OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

The last time we were at the vet's for shots, she told us that Buffy had a
cancerous tumor in her stomach and that all rules were out the window now...
we should just feed Buffy whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it until
it came the time that she stopped eating completely herself and that would
be the end. Well that time came yesterday!

The night before Buffy was in the laundryroom (her domain) and started
crying and standing by the door to go outside. Matthew let her out, and
went out with her for a while before deciding to put her water bowl out and
going to bed himself. She was okay, just quietly wandering around and not
crying anymore. We talked about it and decided that she just wanted to be
outside... she had always been an outdoor dog until she got older and
started wanting to be in the house more. When I looked out in the morning,
Buffy was laying in the middle of the yard, head up and looking around....
so I let Casper out. When she saw him, she got up and was happily
half-running (something she hadn't done in a long time) along with him, tail
wagging and she had a happy doggy smile on her face (something else we
hadn't seen often over the last couple of weeks).

I waited a couple of hours to let Casper come in and got their food ready.
His was put in it's usual spot in the house, and Buffy's I brought outside
to her along with her pill for arthritis. She was laying down again, and
turned her nose up at the food. She wouldn't take her pill either. I tried
putting it in her mouth and holding her muzzle shut until it was gone, like
the vet had told me to do before if she didn't take it. After a few
minutes, and assuming by now she had swallowed it, I let her go... she spit
it back out. I laid it in her food dish and came in to tell Matthew so he
could try. She wouldn't take it or eat for him either... so from time to
time throughout the day we took turns going out to pat her and talk to her,
and Casper would go out every so often too. However the last time Casper
went out, he wouldn't go anywhere near her... in fact he stood against the
garage wall (she had chosen a spot to lay in the middle of the yard under
the maple trees) looking at her with his head and tail down, then he turned
and came back in the house... even though he hadn't relieved himself for a
few hours.

We had been invited to go to a barbecue/Canada Day celebration with
Bobbie-Jo (a friend of Matthew's who may or may not turn into more than just
a friend, but for now they are just friends) and her family, so we checked
Buffy again before leaving and decided that we really needed to have a bit
of time to enjoy ourselves. Buffy was basically being unresponsive... just
laying there only lifting her head when we would pat her, and totally
refusing to eat. We knew that she would likely not make it through the
night, and sad as it was to lose her, we knew she was uncomfortable and
wanted to die so we did pray for her release. In one way we wished we had
been home with her when the end came, but in another way we knew that she
just wanted to be left to rest and it would have been heartbreaking for
Matthew to watch his first pet die. So after spending an enjoyable evening
with friends, we came home knowing in our hearts what would meet us. Sure
enough... Matthew went to Buffy and she was dead.

We let Casper come out (because he hadn't relieved himself for all those
hours. This time he walked over beside Buffy with his head and tail
lowered, and walked around her completely. Then he went to the back of the
yard to relieve himself and came down to walk close to Buffy one more time
before going to the back door to go inside. Matthew and I went out again.
I sat on the step while he knelt by her side for a few minutes, patting her
and saying goodbye... it was heartbreaking to watch. Then we put her into a
large garbage bag (like the vet had done with my last dog before Matthew was
born) so he can bury her. Because there is no light back in the corner of
the yard where he wants to bury her, he placed her in the garage overnight
until he can dig her grave today.

If anyone knows the url for the (I think it's called...) "Rainbow Bridge"
website (the one with the lovely touching poem about pets waiting on the
other side for us), I would really appreciate having it. I'm sure I have it
somewhere, I just can't think of where it is right now... and I would love
to share it with Matthew.

Buffy's pain is over now, I'm sure she is with St Francis of Assisi and my
Dad (who also cared for animals while living here on Earth) now... and she
is once again able to run and play happily without pain like she used to in
her younger days.

*hugs*
Gemini

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

"Not Likely" notinthislifetime@yougottabejoking wrote in message
...

snip sad but beautiful post)

I've been through this with a cat, who went for his last visit to the vet at
21 years old. It's the reason I wouldn't have another house pet, it's just
too heartbreaking when they go.

Big hugs,

Mary

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
. net...

"Not Likely" notinthislifetime@yougottabejoking wrote in message
...

snip sad but beautiful post)

I've been through this with a cat, who went for his last visit to the vet
at 21 years old. It's the reason I wouldn't have another house pet, it's
just too heartbreaking when they go.

