Patches

[Captain Obvious]

Our dog Patches, wasn't that old actually. 7 or 8, he technically was my middle son's dog.

A couple years ago he started having seizures, the vet diagnosed lyme disease and we put him on antibiotics. He recovered with some arthritis but it never really seemed to affect him. Then he had these seizures every now and then. Other than that he was a vibrant, active dog. A good dog too. Barked when he had to and his temperament around anyone, kids, us was fantastic. He was really tame and personable.

Just before Christmas he started having these seizures again so we took him to the vet. She stated that it probably was a brain tumor and we should put him down or put him on this somewhat pricy medication. I didn't want to deal with putting him down during the holidays so we tried the medication.

Saturday we were at my younger son's boy scout camp in WV. The night before Patches was having bad seizures. I called the vet, she phoned in another prescription and said she wanted to see him the following week. My son picked it up and gave him the injection, he seemed to calm down a bit but was just laying there. He texted us Saturday morning that they found him dead. He must have had a stroke maybe during the night.

We didn't tell my youngest until we got back from his camp trip. We cried. Later that night we found him surfing his DS looking at pictures of Patches he took along the way. The next day at home he went into his bedroom and got a black stuffed animal, a dog he had and kept it by his feet in the living room where Patches generally sat when we were home. I found all of this both wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time, it's hard to describe.

We drove home Sunday, the vet's office didn't open until Monday. My sons put him down in the garage, wrapped him in a blanket. Monday morning me and my middle son took him down to the vet to arrange a cremation. I can tell you that this was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, I'm tearing up just typing this. I took his collar off after putting him in the back of the car. I broke down, me and my son sat in the car for 20 minutes or so crying. He's 21 and not an overly emotional kid but this was hard, for all of us.

I remember my dog when I was a kid, his name was Patches too, my son named this Patches after him after hearing all the stories I told about him when I was younger. My dad, the only time I ever saw him cry was when we put the dog down when he developed cancer. I guess the apple didn't fall far.

I know this sounds stupid but we're getting his ashes back, we think we're going to bury it on the beach this year, maybe down on the sound actually this Summer when we go down there. Patches liked the sound, swimming in that nasty water. His ashes, his leash, collar and a chew toy we just got him during Christmas.

RIP buddy, you were a great friend.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/eastms/Mobile Uploads/0419141809a_zpsbb923f9c.jpg

[PolWatch]

I'm sorry for your family's loss. They aren't animals...they are family. RIP Patches.....

[Polecat]

It is hard to loose a friend that is more loyal than any person.

[Captain Obvious]

My wife is an introvert, she has difficulty dealing with emotional situations. She's somewhat contracted in this sense. For the past couple years we've been... rediscovering each other in a number of ways (no sex joke here either).

I did break down a few times this weekend and I know she had difficulty dealing with it. It's something we've been working on lately, her interaction with stuff like this - not with me but with my kids.

I had a conversation this weekend with my middle son, he gets all of this. My older son is like her, introverted. She connects with him better than I do. She took it upon herself to sit with him - it was he who actually found him first and I know that was hard for him.

Turn the page I guess.

[Dr. Who]

I'm so sorry Cap. They never live long enough and when they die prematurely it's even worse. Patches looks so much like a dog we had a number of years back - Jacob. He was a rescue and we kept the name that he had when we adopted him. He was a really great dog, but sadly developed bowel cancer at about 7 years of age. It was around the same time as the big scandal about the contaminated Chinese ingredients they put into dog food. To this day we think that's ultimately what caused him to develop cancer. We could have saved him with an operation, but he would have been left on a colostomy bag for the remainder of his life. We just couldn't do that to him, so we had him put down. They may be animals, but they become members of the family and we love them as such. We grieve their loss. Rest in Peace Patches.

[Captain Obvious]

I'm so sorry Cap. They never live long enough and when they die prematurely it's even worse. Patches looks so much like a dog we had a number of years back - Jacob. He was a rescue and we kept the name that he had when we adopted him. He was a really great dog, but sadly developed bowel cancer at about 7 years of age. It was around the same time as the big scandal about the contaminated Chinese ingredients they put into dog food. To this day we think that's ultimately what caused him to develop cancer. We could have saved him with an operation, but he would have been left on a colostomy bag for the remainder of his life. We just couldn't do that to him, so we had him put down. They may be animals, but they become members of the family and we love them as such. We grieve their loss. Rest in Peace Patches.

This past year at the beach we had Patches with us. Not on the beach this day but the group next to us had a dog that was the spitting image of Patches. I had to approach them.

Patches was a mutt, half lab, half who knows - I always said Snuffelupagus because he had this really odd hair that I had to shear off. This dog, a female had the exact same weird hair - on her ears, legs and between her toes that Patches had. Had a similar walk and gate to her also. They told me the same story I had - picked up this mutt from the kennel and described her personality, could have been his sister maybe.

But they were from the south so I doubt it. Never thought I'd see another one like him in my life but it happened.

[Polecat]

We had many dogs through the years but the absolute best one we sprung out of the pound in St Louis. His name was Tony. I went from 9 years old to 23 with this dog. It was every bit as hard as losing a brother when he died.

