We just made the appointment with the vet to put down our Dal on Thursday. He's 13, and the pain from his arthritis has overwhelmed the meds. He still has good moments, but they are fleeting, and most meals we approach in fear because he's in "full instincts and adrenalin" mode from the pain, teeth bared and snarling, aggressively lunging at my wife. That's not him, and, clearly, he's suffering greatly.

We'll miss you, buddy. You were one of a kind.

Mike, a big e-hug goes to you and yor wife. He looks like a very sweet pup. Just remember ALL the nice moments you have had with him! I bet there were a ton.

**hug**

My sincere sympathies, Mike. I remember your Dal avatar. What a sweetheart.

You have my condolences. Our prayers go out to you.

Sorry Mike:-(

He looks like a great dog.

Very sorry to hear this.

Mike,
My thoughts go out to you and your family, this is always a difficult decision to make. I have been there and know how you feel.

Our deepest sympathy to you and your family

Very saddend to hear this Mike,:-(
As sad as it is for you Mike, just think what a happy dog you had because he got to spend those 13years with you.

:-( sorry Mike... :-(

We're sorry for your loss.:-( He looks like a beautiful companion.

I'm so sorry. Just remember all the fun you had with him! He's super adorable.

Mike, I am so sorry for your loss :-( . Your family is my my thoughts and prayers.

Sorry to here. I wish you and your family the best through tough times. I have three dogs and as I see it, it is a hard reality but one of mine is coming to that point. Anyhow, sorry again.
John

Mike, sorry to hear about your companion Dal. It's hard, but think about the good times you all had. Thoughts and payers are with you all.

It's never easy to make the decision to end the suffering of our beloved pets...take comfort in all the wonderful years that you shared. Take care!

Nothing can ever prepare you for the loss of a pet. They are a part of the family. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry Mike

13 years is a good, long life. Glad that he won't suffer anymore.

Sorry to hear this Mike. :-(

So many of us have been in your shoes - we know all too well how hard of a decision this is to make.

It's hard to say goodbye, especially after so many years.

:-( So sorry to hear . . . we had to make a similar decision a few years back and know how heartwrenching it is! As others have said, remember all the wonderful years you had together as a family.

Thank you, everyone, for your sympathy and well-wishes.

I will tell you that this would be so much easier if he wasn't such a trouper. We have been waiting for several months for him to make the decision, to tell us when he had had enough. That's obviously not forthcoming. We can see through what he's dealing with when the painkillers start to wear off. We've been tracking his increasing dosage, and we're now out of headroom. Nowhere left to go.

Here's a fun memory... yes, we all think our dogs are smart. Pix is no exception, but he was really surprisingly smart, and was a bit of a creative thinker. We trained early for the "normal" stuff - sit, stay, and down, plus roll-over and sit-up ("beg" sit). No luck on "heel", tho' - he usually pulled hard on the lead.

Anyway, Dalmatians respond well to positive motivation (treats), so when we thought that we had good results with one command, we'd continue it for reinforcement, and then add a new one to work on. By the time we were done, he had "learned" - shame on us - to chain everything together to get a treat: sit, lie down, roll over, and sit up, with appropriate pauses between each "trick". We would mutter to ourselves about "autopilot", and damn if he didn't pick up on that, so "Autopilot!" became a command. VERY entertaining, and always good for a laugh and great shows of appreciation and excitement when he knew that he "gotcha!" with it.

Sorry I missed this, and my thoughts go out to you. We have one that's not too far from that ourselves...:sad:

Sorry for your loss. I have been down this road many times before. It is never an easy thing to do. :-(

I am so sorry. You are a very good and kind pet owner to understand when it's time. It is soooooooooo freaking hard. I did similar with my KirbyQ Da Wonderdawg when he was 12 with lupus which had overtaken him finally. He was a fighter, but I knew it was hopeless and made the decision. It ripped me up for months. But I wouldn't trade those 12 years for anything. He was a FABULOUS dog. I'm sure your Dalmation (beautiful by the way) was also. My best thoughts are with you in the months ahead.

BTW....I waited until the right time and found my little lost soul Briggsie. He's rehabbed/joyful and spoiled rotten. A great little guy......with arthritis at age 3 already due to starvation as a pup by a scumbag from whom he was removed at 6 months. He's a GEM.

sorry to hear abt ur dog.... :-(

I am sorry about this. We had to have Mr. Tom put down in late January. I had spent 19 years with him. I still have times when grief hits me out of the blue. The other day I was working in the yard and I sat down by his grave and spent some time with him.

How heart-wrenching. Know though that you're doing the right thing...its a terrible thing when our pets start to suffer.