I took Cuddles to the vet this morning and got the bad news. The confusion, walking in circles, weakness in the hind legs: possible brain tumor.
And a fair-sized bill to find out if anything could be done -- or not. She was at least 14 and maybe as old as 16, she hadn't seemed happy in at least a year.
I said goodbye on the lawn--they aren't letting humans into the offices. I told her she'd been a good dog and thanked her for being my friend. I asked her to say hello to some mutual friends that have gone on ahead. Then I carried her to the door and gave her one last ear rub.
Goodbye, Cuddlepups.
Cuddles and the Turtle
Hugs,
Erin
Comments
So sorry
Erin, so sorry to hear this. Hugs, love, and deep condolences. Also kleenex as it's gotten dusty in here.
So, sorry to hear this.
So, sorry to hear this. Cuddles will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...
I've cried my heart out over so many four legged friends. Even Babe, a cow I raised from a calf. Can you believe crying over a chicken who ran to me every time she saw me and cuddled? So many dogs, cats, and pet skunk and so many tears. We love them, share our heart and emotions with them and they love us back sharing their heart and emotions. Some of them understand us better than we understand ourselves. Animals, birds, humans all take a piece of our heart with them when we say goodbye in this mortal world. I know they will let me have all the pieces back if I want when we get together again. But then I don't think I will need those pieces and we will keep sharing forever.
It's rough Erin, I know. Hugs hon.
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
So Very Sorry
It's been two years since Parker left us. I still can't stand the idea of having another dog. The sorrow was too intense.
Take care of yourself.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
So sorry
So sorry, hard to lose a campaign.
It always hurts
The dogs in Choosing were all based on dogs I've owned except Princess who was a neighbors dog who forced her way into my heart even tho really I don't prefer lapdogs. I could have included a Half a dozen or so more and I still miss them all.
A 4-legged hole in the heart
A FOUR-LEGGED HOLE IN THE HEART
Most folk over a certain age
know the pain of having a constant companion
for ten or sixteen years
who gives so much love and asks for so little
who can make you laugh at least once a day
by doing some adorably goofy thing
that seems perfectly reasonable to them
who treats your coming home from a few hours out shopping
like a cause for near delirious celebration...
And then one day they're gone forever
+ it feels like a big chunk of your heart is missing.
Anybody who has never known
sadness like you're going through
is not anyone I envy.
For even though they've been spared our grief
they've missed out on so much simple everyday joy
that even in the middle of crying we can say:
T'is better to have Cuddled and lost
than to never have had Cuddles at all...
~Big Hugs! Veronica
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
I am so sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss. It's never easy loosing a furry friend, they become a part of your family.
I'm sending positive vibes and virtual hugs your way.
Have a delightfully devious day,
So sorry to hear this
I’m totally understand how your feeling I was told my first dog had to be put to sleep when I was at college I was a wreck for days. My thoughts and prayers are with you,
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
Sorry to hear that.
Condolences.
Gwen
big higgles, hon
so sorry for your loss
I am sorrowed to hear of your
I am sorrowed to hear of your loss, but it's something we have to accept. In exchange for unconditional love and support, we have to accept the responsibility to make sure they have as full of a life, and as pain free of a death, as we can manage.
I'm not looking forward to losing either of our cats, but I know it will happen.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
My warmest support goes to you
It is always hard when you lose a... child.
Because that is what "pets" are to some of us - our children.
Hugs!
So sorry ...
May all beings be healthy, may all beings be happy, may all beings be free of pain, of fear. And may all beings be Loved, in this World, and in the Next.
Oh, Erin, I'm so sorry
My condolences and I hope you can always look back on the blessing of having a special being like Cuddles in your life and feel the warmth and affection that every good dog wants their human to feel.
Twilight Zone
I'm thinking of an episode where a man and his dog are walking down what happens to be Eternity Road. A demon, or the Devil himself, tries to trick the man into Hell, but says dogs aren't allowed. The man says he'll go to the other place, even if it's Hell, before abandoning his dog. Then an angel is encountered and states that, up to the last, the Devil employs trickery.
Erin, when the time comes for you to walk Eternity Road, Cuddles will be by your side.
G/R
How weird I thought of that episode too!
