When it’s time to say “Goodbye.”
It’s a day you hoped would never come, but you always knew would come. Your companion, hunting partner, confidant and faithful friend has reached the end of the trail and you have to say “goodbye”.
You see the pain and you have to make the toughest call of your partnership. Dogs can block out pain when doing what they love to do, but when the day is ended and the energy gives way to pain, it becomes clear that the time is drawing near.
You can make your friend comfortable with medication, but eventually they lose their effectiveness and the pain takes control. It’s time to say goodbye.
We all deal with this loss in different ways and they are very personal and private.
Some try to replace the loss with a new pup only to find that they cannot replace what was loss. Each one is unique and has their own personalities, quirks and attitudes. Part of saying goodbye is to remember them but to turn the page to allow a new friend to be themselves and make their own mark on your life.
Some add a new pup to their lives when their partner is still young enough to be a mentor and in time, may make the loss more bearable by tempering the pain with the ongoing companionship of the younger partner. This allows a younger partner to develop their own unique personalities without the pressure of having to be their mentor’s duplicate.
We bear the pain of saying goodbye, but they bear the pain in not saying goodbye.
It's time to say goodbye.
Kindest Regards
Gabe
The following is a poem written by one of the greatest actors of all times following the loss of his dog, Beau.
Beau
By Jimmy Stewart
He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn't come at all.
When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.
Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn't drag.
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I'd grab him, he'd turn and bite me.
He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn't read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.
He set the house on fire
But the story's long to tell.
Suffice to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.
And on evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.
He'd charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.
But every once in a while, he'd stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
To follow him where he was bound.
We're early-to-bedders in our house - I guess I'm the first to retire.
And as I'd leave the room he'd look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.
He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I'd give him one for a while.
And he'd push it under the bed with his nose
And I'd dig it out with a smile.
But before very long he'd tire of the ball
And he'd be asleep in his corner in no time at all.
And there were nights when I'd feel him climb up on our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there were nights when I'd feel his stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I'd reach out to stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh and I think I know the reason why.
He'd wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.
And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb up on our bed and lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there are nights when I think I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
And he's not there.
Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau
By Jimmy Stewart
He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn't come at all.
When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.
Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn't drag.
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I'd grab him, he'd turn and bite me.
He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn't read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.
He set the house on fire
But the story's long to tell.
Suffice to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.
And on evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.
He'd charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.
But every once in a while, he'd stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
To follow him where he was bound.
We're early-to-bedders in our house - I guess I'm the first to retire.
And as I'd leave the room he'd look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.
He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I'd give him one for a while.
And he'd push it under the bed with his nose
And I'd dig it out with a smile.
But before very long he'd tire of the ball
And he'd be asleep in his corner in no time at all.
And there were nights when I'd feel him climb up on our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there were nights when I'd feel his stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I'd reach out to stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh and I think I know the reason why.
He'd wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.
And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb up on our bed and lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there are nights when I think I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
And he's not there.
Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau