MilliesMom

So sorry.

Glad you are doing better. We suffer many loses in life, but we learn to rebuild--albeit painfully. After 8 1/2 months without Mil, I'm starting to think of her as Grandma Millie, who would've wanted us to take care of some more young 'uns. It's a baby step. Your healing, too, probably will be in little steps. Take care.

So sorry about Princess.

What a beautiful face! Sincerest condolences.

Sincerest condolences on your loss. It's obvious how lucky Cheyenne was to have such a loving home.

Sincerest condolences to Bart's family. He'll make a beautiful angel.

You will survive this. It just shows the depth of your love and devotion to Ted, and isn't that a miraculous thing? You've got an angel watching over you, and when it's time, you'll love again. This might help: I don't remember where they are, but there are a couple of sites in which there are online services for our pets who have passed. The greyhound site goes Saturday nights; the other one is worldwide and it's on Monday nights. You can post Ted's name there. The database has over 60,000 names from around the world. All that love is quite amazing, isn't it? There's also a place called Greyhound Memorial Park where you can erect a cyber-memorial for Ted. You are still in shock. It will get better (and then worse, and then better), but just as we mourn for our human loved ones, time will heal. You've lost a beloved member of your family. This is very understandable. Hang in there, and welcome to the board.

So sorry about Ted. These things happen with dogs, just as they do with people. We've all been there. My Millie's been gone 8 months and there are days that I'm still sobbing. I don't know if you watch The Pet Psychic (it's my guilty pleasure), but whether you believe in that sort of thing or not, Sonya says that our pets that have passed over are lucky in that there was someone to love them, and so very many animals have never felt that kind of love. Ted was very, very lucky to have you. It was just his time. God bless.

Patricia, You'll never know how much your story has touched me. I'm sorry about the loss of your beloved Truffles and so happy that Cody came along. Where in Chicago are you, BTW? We're transplants from the north side.

Wonderful story, joesgp:) Thanks for sharing.

Dear hooked & rescuedgreys: So sorry for your losses. I've been looking over the net for months. I just don't want a grey that looks too much like Millie. I saw a cute little girl posted down in Tucson (we're in Phoenix.) One ear's up, the other's down. I imagine her around here, and then I started wondering how it would be to have another one eating out of Millie's bowl. I never moved it. I still haven't thrown away her bag of food or her toothbrush. Sometimes, I still can't believe she's gone.

Aw, what a sweet face! You can tell...that was one loved dog. Sorry for your loss. Run free,Logan.

Oh, am I crying. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

I am sorry to hear of the Waddells' loss and Suzi's passing, but how very lucky they were to have their girl for so long. Suzi was an inspiration, and now she's playing with those young (13-, 14-, and 15-year-old) wipper-snappers at the Bridge. Run free, Suzi!

I am truly overwhelmed by the kindness offered to me today on this board. I share in the grief for your furbabies, and yet I'm filled with hope that when the time is right, Millie will send me someone else to love. I did have a visitation. (Our family is famous for these.) Millie had a thing about garbage. Quelle surprise! I dare not leave a little bag filled with garbage anywhere near her or out of my sight or she'd pull it out, feast, and then tear the bag into little pieces. About a week after her passing, I had a little plastic grocery/garbage bag on the kitchen table. I had filled it with some garbage and was meaning to take it out but left it there and hopped onto the computer. A couple of minutes later, I heard the bag rustling. Neither the heat nor the a/c was on to move the plastic, and there wasn't a door or window open. That was in August, and it hasn't happened since.

