In Memoriam for my dear old Great Dane
Discussion
There was a gorgeous sunrise as we walked into the veterinary centre today. You had been fading for more than a year with your hind quarters losing strength and sensation and there was no cure. Soon you would be unable to walk.
In the quiet room we waited for the vet to arrive. I looked in your trusting brown eyes and scratched your silky ears. Soon you were prepped and I stroked you until the tranquilizers did their job. You lay down calmly to sleep and I scratched your side for the last time. It was quiet and very peaceful. The final shot acted quickly and those eyes that had seen so much could see no more. A last stroke of your familiar fur and I turned away
You were in your twelfth year. We had grown old together. You were my last Great Dane and my best . Here is your story.
In the quiet room we waited for the vet to arrive. I looked in your trusting brown eyes and scratched your silky ears. Soon you were prepped and I stroked you until the tranquilizers did their job. You lay down calmly to sleep and I scratched your side for the last time. It was quiet and very peaceful. The final shot acted quickly and those eyes that had seen so much could see no more. A last stroke of your familiar fur and I turned away
You were in your twelfth year. We had grown old together. You were my last Great Dane and my best . Here is your story.
What adventures we had!
OH had found you at a breeder far away in Utah. You came from a big litter of almost identical fawn pups. Except for you.
We received photos from the day of your birth and when you were old enough the Jeep pointed to Provo to get you. Your breeder held you in her arms , all paws and puppy fat. I thought
you were the prettiest Dane I had ever seen.
Back home in Arizona the Poodle greeted you with professional courtesy and though you would spend many years together you were never very close.
Over the next year you grew ,
..and grew,
..and grew
You almost died from a diseased kidney which was removed, bur for the rest of your life were completely healthy
Your beautiful markings would fade as you aged and in recent times your face was almost white.
You grew into your paws but were never a huge dog by Dane Standards
Things you loved and hated:
OH had found you at a breeder far away in Utah. You came from a big litter of almost identical fawn pups. Except for you.
We received photos from the day of your birth and when you were old enough the Jeep pointed to Provo to get you. Your breeder held you in her arms , all paws and puppy fat. I thought
you were the prettiest Dane I had ever seen.
Back home in Arizona the Poodle greeted you with professional courtesy and though you would spend many years together you were never very close.
Over the next year you grew ,
..and grew,
..and grew
You almost died from a diseased kidney which was removed, bur for the rest of your life were completely healthy
Your beautiful markings would fade as you aged and in recent times your face was almost white.
You grew into your paws but were never a huge dog by Dane Standards
Things you loved and hated:
Things you loved and hated:
Warm sunlight ,which you followed. In the back yard you would lie for hours on your sling bed, and when the sun moved you came to the door with a soft wuff to demand it be moved.
On the other hand you detested the cold and snow, and when the first icy signs of Canadian winter appeared you were miserable. In the old house you you would jam yourself up against the fireplace.
Being covered. From an early age you liked to have a blanket. When it was thrown on you would wriggle in delight, your paws curling back.
You were born for the road:.
..and the road liked you back.Any trip in a car was a moment for dancing and excitement. Any rattle of car keys would cause you to appear in seconds. We travelled the 2400 miles from Ontario to Arizona each December and April, finding all sort of strange things on Route 66. We wandered the empty roads pf the desert, the California freeways, the majesty of Monument Valley and the lonely Texas Panhandle.
You did not like every car. SUVs or big passenger cars were fine but as a practical dog you had no time for sports cars or convertibles.
Strangely , you loved the Smart ForTwo because you were taller than the driver.
You loved all hotels, from cheap roadside Inns to the most luxurious. We travelled well over 100,000 miles and on your last road trip you saw the Pacific for the first time
You were a very communicative dog. Every morning I when I woke up I would see your big head inches away for a scratch. You used toys to get attention, dropping them on my feet to make me play with you.
During the Covid lockdown we tramped the eerie empty streets. You loved the company all day but were very unhappy to miss a winter in the sun.
In your last year you could no longer jump onto the rear deck of an SUV so only travelled on a back seat. Stairs became difficult and in your last weeks you had a struggle to lie down, your old legs shaking until you could finally stretch out. Your heat desire also meant that you slept under a blanket.
Of course I knew what was coming. I remember the very first day I met you and that flash of sadness that one day this sweet little puppy would take her leave. I feel lucky that it was such a long and wonderful life. You arrived in the world and left it under the endless skies of the West that you loved.
This is your last photo.
I walked you on your last night in the desert sunset and knew you were happy and contented even as you hobbled along.
Happy wags and ear scratches my dear old road dog. Your long journey is complete and its time for you the have a well-deserved rest.
