10 Dog Owners Share The Most Heartbreaking Experiences Of Having Canine Companion

"I held her and cuddled her as her life slipped away."

May

• Published in Interesting
• February 27, 2024

Loss is part of everyone's life. And with a dog's shorter life span, a dog owner has to accept that sooner or later, their beloved furry companion's time will come.

It's really tough for many of us to even consider planning for the inevitable loss of our beloved pets. We're afraid that acknowledging it might somehow bring it closer, or that ignoring it might make it disappear.

But the truth is, our thoughts and conversations don't hold that power, and illnesses don't vanish with our silence. Whether our pet's decline happens suddenly or gradually, the pain of letting go is deeply saddening.

Yet, having the opportunity to prepare ourselves can offer a glimmer of solace amidst the sadness. Embracing this time allows us to talk openly with our vet, loved ones, and confidants about the impending loss, recognizing it as a likelihood rather than a distant chance.

Now, shifting gears, let's explore how individuals confront this profound loss. Recently, an online user posed a sad question on Quora:

What is the most painful problem a dog owner faces?

Responses flooded in from dog owners worldwide, sharing stories of witnessing their beloved companions' health decline and the heart-wrenching experience of ultimately saying goodbye.

We compiled some of the most saddest stories from the thread.

Dog passes away in the loving arms of her owner.

I am a farmer. I have to put down feral pests. I have to kill to supply us with food.

But when my dog “Tess” became old she started to lose control of her rear end. She couldn’t walk for very long. I had to bring the car to rescue her sometimes.

But then I heard her yelp and she tried to get up to eat and I knew I had run out of time.

I took her for one last walk at a place she loved and gave her the very best day I could. The next day I took her to the vets.

Normally she loved the vet and would have bounded in with enthusiasm. This day she was shaking and urinated on the floor.

She must have known something was wrong and she was scared.

I held her and cuddled her as her life slipped away. That is the hardest thing I have had to do.

But I owed it to her to do the right thing. To be brave for her sake.

I still beat myself up. “Did I wait too long”? “Could she have had a few more weeks”?

Having to make this decision was tough. Four years later and I am still traumatised by it.

Here were a couple of the last photos of her. What made it worse is she was MY very first dog.

Dogs don’t last as long as humans and that is by far the most painful thing.

Saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do.

A year ago my 14 1/2 yr old Rough Collie died. I had him since he was 11 weeks old.

Other than the times I was hospitalized or on a trip involving planes, we were never apart and on those occasions my daughter cared for him. He was my Bud.

He was the dog embassador for my dog daycare business, greeting each dog that came to my home. His even temper kept everyone calm.

Whenever I accomplished a task I would say “We did it!” And he would happily wag his tail, prance around, celebrating with me.

He somehow knew when I was down or sick and would come and lay his head on my knee as if to support me and tell me everything was OK. He was my faithful “Lassie” dog.

He was my companion and confidante. And the hardest thing about loving him for 14 1/2 years was saying goodbye.

It's hard to let go.

End of life. If your pet is old and sick and suffering and clearly in pain and can barely eat, and you decide it’s time to say goodbye, it can still be a struggle to let go, no matter how right it is.

Losing a dog is like losing a family member.

Losing a dog to death. I believe it is hard and people do not understand it is like a family member.

Another is if a dog is lost and you cannot find him. That was so terrifying to me.

He came home after 1 hour but he had got loose.

Being on the "death watch" hurts.

Dobby…. we love this dog. we adopted him when he was AROUND 4 (the people we adopted him from also we not sure about his age). The family who had to rehome him were lovely people, but they really couldn’t keep him.

He is now 17 or 18. Still not sure. And we’ve been on “death watch” for 3 years now. Various health issues, including doggy dementia. It’s a balancing act we’re walking to ensure his quality of life is GOOD… but it’s HARD to know when we should make the choice. He is loved, he loves life, he is happy…

He might be declining right now to the point we have to make the call.

The most PAINFUL problem a dog owner faces is knowing WHEN it is time to let them go peacefully.

Deciding to euthanize your beloved pet is a very painful decision.

The most painful situation for a dog owner is having an old/sick dog whose quality of life has deteriorated to the point of being in pain most of the time. Making a decision to euthanize the dog is awful.

I've always thought, “What if I choose to euthanize and the dog still has the ability to enjoy life?” and “Have I waited too long and caused my dog pain through my inaction?”

It’s a tough decision, and I’ve always had doubts that I’d make the right decision. But it’s not fair to allow your best friend to suffer because you can’t bring yourself to end his suffering.

I’ve had to make that decision far too often—but I’ve never gotten used to it. I always wonder, but I console myself by realizing that I’ve done my best with the circumstances surrounding the dog’s end of life.

But it’s still an agonizing decision.

You can never be fully prepared for a dog's death.

Letting go when it’s their time instead of holding on because you’re not ready.

Remembering the decision to put down a beloved pet brings pain.

When your dog gets very sick and the only humane thing to do is have him put to sleep. I had to do it once and just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes now.

Remembering the happy days can be, in some ways, painful too.

Having a dog means that you will have many, many happy days and one very sad one. Our pets just do not live as long as we do, so we face losing them at the end of their lifespan, which can vary from 8 years in a very large breed, to 23 or so years in a small breed dog, depending, of course, on a how good you take care of the pet!

Untoward things can happen with pets same as they can with people, like getting cancer or having one of the organs not function properly, but that’s why you have routine well-ness exams with your Vet, to ensure that your pet stays in good health, or in the odd case that it gets hurt or gets sick, rapid response by you to take the pet to the veterinarian can change the outcome from an unhappy situation to a happy one, much of the time!

Witnessing their strength dwindle is heartbreaking.

Watching them begin to deciine and knowing there will come a point when they look into yours eyes with that look. That look saying please help me end this pain.

I spent $15,000 in vet bills and would spend another $15,000 if I could just get one more hour with my little dog Sassy. It was 10 months of hell.

Her getting sick was hell but even worse it was durjng covid. I got a large animal hospital 2 hours away to take care of her because she was going to need blood transfusions and platelets.

All during the beginning of covid they wouldn't let me visit they called one day and said we're going to put her to sleep you can come pick up her body I said I'll have no you're not I'm going to be with her. They said you can't visit cuz of covid.

Long story short I went picked up my dog I treated her myself I'm a nurse practitioner I got it through the pancreatitis the liver failure everything. She had four good months then she had a stroke one morning.

I looked at her as a baby you want to see Grandma are you ready she didn't know who I was until I said that and she just banged and started like trying to jump on my arms. I let let her go peacefully in my arms.

it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do and the most loving. I didn't know if I was doing the right thing and my vet said she has never had anybody regret putting thier animals down, it's hard but so kind in the end.

We do our animals this kindness, we should be able to help our loved ones with debilitating diseases that aren't going get any better and want physician assisted without fear if being arrested.

Saying goodbye to a cherished pet is a journey of love and acceptance. It's about embracing the memories they gift us and finding comfort in knowing their spirit lives on within us.

Through acceptance, we honor their pawprints on our hearts, forever grateful for the joy they brought into our lives.

May