The loss of a pet.

Shadow as a pup the night we brought him home

He was just a dog, a pet as some would say.   While today when I took him in to the vets office for the last time to be put to sleep. He was nothing but family.

You would never put down your kid's or your parents/ grandparent.  But why your dog.

For "Shadow" at age 16 years and two months it was the end of the road.

My son Shawn with Shadow at Killbear Provincial Park 

He was almost totally blind , about 90 percent deaf.   He had dementia , and would pace a room for hours on end totally lost till he would collapse from exhaustion.   His bladder could not hold pee for more than 4 hours, so almost every night he would pee on the kitchen floor and then walk and sleep in it.  We would cut off his water and food around 8pm for the night and take him out for a pee at midnight and he would still pee.   When he would go out for a walk which was almost every day, that evening and the next day he would be sore and exhausted, wining from pain.

It was time to do this, just not today or any day.   I did not want to do this because it did not feel right in my heart.

Shadow  today with his tin of Salmon

Today his last day he slept in till about 10:30am.  At lunch time Deb made Salmon sandwhiches and she gave him the tin ...  which he just loves.   He was in heaven early.  Around 2pm I took him out for a longer than normal walk, it was cool but sunny out ( he loved the sun) and let him sniff everything he wanted.  He was happy.   I brought him in and gave him his favorite treats " Snasages"  a few of them ...   what the hell.  Then he was off to sleep till about 3:45pm and I woke him up to take out for a pee as we were getting ready. 
At 4 pm we put him in the car for the 10 minute drive to the Vet's office.   When we got there , I took him out on the gorgeous property with a small lake out from for a pee and maybe a poop.   He never did a poop, but pee he did at least five times.   At 4:30pm we were in the vets office in the little room with my wife the vet and an assistant. They had to shave his leg to find a vein but could not so have to move to another leg.  This time she was successful.  We both gave Shadow a kiss as she pushed the plunger on the needle.  In seconds he stopped squirming and while looking up at us he passed away.

I was devastated along with my wife , I decided to head out the front door and have a good cry on my own.

That dog was family and we loved him like our own children.  It's been only two hours now and my eyes are still welling up.



We love you Shadow    we will miss you always!