[Dr. Who]

This past year at the beach we had Patches with us. Not on the beach this day but the group next to us had a dog that was the spitting image of Patches. I had to approach them.

Patches was a mutt, half lab, half who knows - I always said Snuffelupagus because he had this really odd hair that I had to shear off. This dog, a female had the exact same weird hair - on her ears, legs and between her toes that Patches had. Had a similar walk and gate to her also. They told me the same story I had - picked up this mutt from the kennel and described her personality, could have been his sister maybe.

But they were from the south so I doubt it. Never thought I'd see another one like him in my life but it happened.
Jake was also a very hairy dog. I'm fairly sure that he had retriever dna because of the feathers on his fore legs and the slightly wavy but thick black fur on the rest of him. He could have been half retriever and half shepherd, but I think that there were more mixtures involved. He was a very affectionate and happy dog.

[Captain Obvious]

My wife had this... thing with Patches. She was right too, whenever we fed him table scraps he's shit the carpet. We always had to get him the same dye-free food all the time because his digestive system was funny.

This past Christmas I remember carving the ham and tossing him the scraps. She gave me the "eye". I said that this might be his last year with us. She just smiled.

[Redrose]

Our dog Patches, wasn't that old actually. 7 or 8, he technically was my middle son's dog.

A couple years ago he started having seizures, the vet diagnosed lyme disease and we put him on antibiotics. He recovered with some arthritis but it never really seemed to affect him. Then he had these seizures every now and then. Other than that he was a vibrant, active dog. A good dog too. Barked when he had to and his temperament around anyone, kids, us was fantastic. He was really tame and personable.

Just before Christmas he started having these seizures again so we took him to the vet. She stated that it probably was a brain tumor and we should put him down or put him on this somewhat pricy medication. I didn't want to deal with putting him down during the holidays so we tried the medication.

Saturday we were at my younger son's boy scout camp in WV. The night before Patches was having bad seizures. I called the vet, she phoned in another prescription and said she wanted to see him the following week. My son picked it up and gave him the injection, he seemed to calm down a bit but was just laying there. He texted us Saturday morning that they found him dead. He must have had a stroke maybe during the night.

We didn't tell my youngest until we got back from his camp trip. We cried. Later that night we found him surfing his DS looking at pictures of Patches he took along the way. The next day at home he went into his bedroom and got a black stuffed animal, a dog he had and kept it by his feet in the living room where Patches generally sat when we were home. I found all of this both wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time, it's hard to describe.

We drove home Sunday, the vet's office didn't open until Monday. My sons put him down in the garage, wrapped him in a blanket. Monday morning me and my middle son took him down to the vet to arrange a cremation. I can tell you that this was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, I'm tearing up just typing this. I took his collar off after putting him in the back of the car. I broke down, me and my son sat in the car for 20 minutes or so crying. He's 21 and not an overly emotional kid but this was hard, for all of us.

I remember my dog when I was a kid, his name was Patches too, my son named this Patches after him after hearing all the stories I told about him when I was younger. My dad, the only time I ever saw him cry was when we put the dog down when he developed cancer. I guess the apple didn't fall far.

I know this sounds stupid but we're getting his ashes back, we think we're going to bury it on the beach this year, maybe down on the sound actually this Summer when we go down there. Patches liked the sound, swimming in that nasty water. His ashes, his leash, collar and a chew toy we just got him during Christmas.

RIP buddy, you were a great friend.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/eastms/Mobile Uploads/0419141809a_zpsbb923f9c.jpg



I'm so sorry. I know the sadness you are going through, it's heartbreaking. We went through it last year when our boy Romeo died. I still cry for him. If it's any consolation you did your very best for him and I'm sure he realized that. As my Romeo's urn says "he waiting for us on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge". Now I'm crying.

[Common]

Ah sorry Capt, I know how bad it hurts, dogs dont live long enough, hang in

[Ravens Fan]

Sorry Captain, been there done that too many times. They really do become part of the family.

[Redrose]

My wife had this... thing with Patches. She was right too, whenever we fed him table scraps he's shit the carpet. We always had to get him the same dye-free food all the time because his digestive system was funny.

This past Christmas I remember carving the ham and tossing him the scraps. She gave me the "eye". I said that this might be his last year with us. She just smiled.

We did the same thing with our Romeo when he was diagnosed with cancer (my husband still blames the dog food with stuff from China). The vet said he had just weeks to live, and he was not eating. So I started using all my good steaks in the freezer, filet mignon. I cooked scrambled eggs and steak every morning and he ate it up. He did great until the day he passed, he refused even that meal. He lived three weeks. I wanted to make his final days happy. I would put him in the car and drive around for an hour. He loved to ride in the car. He was on meds for pain, we couldn't put him down. His last day was bad, we really should have put him down, we left it too long. I was hoping he would just pass in his sleep like your Patches did.
It's hard to say good bye. RIP Patches. Maybe he's playing with our Romeo, I'd like to think that.

[Chris]

SOrry to hear that. Lost a dog once too.

[Common]

Over the years ive lost more dogs than I want to remember. Every single one hurts but theres always the very special ones. The only thing that helps is love for another dog. Sharing love all over with another pet helps.