Sad day here.....

[Big Muddy]

I took Sandy for a full medical evaluation to see if she could have the cataract removal surgery on both eyes......the full body xray revealed several underlying issues within her body cavity.....I knew she was losing weight, and was short of breath, but had no idea exactly why.
She had a large mass on her bronchial tube, an enlarged heart, and onset of diabetes, along with the cataracts.....the vet gave her about a month, and the pain and suffering would begin even sooner.
I told him to go ahead, and draw up a syringe for "The Shot", but I wanted to administer it myself at home.....he handed it to me, and we headed home.
She went to sleep, and passed away very peacefully in my arms, while I rubbed her head.
This afternoon, Sandy is now chasing squirrels in dog heaven.....it hurts me a LOT, but there's nothing but fond memories of hunting with Sandy, all these years.
"Thank you Lord for placing this wonderful dog in my life"!!!!!

10401

[DeputyDog]

Damn. I am so sorry. This brought a tear to my eyes. I always enjoyed your Sandy stories.

It doesn’t seem fair that we get such a short time with our dogs ( or other pets) considering how much of an impact they have on our lives.




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[Bwana]

I too am having a bad case of "allergies" as I had to do the same with Dixie just a few years ago. I STILL miss her big time!

So sorry for your loss BM and sure wish I could have had the chance to hunt with Sandy the Wonder Dog.

[Trav]

Praying for you Muddy, that really sucks. It certainly isn’t ever easy but take comfort in all the great memories you have of her.

[Arty]

That’s terrible news Eddie. Hard to put into words, but thinking about you.

[Penguin]

So sad! We went thru that back in the spring. Its a bitter pill. If there's a heaven maybe they're waiting on us.

I'd like to think so.

Will

[johnboy]

All dogs go to heaven. So sorry for your loss. Always brings this poem to my mind when one of our beautiful companions leaves us:

I AM NOT THERE
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

[Chicken Dinner]

So sorry to hear that. It’s incredible the joy and sadness our pets can bring us.


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[airbud7]

So sorry Big Muddy... :(

[BarryBobPosthole]

Count me in on also loving to hear your stories about Sandy. I am damn sorry to hear this news Eddie. I haven’t met many dogs I didn’t like but there’s been one or two that have had that ‘it’. Sounds like your Sandy was one of those.

BKB

[Big Skyz]

My heart is breaking for you. I went through the same thing not too many years ago. I have nothing but good memories of that dog except the day I had to put him down.

[Thumper]

I’m so sorry Eddie. I just read your post to Lynn and she’s bawling her eyes out right now. She gets extremely emotional when these things happen. That said, I’m a bit watery-eyed myself. These things are never easy. With all the “pets” we have around here, we go through this type of thing way too often. We feel for you buddy.

[quercus alba]

I'd rather you had just lied about it and let me go on thinking the cataract surgery was a success and she lived to be a hundred. Dogs are the best people I know. I'm certain God created dogs to show us how we ought to behave

[Hombre]

Very sorry Muddy, prayers. I just had to do the same recently and it sure is hard.

[LJ3]

Damn Eddie. I'm sorry buddy. I know you were proud of her and loved the crap out of her. She was an awesome dog. Even helped Bucky's dumb ass shoot a squirrel if I remember correctly. She was kind "our dog" too, if we have an official GH Dog.

[BarryBobPosthole]

The official GH dog is also a deputy.

BKB

[Sunshine]

I'm very sorry to hear Sandy has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
You did right by her. Its one of the terrible decisions, as animal owners, have to make.

She's not gone, she's still with you!! Just in a different way.

Im sure I will be going through this again, in the next three years!
Not looking forward to it. Each one takes a part of my heart.

Sorry for your loss!

Hear's a nice poem, we use for agility dogs that have passed.


Poem:
We Only Wanted You

They say memories are golden, well maybe that is true.
We never wanted memories, we only wanted you.
A million times we needed you, a million times we cried.
If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still.
In our hearts you hold a place no one could ever fill.
If tears could build a stairway and heartache make a lane,
We'd walk the path to heaven and bring you back again.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

[BarryBobPosthole]

And I’m not trying to make light of Sandy’s passing but sometimes a light heart can bear stuff like this better. Ijust thought this pretty much fits dog lovers everywhere.

BKB

10402

[Big Muddy]

Thanks, all.....it's been a rough couple of days around our house, but it's getting better each day that passes.....I know most of ya'll here have experienced the same loss of a pet, and can understand the empty feeling.

I'm already getting offers from friends who have some really good squirrel pups, but I'm gonna wait a little longer, and may even change gears, completely, and look at a Catahoula cur or a Rhodesian Ridgeback, this time.....a while back I watched a Rhodie, and was really impressed with his work ethic.....and, that backwards-growing hairline on his back really intrigued me.

10403

Thanks, again !!!!!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Is that so you can pet him left handed?

BKB

[Big Muddy]

Don't know, but it's quite a unique body feature.

[LJ3]

Is that so you can pet him left handed?

BKB

Seems like that would make petting them a little weird. I never met a dog that liked to be pet against the grain.

[Big Muddy]

HA, well, Leonard, just rub the un-backwards part. ;)

[quercus alba]

The ridgeback was bred for hunting lions, y'all got any lions in the Mississippi savannahs?