Big hugs,

Mary

Thank you, Mary! Yes, it is heartbreaking when they go, but they do bring
such love and happiness while they are with us.

My last dog I had before we got Buffy 15 years ago (when Matthew was coming
up for his 11th birthday), died one month before Matthew was born. She was
only 9 years old, and had been brought home to me on New Year's Eve by my
brother when she was a tiny ball of fluff that could fit in the palm of one
hand. My parents and I fell in love with her (my last dog before her had
been 15 and I found him dead under his favorite bush five years before
that... my Mom swore there would be no more pets) and she was very much a
baby to us. Needless to say when she died (and I was 8 months pregnant) I
was heartbroken and cried. My ex-husband who was stilll around at the time,
told me I was being stupid and that she was "just a dog" so I should stop my
nonsense. Any question why I don't care that he is my EX?... he was
extremely insensitive in more ways than that, but that one was the worst in
my eyes. In any case, after Tasha died my Mom once again swore there would
be no more pets.

We got Buffy while my Mom was recuperating in the hospital from her first
stroke... I did ask her first. Matthew had never had a pet (aside from a
couple of goldfish, but you can't really pet or cuddle them), and his 11th
birthday was one month away... so my Mom agreed to have another pet in the
house. I took Matthew to the farm that was giving puppies away, and he
chose her as soon as he saw her. I had honestly hoped to get a male, but he
fell in love with Buffy and that was that. My oldest sister came to visit
shortly after we got Buffy and picked her up... she said "I don't believe
it. This puppy is actually hugging me." Buffy had put one paw on each side
of my sister's neck and was cuddling up against her... it was so cute. As
she grew, she became less affectionate, but not less loving... she always
greeted us with a doggy smile and happy tail.

She loved to run loose in the back yard (although we had to put her on a
leash whenever we went inside or she would be out under the fence and gone
down the street) as we would say "Buffy, run!" and start goofing around with
a "Doo doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo doo-dooooo... CHARGE!" yell for her. It was
a great game to her... and us of course. :o) Yesterday while sitting on
the grass beside her patting her and talking to her, I said "Never mind
sweetie, soon you'll be able to run and play like you used to" and I did
the above "charge" thing (only quietly) for her. Her eyes opened a bit
wider and she looked at me, as tears ran down my face.

I know from losing my last two dogs, how heartbreaking it is... which is one
of the reasons I decided 6 years ago to get another puppy *before* it
happened with Buffy... that it would be a *little* easier, because we would
still have our "baby" who would help to buffer a little of the sadness. And
that he did... Casper is a gentle soul, who is very loving and comforting.
He kept going between Matthew and myself last night to just stand there
beside us so we could pat and talk to him.. and he would give us gentle
kisses to ease our heartbreak.

Even though Buffy turned her back toward the new puppy and would have
nothing to do with him when I first brought him home (after he chose me...
and melted my heart), they did become close friends after a few weeks and he
got a little bigger. In fact, it reached the point where when I opened the
door for them to go outside, whichever one was out first would stand on the
lower deck looking back at the door waiting for the other one to come out
before they would run up the back yard to tell the neighbour dogs off for a
couple of minutes before sniffing out their own entire back yard together.
When I let Casper out this morning he stood on the lower deck and looked
back at the door. I went out with him and he went directly to the spot
where Buffy had laid and died last night. He stood there for a couple of
minutes, before finally heading off to the back fence... but didn't bark at
the neighbour dogs. He just relieved himself and came back to the door to
come in the house. He is missing her and will take a bit of time, I'm sure,
to be okay with it.

*hugs*
Gemini

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

My condolences. Winnie will be heading there soon (she is on comfort
care due to an inoperable tumor in her throat area and has weeks to
months left and will have to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge by the vet
once her complications from the tumor are too much/many), and I will
tell her to let Buffy know how much she is missed.

The Rainbow Bridge story is he

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

--
Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your
work with excellence.

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:12:00 -0400, Not Likely wrote:

snip

Buffy's pain is over now, I'm sure she is with St Francis of Assisi and my
Dad (who also cared for animals while living here on Earth) now... and she
is once again able to run and play happily without pain like she used to in
her younger days.

