Photos difficult to see. People in the last moments with their animals.

[sweetroxie]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/heartbreaking-photos-losing-beloved-family-pet

This is a really beautiful, sad and honest spread of photographs capturing that awful moment that those of us who love our animals most dread.

[Gothmog]

1. I flew my middle child in from Iowa to say goodbye to my beardie

She was in law school and I wanted her to be there. We were with my beardie when they gave him the shot and said goodbye

[wryter2000]

15. Beardie?

As in bearded dragon? Wonderful creatures.

[Gothmog]

44. Bearded collie

Last edited Fri Jan 25, 2019, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)

[wryter2000]

47. Gorgeous dog

Bearded dragons are cool, too.

[Gothmog]

46. Here is a picture of a beardie

Link to tweet

?s=20

[CTyankee]

2. I remember losing our Marvy dog who had to be euthanized. We took her home. My husband

dug her grave and we wrapped her little body in a blanket and buried her. Hardest thing I ever had to do...

[nolabear]

3. I can't look. I've been there too many times.

Twice in the last two years. I have seen six wonderful dogs out of this world in my adult life. I mourn every one. That moment when those great hearts stop beating, when their eyes no longer see me...well, I hope they saw the love in mine til the end, that they never felt they were being abandoned, that they might have hurt and been confused but they never were afraid I wasn’t going to be there, guiding them out.

[emulatorloo]

6. I can't either, had to put down the canine love of my life in December

We loved each other and took care of each other for 16 and 1/2 years, she was always there for me.

When it was time, I lay on the floor at the vets with her, cradling and kissing her. I’m weeping as I write, she was wonderful and I hardly know what to do with myself without her

Sounds like you got to share your life with some wonderful great friends.

[nolabear]

20. Yep. Some amazing little souls. My Golden was a therapy dog.

Joe and I visited a nursing home. We were specifically trained and he did more good with his patient love than I could have ever done. Tucker and Merrily were Cavaliers, our most recent two. Tucker was a sweet, loving boy and Merrily was a diva. She had a hard passing. But of course a loving creature just opens you to loving some more. Roxy is two, a French/English Bulldog that makes me laugh every day. I guess if I’m lucky I’ll see her out at a good old age too. It’ll be an honor.

[emulatorloo]

22. They sound amazing, and so do you

Thanks so much for telling me all about them

[nolabear]

26. ...

[mopinko]

34. therapy dogs are amazing.

my big bully and i do this on a hospice unit.
many i day i left shaking my head, wonder what form of magic i just saw.

[nolabear]

36. Yep. Joe had conversations w/Alzheimer's patients who didn't know I was there.

He was bomb proof. As long as they were people, he loved them.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. My Winston boy who I loved to the moon and back, went on Dec. 23. Organ failure, kidneys shut down.

I miss him. for you .

[emulatorloo]

33. I'm crying with you, so very sad about your loss.

You gave him him a long wonderful life.

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. Thank you. He was my very best friend.

[malaise]

13. Can't look

Had to put down my beloved Roots over three decades ago - I cried for a month

[nolabear]

21. I understand. They open us. They break us in the most important ways.

I’ve loved some more fiercely than others but I have certainly loved them.

[malaise]

27. As young pups, Roots and the rest of the litter had mumps and I fed them with glucose

and milk until they recovered. My aunt told me I could have the pick of the litter.
We had a special bond.

[nolabear]

28. Where'd the name come from? You have quite a heart.

Not everyone takes to raising babies. You were clearly well rewarded.

[malaise]

32. Roots culture here in Jamaica

I always loved dogs - I had one during childhood and she used to follow me to school.
She was all black - Sooty. Dad gave me that dog for my 10th birthday. Now we feed and tame the feral kittens on their terms. I refuse to get that close again. Too much pain.

[nolabear]

37. Ach. Well, you're doing great service to the ferals.

We grow as we grow, eh?

[NurseJackie]

16. Nope. I can't even read any of the Rainbow Bridge poems.

[nolabear]

23. Ah, dogs. Hard to do them justice. Jimmy Stewart on Carson.

I won’t post it here because you say it’s painful but he was on Carson once and recited “A Dog Named Beau,” a poem he’d done about his old and now gone dog. I cried. Carson cried. Hell, I cry remembering it. Good cry though.

[NurseJackie]

31. I know that one too. So much love!

Very sweet.

[democratisphere]

4. I am not sure photographs should be taken of these extremely

sad and heart wrenching moments of a family members passing. Just my take on this.

