The biggest jerk I've ever met

[TimRobinsin]

man, I'm sorry to hear this. I'm glad you had such a good buddy.

 

[RickinPa]

I will never be able to eat goose sticks without thinking of him. Rest in peace Kramer.

 

[krayfish2]

I remember that night sitting on the porch of the motel. He was loving those things. LoL Just got called late this afternoon to pick up his ashes which will be another sad moment but I've had some good laughs over the past two weeks. That dog was one of a kind.

 

[krayfish2]

Back here again way too soon. On Friday, I was faced with a very difficult decision. My older dog Cody was having serious cognitive issues. His body was healthy but his mind was deteriorating rapidly. He spent the past couple weeks in a state of confusion and fear. Friday morning around 12:30 a.m. I took him for observation. The vet said that he had serious dementia as well as multiple mini seizures / strokes almost hourly. I couldn't take seeing him live like that as it couldn't have been much fun. He was struggling to recognize me and didn't even know his own house or bed. At 2:15 am, his mental anguish ended. One of my favorite pics is one Dave K took fall 2019.

 

[Tigereye]

My condolences. It's one of the toughest days you'll go through.
My heartfelt sympathy for you.

 

[joebamboo]

Only dog owners can truly appreciate what they bring into our lives. If you've never owned one, you can never understand the pain we suffer when it comes time to do the right thing by them. Hang tough my friend.

 

[krayfish2]

I know that a bunch of you have had the pleasure of fishing with him in the boat or at least tolerated him in the boat which I appreciate. It was a huge deal for him to go out fishing as he really loved it.

 

[hooker-of-men]

God damn. Sorry again.

My dude (who unfortunately hates fishing) is 10 and is starting to have weird dementia issues at night. Not a fun thing to watch.

 

[FarmerDave]

So sorry to hear that in more ways than one. Sorry for your loss.

About 4.5 years ago I had to put down Morgan. He is closest to the camera.

I took him in for his shots on a Friday, and the vet said he was amazed how healthy he was for being over 12 years old. The next morning, I watched him stumble down the steps. This same dog could climb ladders, so I knew he was in trouble. He had been having some issues, but nothing like this. Within a couple hours, he lost all use of his hind legs. I took him back to the vet who was open Saturday mornings, and he said there wasn't much he could do, Could have been a stoke, or could be a spinal issue. So I took him back home with the hope he would get better. By then. he was also losing most of the use of his front legs as well. I purchased a harness to help him get around. Picture me carrying a hairy suitcase with a head, and legs touching the ground but unable to carry its own weight. I slept on the floor with him the next couple nights praying that he would improve, but he didn't. He wanted so badly to run and jump, but couldn't. On Monday I took him back to the vet where I made the decision that this was not a life for this formerly super active dog. That was one of the worst days of my life.

Now the other Brit in the first picture (Jackson) is slowly failing. Second picture is a more recent picture of him. He is laying beside me right now, in the same spot as I type this. Morgan was the mad man, but Jackson was always gentle and mild mannered. But he is also the one that developed a taste for Chinese. Some of you will remember that. He turned 15 in June. Sometimes I still see the puppy in him running around the back yard, but then he reminds me of his age when climbing the steps. It's sad.

Once again, sorry for your loss, and I can honestly say that I feel your pain.

 

[krayfish2]

Keep an eye out for....

Standing facing the wall for extended periods (90 min to 2-3 hours)

Hiding, in closet, bathtub or strange places

No interest in food followed by ravenous appetite and then no interest again

Appearing startled or scared when you speak to them

Tough to watch. Hadn't dealt with this by having a family member with dementia.

 

[krayfish2]

So sorry to hear that in more ways than one. Sorry for your loss.

About 4.5 years ago I had to put down Morgan. He is closest to the camera.

I took him in for his shots on a Friday, and the vet said he was amazed how healthy he was for being over 12 years old. The next morning, I watched him stumble down the steps. This same dog could climb ladders, so I knew he was in trouble. He had been having some issues, but nothing like this. Within a couple hours, he lost all use of his hind legs. I took him back to the vet who was open Saturday mornings, and he said there wasn't much he could do, Could have been a stoke, or could be a spinal issue. So I took him back home with the hope he would bet better. By then. he was also losing most of the use of his front legs as well. I purchased a harness to help him get around. Picture me carrying a hairy suitcase with legs and a head. I slept on the floor with him the next couple nights praying that he would improve, but he didn't. He wanted so badly to run and jump, but couldn't. On Monday I took him back to the vet where we made the decision that this was not a life for this formerly super active dog. That was one of the worst days of my life.

