Howdy sir;
Im not goiong to get into all the dogs I have had over the years, but I have had everything from Rotties to Yorkies and have fallen in love with them all. It is very painful to loose one. When I was 9 years old I had to make one of the hardest deciisions of my life. I had a dog named Hercules who had been injured and may have been able to survive, but with the loss of a front leg. I was left with the decision of whether or no to have him put down. All I could think of was how much fun he and I had running throught the wheatfields together and playing hide and seek. I decided that he probably would not be happy not being able to play that way anymore. It was hard and I have been bothered by that decision for going on 40 years now.
I actually didn’t intend to write about Herc here and I apologise if I take up to much or your time.
The dog I wanted to tell you about is the dog in the picture. His name was Gary Owen. He was an Iraqi of the finest sort. Gary was born on FOB Cobra in Iraq during OIF I. He was passed down to us during OIF III. Gary was somewhat of a freind to all 700 of us at Cobra. Nothing that should not have been going on went on without Gary letting us know. No one or no thing came across the wire and into the FOB that we didn’t know about thanks to Gary. He was one of the most loving dogs I have ever been around. Long story short, we all had a love for Gary and when the time came for us to rotate out we tried in vain to find a way to bring him back to the states. He woulld have been one heck of a farm dog. Hopefully he is still with our guys in Iraq and doing well.

Robert from Tennessee

6.15pm, December 19, 2000… it is a time that forever remains with me…
Zeus was sick even though he seemed so full of life. The cancer inside of him was aggressive and systemic. But still I had agonised over the final decision for 6 days after the lab results had come back. My friends and family tried to tell me it was the right thing to do. The available treatments had no guarantee of success but every guarantee of prolonged suffering. When I accepted that a decision to keep him alive was more for me than for him, I knew the time had come.
Our last day together was the best and the worst. The day was warm and sunny. We did all his favourite things, we visited all his favourite people and places, we lay on the deck together, he ate rump steak all day! Pure, best friend bliss. But as much as I enjoyed every last minute, I was dreading what was to come.
We arrived at the vets at 5.22pm. There was a lady in the car park. She innocently commented on what a beautiful boy he was but I couldn’t reply. I broke down as I looked away.
Greg led us to a large grassy area behind the clinic and said he would be back shortly. For 30 minutes I held my boy in my arms and cried. I sometimes think he knew what was about to happen but just like the mate he had always been, he seemed more worried about me. He nudged me with his nose and licked the tears from my cheek.
Greg came out from the surgery. The syringe was in his left hand. It was blue. He tried to hold it behind his back.
I turned away and held my big fella’s head, silently thanking him for the times we had shared and the memories I would always cherish.
It’s now been almost 7 years yet I can still vividly remember the exact moment my heart broke… the moment everything became quiet… the moment I have struggled to get through every year since… the anniversary I still choose to spend alone…
because at 6.15pm, December 19, 2000 I watched the life leave the eyes of my best mate.

Mike from New Zealand

My sister has gotten two dogs from the York County SPCA. The first one, Gus, was a spectacular yellow lab. He looked purebred, like an English Lab. Lanky. He was the worlds smartest dog. Not knowing anything about his history, we didn’t know how old he was, but we thought he was a young dog. He did eventually have a fatal health issue…he collapsed on the kitchen floor, and died on the way to the vet. The family was devastated. It took some time before my sister could bring herself to even think about looking for another dog. We went to the York County SPCa and looked at the dogs. It was a sad thing to see, all those needy animals, hoping that they would be “THE ONE.” I looked at my sister and I could see she was getting teary eyed. Not only for her lost dog Gus, but for all these dogs here. There are so many of them. They didn’t have another dog like Gus, so we left.

Some weeks later, it just so happened that I, being a cat person, was going to the SPCA with my cat Alice Marley to have her spayed. While I was there, I walked through the kennel to look at the latest group of inhabitants, to see if there was something that my sister might be interested to see. I knew she wanted another yellow lab. Well, I didn’t see another dog that looked like Gus, but I did see a possibility. There, in the last kennel, was a shaggy yellow lab/airdale mix. He had curly yellow hair all over his body, and his head had lots of long stray hairs, and he has a beard. In short, he looks like a bad taxidermy job gone terribly wrong. He stands up in the kennel, and presses himself against the cage. He has this hopeful look in his eyes, as if to say…Please…PLEEEEEse, take me. I went on about my way, went home, and told my sister about him. She didn’t seem to want to go look at him, and I kept mentioning it…describing what he looked like…etc., and well one day, my sister’s daughter Megan, called me, and says “You gotta come see our new dog” I said…”Let me guess, is it a yellow dog that looks like a bad taxidermy job?” She said…Yes, and so, I knew before I even went to see him, that it was the same dog.
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On September 10, 2007 we said goodbye Cody. He was our faithful friend and constant companion for nearly seventeen years. He was full of love, joy, and fun. He was protector of our home and keeper of our hearts. He would have gladly laid his life down for any one of us. He was a good dog.

