KAJ
Well-known member
We had to take our beloved dog Pongo (Sealyham Terrier mix) to Rainbow Bridge this afternoon. Tears flow from eyes as I type this post. It was of course an extremely difficult decision but we loved her too much to let her suffer. She had CHF since this past July. In the end, she was on 100 mg of lasix twice a day, and two other kinds of medications. Her coughing was getting worse and worse. Last night we noticed she was shaking, and then realized it was now time to say good-bye. We gathered our four kids, and told them we needed to let her go.
My wife called the vet’s office this morning and informed them of our decision. I left work early this afternoon. I came home and my wife drove Pongo and I to the vet. He listened to her heart one more time. We wanted to make sure we were making the right decision. He confirmed her heart was now in extremely bad shape, and she was starting to suffer. He also said she would have gone into seizures within a week. They allowed us to have as much time as we desired with her before and after the procedure.
We adopted Pongo (rather she adopted us), at the Jacksonville, FL Humane Society on June 16, 1996, three days after our Peek-A-Poo went to Rainbow Bridge. Pongo was approximately a year old at that time. I will never forget the first time we saw her. It was like love at first sight with that big wagging tail of hers. We changed her name to Pongo because of her kind of bouncy personality.
She gave us many, many wonderful memories. She loved to jump into my lap unexpectedly. She also liked to nudge my hand with her long snout any time she wanted my attention. Many times she would take her snout and move the blinds out of the way so she could look out the window.
Years ago, my wife and agreed she would get up for the kids, and I would get for the dog at night. As the years went by, she had the better deal. Pongo would wake me by nudging me with that long snout anytime she needed to go outside. I did not mind, that was the least I could do for my faithful friend.
Pongo would bark up a storm when someone rang the doorbell or knocked on the door but wagged that friendly tail nonstop after the door was opened. When she heard my car or heard me walking up the sidewalk, she would loudly start to howl. It was her way of saying, “Dad is home, Dad is home.” Whenever my mother-in-law came to the house Pongo would not leave her alone until after she spoke to her and petted her head. Pongo then went on her way.
When the rescue unit came to take me to the hospital after complications from my AVR, my wife put Pongo on the back porch. Pongo had an absolute fit when she saw the paramedics take me away on the stretcher. She would also mope around the house when I was in the hospital, and when I went away on business trips. I could go on and on. She was just one great dog, and will of course be terribly, terribly missed. We decided we wanted her ashes, and will probably bury her in our back yard.
We will get another dog but will wait until we return home after a trip to my parents in late Dec and early Jan. The kids want to get a puppy. I want to get another dog from the Humane Society, or some other rescue group. I will be scouring the internet for rescue groups with 100 miles or so from our home. I will let you know when find our new family member.
Karl
My wife called the vet’s office this morning and informed them of our decision. I left work early this afternoon. I came home and my wife drove Pongo and I to the vet. He listened to her heart one more time. We wanted to make sure we were making the right decision. He confirmed her heart was now in extremely bad shape, and she was starting to suffer. He also said she would have gone into seizures within a week. They allowed us to have as much time as we desired with her before and after the procedure.
We adopted Pongo (rather she adopted us), at the Jacksonville, FL Humane Society on June 16, 1996, three days after our Peek-A-Poo went to Rainbow Bridge. Pongo was approximately a year old at that time. I will never forget the first time we saw her. It was like love at first sight with that big wagging tail of hers. We changed her name to Pongo because of her kind of bouncy personality.
She gave us many, many wonderful memories. She loved to jump into my lap unexpectedly. She also liked to nudge my hand with her long snout any time she wanted my attention. Many times she would take her snout and move the blinds out of the way so she could look out the window.
Years ago, my wife and agreed she would get up for the kids, and I would get for the dog at night. As the years went by, she had the better deal. Pongo would wake me by nudging me with that long snout anytime she needed to go outside. I did not mind, that was the least I could do for my faithful friend.
Pongo would bark up a storm when someone rang the doorbell or knocked on the door but wagged that friendly tail nonstop after the door was opened. When she heard my car or heard me walking up the sidewalk, she would loudly start to howl. It was her way of saying, “Dad is home, Dad is home.” Whenever my mother-in-law came to the house Pongo would not leave her alone until after she spoke to her and petted her head. Pongo then went on her way.
When the rescue unit came to take me to the hospital after complications from my AVR, my wife put Pongo on the back porch. Pongo had an absolute fit when she saw the paramedics take me away on the stretcher. She would also mope around the house when I was in the hospital, and when I went away on business trips. I could go on and on. She was just one great dog, and will of course be terribly, terribly missed. We decided we wanted her ashes, and will probably bury her in our back yard.
We will get another dog but will wait until we return home after a trip to my parents in late Dec and early Jan. The kids want to get a puppy. I want to get another dog from the Humane Society, or some other rescue group. I will be scouring the internet for rescue groups with 100 miles or so from our home. I will let you know when find our new family member.
Karl
and we to have an 18 year