[Big Muddy]

Heck yeah, but the MDWFP says none exist here.....however, they say if you DO kill one, they’ll put you in jail. ;)

Side note; there’s a group of guys here in MS who have formed an organization with their trained dogs to track wounded deer for a nominal fee, plus mileage.....I’ve sorta took a bit of interest in it, as well.....it takes patience to train a dog for that purpose, and tracking blood is right up a Rhodie’s alley.....I’ve trained lots of dogs for many purposes, so I might try this, too.....Sandy found a few wounded deer for us thru the years, but I wouldn’t say she was a pro at it, since they were all hot tracks.....some of these dogs I’ve seen have picked up cold tracks even the following day, and even thru swamps.....one guy and his dog tracked a deer for 36 hours, but the dog finally succeeded.....they are pretty amazing dogs.

[Trav]

Muddy is going to teach to walk between his legs while he’s nekkid, them backwards hairs will tickle his taint.

[Booger]

Muddy, it tears me up to hear about Sandy. So sorry, been there, done that too many times. I think the idea of blood trailing for deer is great. But there is no reason you can't have a dog for limbus ratus (latin for squirrel) that also bloodtrails deer. Tonys mini wiener dog Cujo and his sister daisey were both cracker jack bloodtrail dogs and I have also had a yellow lab that did blinds and was awesome in the dove field or duck blind that never failed, not once, to find a deer we put him on. If Taz got out of sight of flaslight beam while on a deer, one blast on whistle would have him stop, sit and wait for us to catch up. Same one whistle blast that was used to stop him for a cast when retrieving. He also never tried to trail a deer that was not bleeding. All 3 got same training. Bloody deer hide on a rope dragged thru woods, zig zagging, then left with a few bits of deer meat on top as a reward. Dragging a deer out was always tough cause you had to drag deer PLUS a 75 pound lab. He would not let go. Should be fun to do with a Rhody. Please keep us posted. And again, sorry about your girl.

[Arty]

Heck yeah, but the MDWFP says none exist here.....however, they say if you DO kill one, they’ll put you in jail. ;)

Side note; there’s a group of guys here in MS who have formed an organization with their trained dogs to track wounded deer for a nominal fee, plus mileage.....I’ve sorta took a bit of interest in it, as well.....it takes patience to train a dog for that purpose, and tracking blood is right up a Rhodie’s alley.....I’ve trained lots of dogs for many purposes, so I might try this, too.....Sandy found a few wounded deer for us thru the years, but I wouldn’t say she was a pro at it, since they were all hot tracks.....some of these dogs I’ve seen have picked up cold tracks even the following day, and even thru swamps.....one guy and his dog tracked a deer for 36 hours, but the dog finally succeeded.....they are pretty amazing dogs.

That would be a neat thing to train a dog on. There’s a fairly good size group of folks in Virginia that do it as well. They run a Facebook page and I follow it. They have helped recover a lot of deer for free. Pretty neat.

[Big Muddy]

Booger, thanks a million, buddy.....I'm gonna try to run a few tracks with one of those blood trailer owners to see if I want to get involved, just yet.....I might not be able to find a dog that can keep up with me.....ha, yeah, right !!! ;)

[Big Muddy]

Muddy is going to teach to walk between his legs while he’s nekkid, them backwards hairs will tickle his taint.

Taint a bit of truth to that, Trav.....heck, I can't even squat that low, anymore !!!! ;)

[Trav]

Taint a bit of truth to that, Trav.....heck, I can't even squat that low, anymore !!!! ;)

Get a taller dog, in all seriousness loosing a dog sucks but she had the best life and you did well by her.

[Hombre]

Taint a bit of truth to that, Trav.....heck, I can't even squat that low, anymore !!!! ;)

No but your balls probably make up the distance

[Big Muddy]

Dang, ya'll picking on the old man, huh?.....think I'll just get me a chihuahua. ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

Weiner dogs seem to be the yapper of choice amongst the unwashed heathens I know, Muddy! And I’m kin to a bunch of them.
BKB

[quercus alba]

Wieners are supposed to be badger dogs but most of them I've seen would rather hunt a cottonmouth. Come in all swole up for a couple days then right back out wading in the ditches. Have to wonder about their smarts

[BarryBobPosthole]

In the ‘Most Unforgetable Dogs’ category, I’d have to put my cousin’s farm dog, Scratch, at the top of the list. My cousin is a bachelor farmer andScratch never spent a nanosecond of his life indoors so you can get an idea of his life. He had some pit in him and my cousin said the rest was a ‘feist’, which is like saying a soft drink is a Coke. Its a couple of miles of two track from the house to where my Dad, my boys, and I camped and as we bumped down the road he ran that two miles about three times. The dog smiled his whole life I think, except when he was snake bit which happened a time or two. He was high energy and in the time it would take us to fish a hole of water on the river, he would have stuck his head in about every hole along the bank. Places I wouldn’t even look into much less stick a hand or foot in. He dug a lot too in those holes. Beavers hated him. He killed many.

A good dog. Both my boys remember him and every time they talk about those camping trips, they mention old Scratch.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

In high school, the best rabbit hunt I ever went on was with a white kid that everyone called, Little Ni**er(no idea why), whose family owned two weiner dogs.....just he and I and those two weiners, hunting on a dredge ditch bank behind his house.....since the statute of limitations has expired, we killed 21 rabbits in about two hours.....hunting-est little weiners I ever did see !!!

[Captain]

That is tough duty there Muddy. So sorry to read this and sorry you are going to have to go through the loss

[Big Muddy]

Thanks, Cap, it’s getting better each day.....just trying to stay busy, and hunt as much as I can, really helps.