It was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. Everyone in my family was crushed. To try to help them get through it, I wrote this little “Goodbye Letter” from Cody to each of them. It seemed to help a little. If you ever have to go through the same thing and need to help your loved ones understand, maybe a letter like this could help you.

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This is a story about my Little Beau Jangles…a teeny , tiny toy poodle. We had 6 months before lost out mixed breed of 18 years and were NEVER getting another dog. Well, a friend of ours, a breeder called me and said she had had a litter and all were sold except the runt..she figured it was because he loved to play, AT NIGHT! Well, my husband worked on the railroad and was gone most nights, being on the road and I was alone and up until the wee hours, she figured we were a perfect match. Boy, was she ever right!! But, I was in Ohio, the dog was in Florida…so for my birthday, my husband bought me a dog and my father a plane ticket to get the dog for me! I can still remember crying the first time I laid eyes on him…he was so tiny and cute , he made my heart well up! Funny, I cried when I first saw him and cried when I last saw him…and I am crying as I am typing this.But , in between those times, he was nothing but a joy! He was indeed a “night person”, we got along great! On those long winter nights when I was just waiting from a call from my husband to say he had reached his destination safely , when I was a nervous wreck, Beau knew, and he did his best to amuse me and get the worry off of my mind, and that he did! For 16 years he amused and entertained me nightly!! I was so glad when he was finally 16, he could get a driver’s license..he always loved to steer when we drove! But it was not to be…one Sunday morning he just simply fell out of bed and landed on the floor…picked himself up and carried on, by the time my husband got home he couldn’t go to the door to greet him…it was a Sunday night…..where do you go….nowhere. He never cried or wimpered, he just wanted to be held, which I did. He wanted to get on the couch and I put him up and laid there with him, we both fell asleep, only 1 of us got up. My husband woke me the next morning telling me Beau was gone….gone in my arms. I was still holding him, and I KNOW that before he went he planted 1 more of those little kisses on my cheek, he was such a loving child! So what did I do after I freaked out…did I call the vet? NO, I called a local funeral home that does cremations and yes they would do a pet, bring him in. So , that is the story of Beau Jangles…and as I type this, Beau still sits next to me, on his special pillow in a beautiful tin. There is no way I could bury him or let anyone dispose of him, he was too dependent on me and he will stay with me until whenever. I will never let him be alone.
For those of you who need some comfort there is a beautiful website that deals with the loss of pets.
www.rainbowbridge.com
they have a most beautiful poem there, everyone who has lost a pet needs to read it, it is wonderful! Thank you , Mark ,for having this for us to share our stories, we have all been there, done that, or we wouldn’t be here now. You are a right on guy when it comes to politics, nasty as need be, but a PERSON,when it comes to sensitivity, thats all that counts. Thanks for letting me give my tribute to Beau…nobody else ever would have cared in a million years.

Nancy from Florida

Hi Mark…
I watched you on Hannity and Colmes the other night and your story brought back alot of the emotion I felt when we had to have our darling 8 yr old Gordon Setter, Kaycee, put down two years ago. She succumed to Kidney failure I’m sure brought on by tainted commercial dog food. One of the saddest things and most heart wrenching events one can go through is knowing the inevitable and making the hard decision to do what is best for your beloved dog. I still shudder when I relive that last moment with her. I still remember the empty feeling in the home and the sorrow that seems to never pass. I could sense in you the same long lasting pain and emotion that I and millions of other pet lovers have had to endure. We now have a wonderful Welsh Springer Spaniel, Molly, who has graced our home with her unending love and companionship. We love her with all our hearts, but it took us 6 months before we were ready to bring another dog into our world, but once a dog lover I guess you will always be a dog lover, and I have bocome completely aware how important it is to cherish every single day we are blessed to have them at our side. Being a Christian I know that someday we will be back together with our cherished friends, and I know that because if any being belongs in heaven these wonderful loving pets do. I feel your pain buddy, and I want to thank you for this wonderful site.

Dave from New Jersey