Brownie

Sadly, many of us have been in your shoes.  It's HARD to let go, but its the kindest and most living gift we can give our friends in the end.
 
She isn't angry with you.  She's THANKING you for letting her go without pain and agoney.  Know that you gave her a long and happy life.  She'll be waiting for you, but more importantly she's healthy, she's happy and she's running through meadows at the Bridge!

Hi Diann this is Sandy Ashley's mom well its just not her that is hurting im hurting really bad also I cant stop thinking about our Borwniegirl I see her all the time in my heart and the only thing I wish I could do is she her running up in the front yard when I get home from work but I just sit there and wait for about 10 mins and then I know she can't it seems like i break down all the time thinking about my baby and i still leave a night light on for her like i always did when she was still here with us. she didnt like the dark at all or the storms .But now I guess she don't have to worry about that any more  this morning I got up to let Buddy out side that is our other dog he really misses her too well any way the out side door was open and I knew the door was closed when i went to bed, Ashley told me that she got up during the night and yelled Brownie Brownie and then she just left the door open for her.
But no Brownie thanks got writting  
 
take care.
 
Sandy

You are right its hard to let go we know she isnt in no more pain now its the pain we have to deal with and I also know that Buddy is hurting he keeps looking for her and that just hurts me even more but when I get home from work that is the first thing I do is go see Buddy and talk to him and he looks at me like where is my best friend and when is she coming back home. the look that he has tells me that he does know what is going on. thanks for the kind words
 
Sandy,
Ashley , Buddy

I always let my dogs say "goodbye" to the one who has gone to the Bridge.  They get to sniff him/her and in doing so, they KNOW s/he is no longer in the body.  And I talk to them.  You can't let Buddy say goodbye physically, but you can TELL him, Brownie has gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  It's a wonderful place where we will all go someday.  Then tell him about Rainbow Bridge...tell him how ALL the dogs there are young and healthy and whole and oh so happy.  And that they are waiting...only that time will pass in the blink of an eye for them...and that you will ALL be together again someday.  When it's TIME.  Tell him what a LUCKY girl Brownie is that she's gotten to go to the Bridge.  He might not know what all the words mean, but he'll know that Brownie is in a GOOD place.  Dogs truely do understand far more than we think that they do.  Try to give Buddy some special time, special treats....extra walks, goodies that he usually only gets once in a blue moon, car rides...things that will make HIM happy.  And, if you focus on helping HIM, you'll feel better too.

I do tell Buddy that she is gone and she wont be coming back but when we do say Brownies name to him his ears lift up like SHE'S HOME 
I have been spending more time with Buddy he puts his paw on my lap like it will be ok and he is there for me,. I was thinking at work today when the vet was getting ready to put her to sleep I was thinking about what she was thinking, and when he gave her the first shot what was she thinking and then I started to think when he gave her the 2nd shot I could just see her face trying to get some air and that really hurts

Sandy

Sandy, they don't struggle or suffer.  Not at all.  I've been there for every single euth and they do NOT struggle.  The first shot is a sedative...it puts them into a deep, deep sleep.  They don't even feel the second shot or realize that anything is happening.  They are just gone...and almost always, ever so gently gone.
 
WE can't know what or how dogs think.  Don't torment yourself trying to figure out what she was thinking....cuz after that first shot, she wasn't thinking at all....she was blissfully unaware.  Or maybe she saw some long lost loved ones...momma, littermates, etc, urging her to come to the bridge. Either way, a pretty nice way to leave this life.

Ashley and Sandy, I am so sorry for the loss of your dear, dear Brownie. All of us here know you have lost a very cherished member of your family.  And even though it is NEVER enough time, 15 years is a wonderfully long life for a Golden.  And even though it is a terrible burden to have to make the decision to let them go, it is a loving thing to do.  And as Glenda has described, it is very, very gentle.
 
Just know that we share your grief and understand.
 
Wishing you comfort and peace for Brownie.

Browniegirl,
Scruffy was 28 years old when we said goodbye. We said he was still healthy, I think mostly because we saw the young, active vital dog he had always been, even on the day we let him go we still saw that. But the reality was he cried out in pain every time you touched him, he had several seizures a day, he was completely blind and mostly deaf and was no longer able to control his bladder. He suffered and so did your dog. I miss him even today and he's been gone for 8 years. You won't stop missing your companion but the quality of your grief will change. It will mellow and ease and you'll remember a lot more of the good than the bad. I believe our dogs choose the time they want to go and they communicate that to us in their way. It was Brownie's time to go. Thank Buddha (or God if that's your preference) that Brownie suffered only for a couple of days before you found the courage to say goodbye. With all those health problems, think what she MIGHT have suffered if you hadn't found your strength. Thank Buddha indeed. Bye-bye Brownie. Say hello to my sweet sweet Scruffy for me.

