RIP to a beloved pet

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

RIP to a beloved pet

Thank you @Debra300 and @Sarah977 for your kind words.  Our fierce little Papillon, Ben Ben, was 16 years old and weighed less than 5 pounds when he died peacefully in his sleep this evening.  He was with me and my oldest daughter, his favorite person in the world, at our Airbnb in Maine, his favorite place.  

 

Because he lived here, I've always let people bring their dogs.  Although I tell guests about the wild animals in the woods - bears, coyotes, fishers, moose, bobcats - so they'll be mindful of letting their pets run off, I don't tell them that Ben Ben always ran fearlessly into the dark night to chase off any being he felt came too close to the house.  My heart would be in my throat, but he always came back with an air of satisfaction at having conquered another foe. 

 

Here's a recent picture of him curled up asleep in Maine - I hope you'll post pictures of yours.

 

Ben Ben 2004-2020Ben Ben 2004-2020

54 Replies 54

@Huma0  The picture of Grigio looking pleased with himself really made me smile!  🙂

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

So sorry @Ann72  😔

 

Will you bury him in Maine? In the blueberry fields?

@Emilia42  I'm about to talk to the vet about that.  I don't think I have it in me to dig a deep enough hole today, and we have to go back to the city tomorrow.  Will let you know!

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Emilia42 this is a lovely idea. 

 

When my friend's Frenchie died this April (Bella) I brought a star and named it Bella H, the star is visible from the UK and coordinates are given meaning you can look for her in a clear night. Corny, yes but I thought it was sweet and every time I see stars I half smile/half cry. A loss is still a loss and Bella was with me through the a bulk of my twenties. ❤️

I love that idea @Yadira22.  Will have to see if there's one we can see from the blueberry fields...

That is a nice idea @Yadira22 and will always bring back good memories. 🙂

@Emilia42  We're going to scatter his ashes around the blueberry field.  I like that better!  🙂

@Ann72 

Good idea, I was going to suggest that option as well

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Ann72   So very sorry.  Dogs never die - they are sleeping in your heart. 

@Michelle53  How lovely - thank you.  And who is that beauty in your profile pic?

@Ann72   That's Harper.   I lost him to oral melanoma. He fought bravely for 2 years, which was a lot of time, considering. He was on the melanoma vaccine.  He was a truly beautiful spirit. 

 

I work with a breeder to take in retired American Eskimos. Usually, they come to me as seniors, so I'm not unfamiliar with loss. 

@Michelle53  That is such a beautiful thing to do!  The loss is great, but in the last year this senior taught me more than I could have imagined possible.  Talk about teaching an old dog new tricks - that was his mission with me 🙂

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Michelle53 what a beauty!

 

I love senior doggos- their greying furs makes my heart flutter. Thank you for all you do. ❤️

@Michelle53  Many years ago I was wanting a dog and saw an ad in the paper for an Alaskan Malamute. I called the guy up and he told me that he had brought the dog back from the Yukon where he was working. That he took him because he was going to be put down since he was supposed to be a sled dog, yet refused to pull the sled. But he had a German Shepherd he'd had for years and it wouldn't accept the new dog, just wanted to fight with it. 

 

I took the dog and he was the most lovely, gentle fellow. I was dumb and should have gotten him neutered, but I was a young single mom and didn't have the $ for it. So the dog, Sultan, kept roaming around town, (managed to jump my backyard fence or dig underneath) and the ever vigilant dog-catcher kept picking him up. Every time he got picked up, the fine increased, until I couldn't afford it anymore. But the dog catcher really liked that dog and finally took him as his own when I said I just couldn't afford the fines and couldn't manage to keep the dog in the yard..

@Sarah977  I had an American Eskimo dog that knew how to open the garden gate, which sometimes didn't latch properly, and take herself for a walk around the neighborhood.  The gate had a spring which closed it, and she figured out how to push against the gate until it opened enough for her to get her nose into the gap, and pull it open. 

 

The only way I found out she was doing it is, one day, someone called me from the street to say he saw her, and where, but he was going to work and couldn't wait.

 

I went rushing out in my pj's to look for her, but couldn't find her. After a frantic tear around the neighborhood, I came back to get dressed and pull out the car, and she was calmly waiting by the back door. 

 

I got the gate fixed after that.