*hugs*
Gemini


Bless you Gem, I'm sitting here with tears rolling down my face. You have
been so blessed with the love of that wonderful creature. Yes Buffy's
pain is gone and you have all those beautiful memories of a faithful
companion and beloved friend.

Your tale (no pun intended) is much like mine. Our dog, Lady, died two
years ago and I still miss her company. She had inoperable cancer in her
stomach and bowel and memories of the times we had together are also very
precious.

When Lady died, peacefully, it was the end of an era for us. She had
belonged to my youngest son, Edward, and when he was killed in a motor
accident Lady came home with us although we had not planned to have a dog.
The first evening she was with us she insisted on sitting on my lap (she
was two years old at the time), tucking her nose under my chin and
whimpering very quietly all evening. We just sat huddled together trying
to draw comfort from each other. We were inseparable from that time on.

We were blessed to have her companionship and love for 13 years. I like to
think of her being back with her first human friend, Edward, because I
know they also loved each other so very much.

With love
Bernadette

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

Dear Gem

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. It's always heartbreaking to lose a
pet, but at least you had her for a long time and will have lots of good
memories.

Hugs
Shelagh

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

Very sorry to hear Gem. It's always rough to loose a fur-baby.

VP

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

How sad, It is heart breaking to lose a beloved pet.
Hugs to you all
Shirley




In message , Not Likely
writes
The last time we were at the vet's for shots, she told us that Buffy had a
cancerous tumor in her stomach and that all rules were out the window now...
we should just feed Buffy whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it until
it came the time that she stopped eating completely herself and that would
be the end. Well that time came yesterday!

The night before Buffy was in the laundryroom (her domain) and started
crying and standing by the door to go outside. Matthew let her out, and
went out with her for a while before deciding to put her water bowl out and
going to bed himself. She was okay, just quietly wandering around and not
crying anymore. We talked about it and decided that she just wanted to be
outside... she had always been an outdoor dog until she got older and
started wanting to be in the house more. When I looked out in the morning,
Buffy was laying in the middle of the yard, head up and looking around....
so I let Casper out. When she saw him, she got up and was happily
half-running (something she hadn't done in a long time) along with him, tail
wagging and she had a happy doggy smile on her face (something else we
hadn't seen often over the last couple of weeks).

I waited a couple of hours to let Casper come in and got their food ready.
His was put in it's usual spot in the house, and Buffy's I brought outside
to her along with her pill for arthritis. She was laying down again, and
turned her nose up at the food. She wouldn't take her pill either. I tried
putting it in her mouth and holding her muzzle shut until it was gone, like
the vet had told me to do before if she didn't take it. After a few
minutes, and assuming by now she had swallowed it, I let her go... she spit
it back out. I laid it in her food dish and came in to tell Matthew so he
could try. She wouldn't take it or eat for him either... so from time to
time throughout the day we took turns going out to pat her and talk to her,
and Casper would go out every so often too. However the last time Casper
went out, he wouldn't go anywhere near her... in fact he stood against the
garage wall (she had chosen a spot to lay in the middle of the yard under
the maple trees) looking at her with his head and tail down, then he turned
and came back in the house... even though he hadn't relieved himself for a
few hours.

We had been invited to go to a barbecue/Canada Day celebration with
Bobbie-Jo (a friend of Matthew's who may or may not turn into more than just
a friend, but for now they are just friends) and her family, so we checked
Buffy again before leaving and decided that we really needed to have a bit
of time to enjoy ourselves. Buffy was basically being unresponsive... just
laying there only lifting her head when we would pat her, and totally
refusing to eat. We knew that she would likely not make it through the
night, and sad as it was to lose her, we knew she was uncomfortable and
wanted to die so we did pray for her release. In one way we wished we had
been home with her when the end came, but in another way we knew that she
just wanted to be left to rest and it would have been heartbreaking for
Matthew to watch his first pet die. So after spending an enjoyable evening
with friends, we came home knowing in our hearts what would meet us. Sure
enough... Matthew went to Buffy and she was dead.

We let Casper come out (because he hadn't relieved himself for all those
hours. This time he walked over beside Buffy with his head and tail
lowered, and walked around her completely. Then he went to the back of the
yard to relieve himself and came down to walk close to Buffy one more time
before going to the back door to go inside. Matthew and I went out again.
I sat on the step while he knelt by her side for a few minutes, patting her
and saying goodbye... it was heartbreaking to watch. Then we put her into a
large garbage bag (like the vet had done with my last dog before Matthew was
born) so he can bury her. Because there is no light back in the corner of
the yard where he wants to bury her, he placed her in the garage overnight
until he can dig her grave today.