And it's not like I think about it a lot (I'm more of a "THERE'S SOMETHING CRAWLING ON THE WING!" or "IT'S A COOKBOOK!" or "ROOM FOR ONE MORE, HONEY..." kind of a girl); But almost from the time I saw those three awful words of this blog's title + knew it was going to bear a very unhappy message I flashed on that teleplay; and its message. And I too reckon that any "Paradise" that's too high tone for my (long-gone but I'll remember + love her as long as I breathe) sweet kitty Gojira is no place I'd want to spend Eternity (if there is one...).
~hugs, Veronica
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
I'm so sorry, Erin
Our critters leave such a huge hole in our hearts when they depart for Elysian Fields. I think I cried more when Pixel and Jumper crossed that rainbow bridge then I did when my father passed away.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
deepest condolences
my deepest and most sincere condolences to you.
- Roberta
Sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss
For as much happiness and comfort they can give
it's kind of cruel that their lives are so short. Sorry to hear that your Cuddles is no longer with you. (Cuddles was the name of my first plushy BTW.)
I’m sad for your loss
My wife and I have a small collection of boxes from our veterinarian on our headboard. Each one holding tangible memories of love past tense. All too soon we’ll be adding more to it. Hold your memories tightly as they are priceless.
BAK 0.25tspgirl
So sorry
I'm so sorry to hear you've lost your companion. I wish you peace in your sadness.
Hugs.
Angharad
Angharad
It’s always hard to lose a friend........
And can be even harder to lose a family member. I feel for you Hon.
I won’t repeat the old saw about being in a better place as I am not sure it is true - but I do know that sometimes it is better knowing that your friend is no longer suffering.
I often muse on whether I would rather go quickly and without suffering, or whether I will hang on to life by my fingernails, fighting and kicking to get just one more minute........
I’m not sure which I prefer. When I was younger, I was dead set on going out in a blaze of glory - but responsibility cured me of that. When it hit me that I was responsible for bringing others home, I knew that in order to do so I had to be there with them. I had to be alive in order to fulfill my commitment to their families, and to do my duty.
But where does duty end? When is honor served?
You see professional athletes on TV, clinging to the dregs of their careers, and you can’t help thinking that they should have quit long before they passed over the summit of their careers. Better to quit on top than to make a joke of your career and your life.
So......... I live with this quandary. Do I go out on top? and just where is the top? Or do I go kicking and screaming all the way. “Do not go gently into that goodnight........”
And who will mourn my passing when I’m gone?
Just know that you are in my thoughts Hon, and pardon the morbid ramblings of a middle aged woman.
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Oh Erin, I'm Very Sorry
Your buddy couldn't stay with you. We just lost the only boy-dog we've had in a while 2 months ago. He had kidney cancer for maybe 2 years that the last vet didn't catch. We now have 3 girls left; 2 are about 3 and our oldest is 15.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Condolences
Very sad, Erin.
Hugs
Maryanne
Like a piece of your heart is missing
Have had to put too many to sleep, luckily most of them of old age. So sorry for your loss, keep Cuddles in your heart forever.
Hugs Fran Cesca
- Formerly Turnabout Girl
hugs Erin
Sorry to hear about your loss. I remember how hard it was for me to put down my dog Princess or when Martin had to do it for our cat Caramou. It's never an easy thing to do and they become a part of your life so it's like sending away a piece of your heart.
May Cuddles rest in peace.
*big hugs*
Amethyst
Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3
So Sorry
So sorry you have lost your companion Erin, life seems lost when you have to say good-bye to them. Especially now as you are not allowed to hold them as they move to another world. The thought that we will meet again someday helps a little, but can't fill the hole in your life and home one feels right now.
I had to say good-bye to both my cats, one this year and the other last year. Snowy was 18 last year and had cancer, at least I could hold her till she had slipped away as covid 19 had not reared its ugly head then. This year her brother Kimi’s kidneys stop working, he was 19, and like you I had to say good-bye and not be with him. I was lucky in that it was just a room away and they left the doors open, so I know he slipped away peacefully.
Losing a much loved pet is just as hard as losing a human relative. I found it helped me watching videos on YouTube of a man cycling around the world with his pet cat Nala who he found abandoned on the roadside. 1bike1world
It helps a little, but you still miss your little companions.
Take care Erin, best wishes
Sophie