We had to put down our 15-year-old mutt recently. I wrote a post about him and his life, but for some reason I couldn’t click the “publish” button.
Everything in the hospital is fair game to write down and share, but the heartbreaking experience of having to say goodbye to 15 years of your life and a dog who protected your family when you were in the hospital or away on business feels too painful.
I was surprised how much this mutt meant to us; we were wrecked. And watching the vet put our dog to rest is something that will never leave me.
We have his ashes and a place picked out in our garden for his burial. Like we did with our chocolate lab, we will pick out a special plant to bury him under. The plant we chose for our lab is beautiful, healthy and flowers purple and white.
My daughter and wife went to the craft store and bought a do-it-yourself stepping stone for him. They placed his dog tags in the center of the wet cement and decorated it with colorful broken glass and dog tokens. This weekend we will have a ceremony for him and sprinkle his ashes in the earth.
We’re talking about adopting another dog. I’m going to fill out the paperwork for a local rescue shelter tonight. It’s sad to look at all of the available dogs online. As no fan of humanity – I’m far from perfect too – it reminds me how wasteful and lazy we can be by not spaying and neutering animals. And for reasons I can’t explain, I keep connecting the buffets we ate at in Vegas last week with animal shelters. There’s a link there. I know it. My shallow mind won’t let me pursue it and go deeper. Or, I just don’t want to examine it.
Life goes on. The clock ticks and tocks. And the earth revolves until it doesn’t.
The Unknown Cystic 
I’m so sorry about your pup.
Thank you, Amy.
Aww, I’m so sorry UC. 😦
I had to do the same with my beloved 10 yo cat 3 weeks ago.
It’s so heartbreaking to have a family member pass and then begin a new routine without them in it.
I hope your daughter is handling it OK. Such a hard life lesson for little ones. I think it’s awesome that you made a memorial for him.
Good luck in your search for a new pooch to love. Keep us posted.
Jodi
Jodi,
Thanks for the comment. Heartbreaking is right. You understand. I was surprised my daughter took it so hard. She’s closer to our lab.
We hope to adopt a new dog soon. I’ll hopefully be posting pictures of a new mutt puppy in the near future.
UC
Sorry for your loss.
all of my best. ~j
Juli,
Thank you. I’m not sure why you were moderated. Maybe the computer just likes to mess with you.
UC
moderation??? this is new. have i been gone that long???
Oh, that’s one of THE hardest things to go through! I’m very sorry. I lost my Trinket, also 15, two years ago and I still miss her. I adopted a rescue and she’s a wonderful, cheerful companion.
Mal,
It was hard to go through. Sorry you experienced something similar. We were both lucky we got 15 years.
UC
I’m sorry for your family’s loss and wish there was something magical to say to make the sadness vanish for y’all. I like the plan for the memorial and think it’s great that your wife and daughter made him a stepping stone. Hang in there, UC.
Dr. Nanos,
Many thanks. I know you understand being a pup owner. It’s easy to love these dang canines.
UC
So sorry you had to say goodbye to a friend. Goodbye, Unknown Mutt. I’m sure you provided countless nights of friendship during insomnia, or licked unknown daughter’s tears, or served as a vacuum to unknown’s wife kitchen crumbs. I’m glad you had a loving, warm, kind, fun family for your time on this earth. I think that is the best any dog can hope for.
I like the idea of his ashes in your garden and the stepping stone – I imagine it will help your daughter to have a memory spot for him.
((hugs))
Liz
CF wife
Liz,
Seems appropriate he was the Unknown Mutt. I like that. I should have fitted a bag over his head while he was alive and let him start his own blog.
He loved chicken. That dog got so excited for chicken scraps. I think I’m sad now because we should have let him have one last meal of a whole chicken. But the decision happened so fast.
Best to you and Chris.
UC