Those on Facebook may have seen Mandy’s post about Porter. Our deepest sympathies go out to his owner Adelle. Porter was Baledwr Allegro Black Butte, from Quincy (CH C-Myste Heartbreak Kid) and Molly-the-first (C-Myste Hide and Seek). He had many issues in his life, starting with a bottom jaw that didn’t grow and a seizure disorder. In the end it was the back which did him in. Adelle says that he may have had a tumor on his spine, but it may also have been IVDD.
Porter as a baby.
Tom thinks it’s amazing that we remember every puppy. I guess it’s a measure of how special each one is to us.
The whole back issue is getting me down right now, with Penni’s Kip going down yesterday and Chaucer a few weeks ago. Chaucer seems to be doing well, and I am holding good thoughts for Kip.
Recently on corgi-l there have been many losses, and currently there is a discussion of “when it is time”. Liz Myhre submitted an article from her website at emrys-corgis.com under articles or link directly to “When Is It Time” (pdf). An excerpt:
If a dog is not happy, not enjoying life, or is in enough pain, and none of those are going to change, it’s Time. You do no justice to a dog dragging it’s life on when it’s going to be miserable the rest of it’s life.
We lost two last year: Julie and her daughter Kacy. Julie was 15 and had been in poor shape and fairly miserable for the last couple of years. I kept hoping that she would go quietly in her sleep but she drug on and on until none of us were happy. Kacy was a little over 13 and had been totally blind for several months but was otherwise in good shape until the last few days when she was having back issues. One morning she came in and sat by me and seemed to ask me to do something for her, so I did.
The result is that most of my memories of Julie are sad ones, of an ancient, hurting, and tortured dog. My memories of Kacy in contrast are mostly of the happy, running dog she was up until just the last few months.
Vicki, I would be delighted if you would copy your post in the comments here. It is worth preserving. You especially said:
The plain cold hard fact is that the dog will hardly ever “decide for you.” Not unless you let that dog go on far longer than is kind.
I hope that I have some time before I have to make the decision again.