[True Dough]

10. The subjects would have consented

I get where you're coming from. It's extremely hard to look at those images, but my guess is the people understood that the photographer wanted to convey how strong the connection can be between owners and their pets. Mission accomplished. Perhaps those who aren't "dog people" or "cat people" will have a better sense of the bond.

[democratisphere]

14. That moment should be an image in the mind, not on paper or device screen.

IMO.

[irisblue]

18. The photos are very respectful. I know those feelings.

[yonder]

5. At choked up level 4 here, I knew better and went there anyway.

Last edited Fri Jan 25, 2019, 01:41 AM - Edit history (1)

Anyone who's been through this, is in every one of those photos. It just doesn't matter how many times you have to say goodbye, it never gets easier.

[UpInArms]

12. +1

[procon]

7. That was hard to look at... Been there, done that

Too many times. The heartwrenching loss of each beloved companion ripped my heart to pieces. No matter how many times you chant the familiar refrain, "she's in a better place now... No pain... No nasty meds... Just balmy days of snoozing in a sunny spot with lots of food and friends," the hurt lingers with me for years.

[lilactime]

8. I'm crying too. Seeing the light go out of their eyes is so wrenching.

But holding them is the last thing we can do for them.

[Karadeniz]

9. Many many times...

Having done animal rescue for 25 years, I've been there for cats, kittens, dogs, sheep, fawns...I have a fawn right now and he'll outlive me! Our Susie, a deer about 18-19 years old, can't possibly have much more time...our vet can't believe her! In the wild, 7-8 years is normal. I always stay with them, but I refuse to fall apart anymore. I make sure the last thing they hear is my voice sounding loving and happy. I'll see them again; they have souls, souls are a form of energy, energy can't be destroyed.

[nolabear]

24. I did animal rescue too, years ago. I know what you mean.

Every life is miraculous, and every one ends. Sometimes we can help. ❤️

[Worried senior]

11. We have had to do this

too many times. It never gets easier.

[1620rock]

17. Some people have dreamed of angels... I've held them in my arms...

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. ...

[llmart]

19. I won't be clicking on the link.

It's been only six months since I had my sweet dog put down. She was almost 16. She was with me in the good times and the bad. Always there, always loyal. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. I think even the vet was crying. There just isn't a better companion than a dog, but watching them get older is tough. I used to say to her, "We're both getting old together."

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. ...

[SDJay]

25. I'm Fucking Weeping.

I've had animals my whole life and done this more times than I care to remember. What a powerful spread.

[no_hypocrisy]

30. I've been through this twice: once with a dog and once with a cat.

It's such a paradox: you want to be there when it happens and you don't. It's the truest measure of love and loyalty to another creature while ending their lives. It's joy; it's tragedy; it's release; it's a burden.

I purposely chose a cat hospital where they allowed me to hold my dearest in my arms as she slipped away, hearing me, smelling me, held by me. I was pretty hysterical afterwards. The hospital staff would not allow me to leave to drive home until I could not cry for 30 minutes. (Yes, they timed me.)

These pictures took me back. The feelings are still sharp and acute.

[haele]

42. Each time I had to let my fur kitty boys go, I had a mobile vet come out so they were at home.

I could bury them in the garden out back under the big old rose bush they liked to sit under and sun.
I'll do the same with the four girls we have now. It's easier on them, especially the skitty ones.

I couldn't do that with Shari, our dingo dog, she was too big to bury, so we took her to a vet hospital that had rooms set aside and got her ashes back two weeks later.

I can't look at these pictures. I still remember every time one of my fur babies had to go.

Haele

[albacore]

35. I was a Marine in Vietnam... saw a lot...

Can't even look at this... or even think about it.
Lost our dog-of-a-lifetime 18 months ago, and I still grieve.
The big difference is that the good dogs don't have baggage...even our kids have baggage.
Dust in my eyes right now....

[Solly Mack]

41. I can't look. I've been through that and I well remember the scene.

I can't look. I'm already in tears just thinking about it.

[peggysue2]

43. That was hard

Looking, that is. Very familiar. A scene that never gets easier, no matter how many times you face it. But to have pups or pets of any kind, it's the trade we make. Because we out live them every time (or almost every time). But in the end, how many of us would say: that's it, no more sloppy kisses or waggy tails. No, more furry bodies curled around my ankles, no more excited scampering as I come through the door.

Some but not most.

Because even at the worst time they show us who we really are. And then, they make us better. Furry guardians who make us believe we're taking care of them. Clever puppies!

[yonder]

45. "Because even at the worst time they show us who we really are."

Nailed it.