Thank you for your kind words. We had Millie for 13 1/2 years. She passed away 10 days before her 15th birthday. A month later, my son and I went to a meet-and-greet to see if we could look at a grey and not see Millie. We were a bit tentative, then all of a sudden, someone accidently stepped on one of the dogs' feet, and the poor thing started to scream. I took off shaking like a leaf down another aisle of Petsmart and could not stop crying. I just had to get out of there. I felt so helpess during Mil's last few hours. I had just given her a bath, and she had some food and was going to lie down on some covers on the floor next to the bed and couldn't get comfortable. She just kept moving around and then started with this blood-curdling screaming. Hubby and son had fallen asleep in the other room, and I tried to call for them but couldn't. For 10 minutes I tried to hold her so she wouldn't scream, and finally, I cradled her in my arms and told her it was OK to go. Finally, I was able to get her on her feet for a few seconds, and I ran in and got my hubby and son. Steven (son) carried her outside to see if it would be easier for her to stand on the grass, but she couldn't hold herself up. She screamed; my teenager sobbed. I got on the phone with my sister who would meet us at the emergency clinic, and around midnight, I got into the car and drove while Steven held Millie in the back. Half the way she was screaming, and Steven was pleading with her, "Please don't do this." I cannot tell you how awful it was to see two of the most precious beings in my life fall apart. To make a long story short, they couldn't find anything wrong. They put her on a couple of IVs with steroids and pain medication to give her a chance to snap out of it. At 3 in the morning, she started again. Around 7, DH moved her to our regular vet who still couldn't find anything. The plan was to give her one more IV and see what would happen. By 10:30, we got a call that she was in pain, and that we had to have her put to sleep. DH came home from work, and Steven and I drove there with her favorite bear and a picture of "my kids" sleeping together--both heads on the pillow--when they were young. Millie was in a drug-induced stupor until Steven spoke to her and showed her the picture, and then she tried to get up and started screaming again. My son began yelling to, "Do it now! Do it now!" He left the room, and believe me, it was a blessing that we were able to send her to the Bridge. I had never been with a pet who was being put to sleep before (scared, I guess), but I promised Millie that the last face she'd see would be mine, and I've never regretted that decision. I'll never replace her, but as I have a chronic health condition and didn't cry much anymore, it seemed like a good time to consider bringing home another companion. Perhaps it's not.

It's been nearly 8 months since Millie had to go to the Bridge. One night, she couldn't stand up or lie down without screaming and despite our best efforts to find out what was wrong other than old age, we had no choice but to put her to sleep. It was horribly upsetting, obviously, but the longer it's been, the more ready I've become to get another dog. I had several dogs before her, but I hadn't had such a strong bond with any of the others. As I commonly do, I was watching Emergency Vets this morning, and a Husky who had been hit by a car (although she wasn't bleeding or anything) started screaming and screaming, and it brought back memories of Millie's last hours. I was crying and shaking so hard that I had to turn off the TV. It brought back how terribly helpless I felt to see my loving companion in such pain. I can't believe I'm still so emotional about this, and I'm wondering whether I'll ever be ready to love another dog.

What a beautiful and touching tribute! I love the rice story. I have a chronic health condition, too (including fibro, although it's gotten a lot better), and Millie was like my therapy dog. I understand how important a companion animal is in such circumstances. She went to the Bridge nearly 8 months ago. I know your heart is breaking, but you've done a good deed in speaking through your pain about the potential dangers of Rimadyl. Who knows how many dogs you may have saved with this warning? Please don't blame yourself. You did the very best you could, and I'm sure Eliza knew it. None of us wants to seem reactionary. Your little angel would not want you to feel sad. Sincerest condolences.

Just lovely. Thank you.

So very sorry. Such a youngster! Run free, Jazz!

How very sad. At least he spent his last days happy and with a loving family.

How heartbreaking! So sorry. I always would get nervous with Millie going under, especially because of the anesthesia thing. When we switched vets, I had to make sure she knew what she was doing. A stark reminder that surgery--even common surgery--has its risks. My sincerest condolences. Run free, Silkie.

Sorry about Casper.

How terrible!

Thank you for sharing your lovely story with us. She had the same spark Millie had. We sent Mil to the Bridge 7 months ago, and I'm grateful that I'm past enough pain that I can have a good laugh at her adventures, though I still can't throw out her dog food yet. Ivey was a very special girl, and it sounds as though she had a very special mom, too. So sorry for your loss.