Now the other Brit in the first picture (Jackson) is slowly failing. Second picture is a more recent picture of him. He is laying beside me right how as I type this. Morgan was the mad man, but Jackson was always gentle and mild mannered. But he is also the one that developed a taste for Chinese. Some of you will remember that. He turned 15 in June. Sometimes I still see the puppy in him running around the back yard, but then he reminds me of his age when climbing the steps. It's sad.

Once again, sorry for your loss, and I can honestly say that I feel your pain.

There's the new problem maker, Dudley. In early July, he had his stomach and intestines pulled out to remove the toy he had stuck below his stomach. I had taken him to the vet at least three times telling them that he may have swallowed something. They couldn't see it on an X-ray and didn't notice any loss of appetite or unusual behavior. It had been sitting in his stomach for months before exiting and getting caught. He probably was within 12 to 24 hours of going septic and dying when they perform surgery. They had to keep him for 5 days cuz they weren't sure he was going to make it. He's only 18 months old and has figured out how to get rid of all my money already. I can't wait for what he comes up with next.
I had trouble finding a puppy when I got him due to the pandemic mayhem. Ended up driving three and a half hours into Virginia to pick up a dog from a litter that was a "test litter". I come to find out that his grandfather is rainbow splashes ruggedly handsome which won something at Westchester 😳😳.

 

[FarmerDave]

My first Brittany, I drove from Oil City to the border of West Virginia to get him. I let my wife pick out which one. I think she picked the one that peed on my shoe. He stuck to us like glue and kept chasing the other pups away. In other words, the pup picked us.

Second Brittany, Morgan. We drove from Ohio to east of State college to get him. Great blood lines, so I paid big bucks. But I made the mistake of letting my wife pick out which one. He was a nut, and if you ever met him, you would say that Cramer was the second biggest jerk you ever met. He was super smart like the first one. The stories I could tell.

Didn't have to go anywhere to get Jackson. He came to us. Neighbor's daughter rescued him from a "breeder" down the road. She wanted to keep him, but she brought a lot of dogs home, and her parents and grandparents wouldn't allow another. She remembered that we already had a Brittany, so she gave him to us. The "breeder" couldn't sell him and he was the last one and clearly neglected. When we got him, he was about 10 weeks old, malnourished, covered in fleas, and very timid.

We love(d) them all, but not sure we will get another once Jackson is gone. They are not a breed for old people and my wife is old. 😁

 

[afishinado]

Very sorry, Andy.

 

[wardman]

Sorry Man - my Cody is crazy as ever and I cannot imagine what you are going through. Love that dog!

 

[springer1]

Sorry to hear your loss, but glad you have great memories that will be lasting.

 

[krayfish2]

Dave I understand completely. I've kicked around the idea of getting another puppy that way Dudley has someone close to his age and they can grow old together. The problem is I'm not sure if this old guy can handle two maniacs. Hell, I just got back to getting full nights of sleep before Cody had his issues. I'm not much for being up 22 hours a day

 

[BrookieChaser]

My condolences on your loss.

 

[FarmerDave]

Dave I understand completely. I've kicked around the idea of getting another puppy that way Dudley has someone close to his age and they can grow old together. The problem is I'm not sure if this old guy can handle two maniacs. Hell, I just got back to getting full nights of sleep before Cody had his issues. I'm not much for being up 22 hours a day

I don't think we ever met in person, so I don't know you personally. It only seems like I do because of our love for Brittanies and fishing. I don't want to discourage you. As you probably know, it isn't much harder to have two of similar age than it is to just have one, once they get beyond the house training. That is why we agreed to take Jackson. In my experience, it seemed to be easier to train the new dog when he can learn from one that is already trained. We didn't have many problems with Jackson at all outside of that one incident which really wasn't his fault.

 

[krayfish2]

Agreed. Cody did a very good job of training Dudley. It was the easiest housebreaking I've ever had with a puppy

 

[ryansheehan]

So sorry, losing a loved one is so tough.