If anyone knows the url for the (I think it's called...) "Rainbow Bridge"
website (the one with the lovely touching poem about pets waiting on the
other side for us), I would really appreciate having it. I'm sure I have it
somewhere, I just can't think of where it is right now... and I would love
to share it with Matthew.

Buffy's pain is over now, I'm sure she is with St Francis of Assisi and my
Dad (who also cared for animals while living here on Earth) now... and she
is once again able to run and play happily without pain like she used to in
her younger days.

*hugs*
Gemini



--
Shirley Shone

http://www.allcrafts.org.uk

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

Not Likely wrote:
The last time we were at the vet's for shots, she told us that Buffy
had a cancerous tumor in her stomach and that all rules were out the
window now... we should just feed Buffy whatever she wanted whenever
she wanted it until it came the time that she stopped eating
completely herself and that would be the end. Well that time came
yesterday!
The night before Buffy was in the laundryroom (her domain) and started
crying and standing by the door to go outside. Matthew let her out,
and went out with her for a while before deciding to put her water
bowl out and going to bed himself. She was okay, just quietly
wandering around and not crying anymore. We talked about it and
decided that she just wanted to be outside... she had always been an
outdoor dog until she got older and started wanting to be in the
house more. When I looked out in the morning, Buffy was laying in
the middle of the yard, head up and looking around.... so I let
Casper out. When she saw him, she got up and was happily
half-running (something she hadn't done in a long time) along with
him, tail wagging and she had a happy doggy smile on her face
(something else we hadn't seen often over the last couple of weeks).
I waited a couple of hours to let Casper come in and got their food
ready. His was put in it's usual spot in the house, and Buffy's I
brought outside to her along with her pill for arthritis. She was
laying down again, and turned her nose up at the food. She wouldn't
take her pill either. I tried putting it in her mouth and holding
her muzzle shut until it was gone, like the vet had told me to do
before if she didn't take it. After a few minutes, and assuming by
now she had swallowed it, I let her go... she spit it back out. I
laid it in her food dish and came in to tell Matthew so he could try.
She wouldn't take it or eat for him either... so from time to time
throughout the day we took turns going out to pat her and talk to
her, and Casper would go out every so often too. However the last
time Casper went out, he wouldn't go anywhere near her... in fact he
stood against the garage wall (she had chosen a spot to lay in the
middle of the yard under the maple trees) looking at her with his
head and tail down, then he turned and came back in the house... even
though he hadn't relieved himself for a few hours.
We had been invited to go to a barbecue/Canada Day celebration with
Bobbie-Jo (a friend of Matthew's who may or may not turn into more
than just a friend, but for now they are just friends) and her
family, so we checked Buffy again before leaving and decided that we
really needed to have a bit of time to enjoy ourselves. Buffy was
basically being unresponsive... just laying there only lifting her
head when we would pat her, and totally refusing to eat. We knew
that she would likely not make it through the night, and sad as it
was to lose her, we knew she was uncomfortable and wanted to die so
we did pray for her release. In one way we wished we had been home
with her when the end came, but in another way we knew that she just
wanted to be left to rest and it would have been heartbreaking for
Matthew to watch his first pet die. So after spending an enjoyable
evening with friends, we came home knowing in our hearts what would
meet us. Sure enough... Matthew went to Buffy and she was dead.
We let Casper come out (because he hadn't relieved himself for all
those hours. This time he walked over beside Buffy with his head and
tail lowered, and walked around her completely. Then he went to the
back of the yard to relieve himself and came down to walk close to
Buffy one more time before going to the back door to go inside. Matthew
and I went out again. I sat on the step while he knelt by her
side for a few minutes, patting her and saying goodbye... it was
heartbreaking to watch. Then we put her into a large garbage bag
(like the vet had done with my last dog before Matthew was born) so
he can bury her. Because there is no light back in the corner of the
yard where he wants to bury her, he placed her in the garage
overnight until he can dig her grave today.
If anyone knows the url for the (I think it's called...) "Rainbow
Bridge" website (the one with the lovely touching poem about pets
waiting on the other side for us), I would really appreciate having
it. I'm sure I have it somewhere, I just can't think of where it is
right now... and I would love to share it with Matthew.

