I saw something today that broke my heart.

[Mom21]

I'm not really a pet person. I mean I'm good to any pets we've had, but I don't really get the whole family member thing. Sorry. Please don't BOO me. I went to pick up my dd from homeschool classes today. It is located in same plaza as a vet. I parked to wait. I saw this family with a German Shepherd. Mom, dad, and 3 teens. Looked like 2 boys around 16-20 and a girl maybe 15-16. Everybody was sobbing, even the boys. Nobody wanted to go in. I just knew they were there to put the dog to sleep. It looked very old. The boys were jerking with tears and hugging that dog. Probably one they had almost all of their lives. I watched that family walk in the vets office and I started sobbing myself. I just wanted to go hug them, but of course I would never intrude on a private family moment.

 

[WestCOT]

 

[spacemermaid]

That is so, so sad.

I guess if there's anything positive about the whole thing, at least the poor old dog is out of his/her pain...because a family that loves a pet that much certainly wouldn't have it put down unless something was gravely wrong. (I know; I've been there...)

 

[Minnie&Nana]

How sad for the family, but lovely for you to witness such love.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Been there.....and it totally kills ya' to have to do it. It is actually amazing how hard it hits you.

 

[sunnyday123]

Been there.....and it totally kills ya' to have to do it. It is actually amazing how hard it hits you.

This is true. You can't get that unconditional love from anything else but a pet.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

How sad for the family, but lovely for you to witness such love.

 

[mrsstats]

I have been at the vets office and have witnessed this too. Always makes me cry. It brings back memories of having done the same thing and knowing the pain they feel.

 

[java]

We have cried right along with people bringing in their pets when we are in the vets office. When we had our sweet Harry die at home we took him to the vet- to have him cremated. We sobbed holding him to hand him off and he was already dead. I can't imagine how tough it is to kiss your dog goodbye to end his pain. oh I am crying thinking about it.

 

[flipturngirl]

This is so heartbreaking. I remember the exact feeling when we had to go at 2 in the morning for my dog.

 

[emer95]

Oh, this has me crying. What a heartbreaking thing to see.

 

[epcotfan]

I had to take my cat to the vet once because he was ill. While I was there I saw an elderly couple walk in their very old lab. The woman was crying. In the next examination room I could hear them putting him down. It was awful. My heart just broke.
To me losing a pet is losing a family member.

 

[cassie]

I am a pet person, and have had pets all my life. It is so heartbreaking to have a pet put down, but the love they have given me helps with the pain at the end.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

That's so sad. At least it was obvious that dog was adored; he probably had a great life with his family.

I dread having to do this one day with my kitties. The thought of kissing them goodbye breaks my heart - they're still young but it's a scary thought.

 

[DebbieB]

Brings back memories of when we put our cat to sleep almost 7 years ago. I always thought it would be so hard to take her there but when the time came she was so sick (kidney failure) that I just wanted to release her from her pain. The vet was very considerate, they allowed us time with her after and let us leave through the back entrance.

I felt so bad this morning. I went out on my front porch and these birds practically dive bombed me. I looked down and there was a baby blue bird. He tried to fly off the porch but landed in the street. I noticed there was bird poop on my car window so I went back in to get a paper towel. When I walked back out, he was smashed on the street. I felt so bad!

 

[hereyago]

No booing from me. I don't expect everyone to understand how I feel about the pets I have had in my life. Most of the ones I have had, I have raised from 8 weeks old, so a fur baby.

The beginning of this year, I lost one of my GS and it was on of the most unexpected shocking things. I felt as if someone ripped my heart out from my chest.

A couple years ago, my exdh had to to take our rot/hus to be put down, cancer. I couldn't handle taking him. He was raised with our DD, they were a month apart.

I have a kitten that I got from a no kill rescue that knowingly has FIV, I just have to be cautious if he gets a cold,etc. His big brother is the other GS that I have.

It is so hard because you want them to be with you, just a little more time, but then you know when they are suffering and they look at you as if to say to let them go.

 

[JoShan1719]

Been there.....and it totally kills ya' to have to do it. It is actually amazing how hard it hits you.

This. To be in that office and hear that the best thing for your pet (aka sister/brother/child) is to put them to sleep is heartbreaking. But to give the ok, to hear yourself say those words, just makes your heart stop. It makes you want to scoop your pet up in your arms and run away, but you know you can't. I can't even type this without crying. Parts of you die with that pet. I'm happy that dog had such a loving family, but it makes me even sadder to think of all those pets in shelters that are put down everyday with no family there. It's not right.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Been there.....and it totally kills ya' to have to do it. It is actually amazing how hard it hits you.

I remember the first pet we had to put to sleep. My family owned that dog since before I was born and we put her to sleep the day before my 12th birthday. As weird as it is, my friend (a total clown) humming the death march in the back seat on the way home helped me to keep it together because I just started laughing.

For me, pets truly are like my family. Losing one is like losing a child or sibling. It was hard enough to lose one unexpectedly last year, but it's harder when you have to make that decision and take them in to do it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Every dog should be so loved.

 

[PatsGirl]

The hardest thing I've ever had to do in my 50 years is hold and pat my golden's head while they injected her. I never would have imagined it to be sooo difficult. My Dad knew that I was going to have to do it sooner or later and offered to go with me. He had btdt twice with his own two goldens. We are not particularly close and I pretty much shrugged him off. Well, when the day came, he not only drove us there, he carried my dog into his truck and then into the vets office and was there for me when I came out. For this I will be eternally grateful because I'm not sure I could have done it alone

And again the DIS makes me cry