Thanks for the kind words

mmsld, how long does it take for the grief to change? how long did it take you? I wonder how long brownie really was suffering I guess I will never know I just want to call the vet and talk to him and see what he says but im scared he wont tell me any thing. he said he looked her over that night and that is when he called me and told me she had all those problems. so what do I do?

I lost my Kayla about 2 months ago, and thats how I found this place.  The grief for me has not gone away one bit.  I stll do things that make my husband worry, like sleep wih her ashes and look at pictures and just cry every day.  I dont know when the pain of it all will go away, all I know is it will hurt like hell. 

You did the right thing, and she knows you love her.  She is at the Bridge now playing with lots of new friends and waiting until you and your mom meet her again.  Try, as hard as it may be, not to do the "what if" thing, I drove myself crazy like that for weeks until I finally quit.  It wont change anything, whats done is done, and we have to try to concentrate on the good things.  You and your family gave her a great life, and she knows that.  You also did everything you could with the information given to you at the time, so please dont feel guilty. 

A big part of me is lost without my Kayla, I believe it went with her and I will never be the same.  But, I also believe she is here with me as much as she can be.  The grief is like no other, please try to take comfort in that your not alone, and she is in no pain now.
 

Hi Sandy and Ashley
 
As I got up this morning I thought of the two of you and Buddy.I went through all the same things when Shedra passed on 3 months ago.It will get easier as the time passes.Keep Brownie in your heart and think of all the special times you all shared.I have always come to this forum when I am low and their are such wonderfull people who really know just what it feels like when the pain inside is just too much to bear.
Take Care
Diann

Im sorry to hear about your Kayla . We do the same thing we look at her pictures all the time and we talk about her also. We burried our  Brownie at the farm where she was for a few years and then we brought her back to our house for 3 years we wished we would of burried here so that Buddy would be closer to her. he does look for her all the time and so do we. Ashley just realized this morning we will never be able to see her or kiss her or hold her again . It feels like we lost a big part of us it really hurts so much . I just hope she can see looking over us and thinking im ok now and I will be waiting for you and Ashley and my friend Buddy .

Honey, the pain really never goes away completely. It just subsides a bit. I relive my pain of loosing three of my furkids back to back every time someone here goes through that grieving, healing process.
As time goes on, it gets easier to deal with. You don't look for them to come around the corner, you don't put food down for them any more. The list goes on and on. You never forget them in your heart ever. I also talk to their pictures, their urns every day. Just as they have taken a piece of your heart with them, they have left you with a piece of their's within you. They taught you something while they were here. That is one of the hardest things to be is a pet owner, because they are not ours to keep so to speak. They are here for a short time but that bond, love never fades.
I relive my pain everytime one of my I-dogger friends loses one of theirs to the Rainbow Bridge. You will find that only here do others like us truly understand our deepest pain. You'll also find comfort here too.
Time is all that will ease your aching heart, only time my friend. Time.
((((((((((((((( HUGS)))))))))))))))))))
If you would like to PM me and talk about your Brownie. I will listen. I embrace your pain, anguish and loss within my heart.

Hi Diann, well today we got a card from the vet saying how sorry he is on our loss of Brownie, so I wrote him back and told him thanks for the card and I also told him that I wanted to talk to him that day when I picked her up so I just wrote him every thing I wanted to know.
Like what if I brought her in sooner and how long he thought she was sick for and did she try to fight him when he was looking her over and if he thought she was ready to pass on, and I even asked him how long it took to put her to sleep and if she tryed to fight it at just some things I really needed to know and been wondering about I also told him about this website and I told him there are 2 pictures of her on here . I just hope there are some answers for me that he can answer for me that I really need to know and I even asked him if I wouldnt of put her to sleep how long she might of stayed with us with out passing on her on.
I printed out a picture of her today and stuck it on a door where she used to sleep every day when she wasnt out side. that way I can look at it every time I go talk to Buddy or just sit there. thanks for thinking about me and Ashley and Buddy....