Buffy's pain is over now, I'm sure she is with St Francis of Assisi
and my Dad (who also cared for animals while living here on Earth)
now... and she is once again able to run and play happily without
pain like she used to in her younger days.

*hugs*
Gemini

Oh so sorry for your loss.

Donna

OT - Our Beloved Buffy is gone
 

So sorry, she is in a better place with no pain.I know you all miss
her,. but she was loved when she was here.
Jenny
Not Likely wrote:
The last time we were at the vet's for shots, she told us that Buffy had a
cancerous tumor in her stomach and that all rules were out the window now...
we should just feed Buffy whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it until
it came the time that she stopped eating completely herself and that would
be the end. Well that time came yesterday!

The night before Buffy was in the laundryroom (her domain) and started
crying and standing by the door to go outside. Matthew let her out, and
went out with her for a while before deciding to put her water bowl out and
going to bed himself. She was okay, just quietly wandering around and not
crying anymore. We talked about it and decided that she just wanted to be
outside... she had always been an outdoor dog until she got older and
started wanting to be in the house more. When I looked out in the morning,
Buffy was laying in the middle of the yard, head up and looking around....
so I let Casper out. When she saw him, she got up and was happily
half-running (something she hadn't done in a long time) along with him, tail
wagging and she had a happy doggy smile on her face (something else we
hadn't seen often over the last couple of weeks).

I waited a couple of hours to let Casper come in and got their food ready.
His was put in it's usual spot in the house, and Buffy's I brought outside
to her along with her pill for arthritis. She was laying down again, and
turned her nose up at the food. She wouldn't take her pill either. I tried
putting it in her mouth and holding her muzzle shut until it was gone, like
the vet had told me to do before if she didn't take it. After a few
minutes, and assuming by now she had swallowed it, I let her go... she spit
it back out. I laid it in her food dish and came in to tell Matthew so he
could try. She wouldn't take it or eat for him either... so from time to
time throughout the day we took turns going out to pat her and talk to her,
and Casper would go out every so often too. However the last time Casper
went out, he wouldn't go anywhere near her... in fact he stood against the
garage wall (she had chosen a spot to lay in the middle of the yard under
the maple trees) looking at her with his head and tail down, then he turned
and came back in the house... even though he hadn't relieved himself for a
few hours.

We had been invited to go to a barbecue/Canada Day celebration with
Bobbie-Jo (a friend of Matthew's who may or may not turn into more than just
a friend, but for now they are just friends) and her family, so we checked
Buffy again before leaving and decided that we really needed to have a bit
of time to enjoy ourselves. Buffy was basically being unresponsive... just
laying there only lifting her head when we would pat her, and totally
refusing to eat. We knew that she would likely not make it through the
night, and sad as it was to lose her, we knew she was uncomfortable and
wanted to die so we did pray for her release. In one way we wished we had
been home with her when the end came, but in another way we knew that she
just wanted to be left to rest and it would have been heartbreaking for
Matthew to watch his first pet die. So after spending an enjoyable evening
with friends, we came home knowing in our hearts what would meet us. Sure
enough... Matthew went to Buffy and she was dead.

We let Casper come out (because he hadn't relieved himself for all those
hours. This time he walked over beside Buffy with his head and tail
lowered, and walked around her completely. Then he went to the back of the
yard to relieve himself and came down to walk close to Buffy one more time
before going to the back door to go inside. Matthew and I went out again.
I sat on the step while he knelt by her side for a few minutes, patting her
and saying goodbye... it was heartbreaking to watch. Then we put her into a
large garbage bag (like the vet had done with my last dog before Matthew was
born) so he can bury her. Because there is no light back in the corner of
the yard where he wants to bury her, he placed her in the garage overnight
until he can dig her grave today.

If anyone knows the url for the (I think it's called...) "Rainbow Bridge"
website (the one with the lovely touching poem about pets waiting on the
other side for us), I would really appreciate having it. I'm sure I have it
somewhere, I just can't think of where it is right now... and I would love
to share it with Matthew.

Buffy's pain is over now, I'm sure she is with St Francis of Assisi and my
Dad (who also cared for animals while living here on Earth) now... and she
is once again able to run and play happily without pain like she used to in
her younger days.

*hugs*
Gemini