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Loss of a Family Member

2K views 47 replies 37 participants last post by  Bill Aubrey 
#1 ·
Sunday night, my best pal left. Porter and I started living together when he was just under 2. He was a Lab/Golden mix (jet black of the lab, long hair of the golden) who had been abandoned when his "owners" divorced. I thought his name was a bit pretentious, but found out he was born in Bend, OR, and his full name was Black Butte Porter. Now, there is a bloodline.

Porter was one of a kind. I have had lots of really great dogs, mostly purebred labs and dobermans, but Porter was the best. He was always a perfect gentleman (well, when he would meet someone, he would nudge in close for petting which put his nose in their crotch) and loved everybody and everything. When we would be out, he would never be more than 3-5 feet from me and had not seen a leash in many years. Indoors, his desire to be close often resulted in "Porter, get your butt out of the way".

Porter loved to go fishing with me. He would lie nearby peacefully watching and I never had to worry about where he was or what he was into. His whole life seemed to revolve around being near me.

Sunday night, when I got home from work, Porter was lying very listlessly. He wasn't in pain but had no energy. I took him in to a 24 hour emergency vet hospital in Tacoma, but he passed about 2-3 minutes after we got there. It looks like that great big heart just wore out, probably from all the love it gave out. I'll miss him dearly.
 

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#3 ·
I'm so sorry for your loss Bill.

I've been thinking a lot about my own dog friend lately, how much he's added to the quality of my life, and how much I'm gonna miss him when he's gone. He's just 8, but thanks to posts like yours, I'm already planning ahead and not taking anything for granted.

K
 
#6 ·
Bill, I am sorry sorry to read that. We lost our family member, Sage, in January and are still grieving. She was a border collie and thus, very intelligent. She understood sentences and not just single word commands.

We raised her from a puppy and she was a loving family member for 11 years. She accompanied us everywhere but wasn't really all that keen on fishing trips to Yellowstone... it wasn't enough about her. She loved to play and swim.

Virginia and I went into a deep depression because we have no children so she filled that position. So, four months ago we adopted, Mia, a border collie, mini Aussie mix. She's four years old so we don't need to go through the puppy years.

She has a completely different personality than Sage but she helps keep our minds off our loss.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss. We know exactly what you are going through.
 
#8 ·
I have my granddaughters dog. He has attached his self to me. He follows me where ever I go in the house. He's 10 years old now. His life expectancy is 12 to 16 years. He has arthritis in his back legs. He can't jump anymore. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. Going to take him to the Vet on Thursday. I hope for the best.

But I feel for your loss Gat. It's rough to lose a member of ones family.
 
#11 ·
Ugh, hate these kind of posts. We lost Jasmine in October and it still hurts. Have only recently entertained the thought of getting another dog but....it's never the same.
 
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#15 ·
Sorry for your loss, my girl just turned 13 and I dread the thought of her being gone. They bring so much joy to our lives and are gone way to soon.
 
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#16 ·
Sorry to hear about your deep loss my friend. May memories of your life with Porter always be vivid, and golden.
 
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#19 ·
I'm sorry for your loss. I have one that's fourteen and mostly deaf and blind, but still too spunky to put down. I'm dreading the day. She's the best dog I've ever owned, and could take her downtown in any city(she's been to several) without a leash. She'd just heel at command and stay nose to my heel, stopping when I stopped, going when I went.
 
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#22 ·
Bill,
My condolences for your loss. The two 'pups' on my avatar were 14 and 15 when they died in 2008. Some people dive right back in, but it took 2 years before we were ready to adopt again; now we're back in the game. Each dog I've owned holds a special place in my heart, but there was still plenty of room when the next one came to live with us.
D
 
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