Good night.
You did not like every car. SUVs or big passenger cars were fine but as a practical dog you had no time for sports cars or convertibles.
Strangely , you loved the Smart ForTwo because you were taller than the driver.
You loved all hotels, from cheap roadside Inns to the most luxurious. We travelled well over 100,000 miles and on your last road trip you saw the Pacific for the first time
You were a very communicative dog. Every morning I when I woke up I would see your big head inches away for a scratch. You used toys to get attention, dropping them on my feet to make me play with you.
During the Covid lockdown we tramped the eerie empty streets. You loved the company all day but were very unhappy to miss a winter in the sun.
In your last year you could no longer jump onto the rear deck of an SUV so only travelled on a back seat. Stairs became difficult and in your last weeks you had a struggle to lie down, your old legs shaking until you could finally stretch out. Your heat desire also meant that you slept under a blanket.
Of course I knew what was coming. I remember the very first day I met you and that flash of sadness that one day this sweet little puppy would take her leave. I feel lucky that it was such a long and wonderful life. You arrived in the world and left it under the endless skies of the West that you loved.
This is your last photo.
I walked you on your last night in the desert sunset and knew you were happy and contented even as you hobbled along.
Happy wags and ear scratches my dear old road dog. Your long journey is complete and its time for you the have a well-deserved rest.
Good night.
Very moving read. I don’t consider myself sentimental but I was pressured into having a dog again by my daughter. I’d had dogs as a boy but it was a long time ago now. I relented and we have a black lab now 4 years old. I was told there is no greater love than that between a man and the dog he never wanted. I have found some truth in that. We’ve been out for four miles today already. I usually take her in the evening but thought that she’d been out enough today.
She was mewing at me earlier and motioning toward the door, where she now sits. Having read this and looked at the photos I’m going to buy my boots and coat on and take her out again.
Hope the pain eases for you soon.
She was mewing at me earlier and motioning toward the door, where she now sits. Having read this and looked at the photos I’m going to buy my boots and coat on and take her out again.
Hope the pain eases for you soon.
Tango13 said:
I am so saddened to be reading this as I am when I read of the passing of any PH dog.
My sadness is always countered by knowing the dogs of PH'ers have great lives and live them well.
My thoughts are with you Ronan as they are with every other PH'er when they lose their dogs.
I like your point about dogs having great lives with owners that care about them. Some comfort in that. My sadness is always countered by knowing the dogs of PH'ers have great lives and live them well.
My thoughts are with you Ronan as they are with every other PH'er when they lose their dogs.
Many thanks for all the kind words.
As dog people we love the life with them and we know that one day we will mourn them. This is always the sad result but all the joy and happiness that a dog brings makes it worth it. Of course I mourn as we all do, but all of those wonderful days and the endless miles make the price well worth paying.
Her name was Shiloh.
As dog people we love the life with them and we know that one day we will mourn them. This is always the sad result but all the joy and happiness that a dog brings makes it worth it. Of course I mourn as we all do, but all of those wonderful days and the endless miles make the price well worth paying.
Her name was Shiloh.
Turn7 said:
Oh no ! That’s so sad.
Really sorry to read that Ronan as I remember the puppy pics and also, IIRC, the road trip with your previous Dane ?
My deepest sympathies
Long history with Danes. They are generally very easygoing dogs. Walking then is an experience as everyone wants to talk to them .Really sorry to read that Ronan as I remember the puppy pics and also, IIRC, the road trip with your previous Dane ?
My deepest sympathies
Edited by Turn7 on Thursday 16th January 18:33
RDMcG said:
Turn7 said:
Oh no ! That’s so sad.
Really sorry to read that Ronan as I remember the puppy pics and also, IIRC, the road trip with your previous Dane ?
My deepest sympathies
Long history with Danes. They are generally very easygoing dogs. Walking then is an experience as everyone wants to talk to them .Really sorry to read that Ronan as I remember the puppy pics and also, IIRC, the road trip with your previous Dane ?
My deepest sympathies
Edited by Turn7 on Thursday 16th January 18:33
RDMcG said:
Long history with Danes. They are generally very easygoing dogs. Walking then is an experience as everyone wants to talk to them .
How sad, they all seem to have their own unique personality and I'm convinced one day we will meet up again with our dearly departed doggy friends.Where I grew up the village pub was called 'The Greyhound' and the landlord's guard dog was a Great Dane, the punters assumed he was a Greyhound and the owner himself was only 5ft tall which was quite a spectacle when he was taking him out for walkies!
Looks like you gave him the best life possible and what an amazing place for a dog to grow up and live his life to the full
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff