson

ZZenith

(4,110 posts)
52. My heart is with you during this awful time.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 01:56 AM
Sep 2018

Thank you for providing a loving home for Hank. He depended on you and you always came through for him.

Laffy Kat

(16,356 posts)
54. So heartbreaking, sinkingfeeling.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 02:10 AM
Sep 2018

Wish there was something I could say. What a beautiful, sweet dog. You were his best friend, too. No dog could ask for a better guardian.

Duppers

(28,094 posts)
56. 😥
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 02:46 AM
Sep 2018

I know if love could've saved your Hank, he would've lived forever.

And i know your pain and am so very sorry.



When you're ready, you'll save another furbaby. It's what our deep compassionate love pushes us furbaby-lovers to do. Take care.

Rhiannon12866

(203,037 posts)
57. What a sweet pup! I am so very sorry...
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 03:15 AM
Sep 2018

I've been there, too, and it never gets easier.

Just try to remember how fortunate he was to have found you as a best friend, too.

sellitman

(11,596 posts)
63. I know your anguish all too well.
Thu Sep 13, 2018, 03:24 PM
Sep 2018

We put our best friend down almost two years ago. Thinking of him still wets my eyes.

Try to think of how many dogs would of gladly traded places with your friend. Hugs.

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Pets»I had to release my best ...