Sometimes, a dog is just a dog?

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I made that final appointment with the Vet for Jack the Cattle Dog on Thursday. He's 14, mostly blind from cataracts, mostly deaf, and shows signs of dementia. He's in amazing shape for a guy his age; but he lives in a world of frustration and anxiety due to the loss of his senses - especially when he doesn't have a "Seeing-Eye Human" around. And he's been taking that frustration out on the little dogs, who get bitten simply for walking too close to him, or for being too close to "food" either real or perceived. Jimmy and Ben now fear him. He bit me last Friday, for catching him as he fell out of the car backwards. I can no longer trust him around grandkids or our customers here at work - and I can't leave him home due to his anxiety.

It's just time.

But I don't need sympathy - the end of this journey is not difficult. We'll miss Jack, of course - he's been a fixture in our lives for 13 years. We've got lots of great memories, but not every dog is a "soulmate". He was simply a good dog, companion to Ike, good traveler, and fabulous protection. We'll pamper him for a few days - then allow him to run free again with his best pal Ike. I'm OK with that.

Jimmy (now 6), Ike the Aussie (RIP), Jack the Cattle Dog

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

DOTLDaddy wrote:
Deb,

I haven't been keeping up very well with RV.NET lately, so I missed your initial post about Jack. Needless to say, I am sorry to hear the news, but also agree that "it was time." 😞

I am happy to hear that your smaller dogs are doing well, and I am sure that Jack did, indeed, find Ike.

Thanks, Walter! He's back home now - in sort of a girly-looking flowery tin, so my next project is to find him a masculine-looking urn 🙂

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Reader1 wrote:
Your Jack looks so much like our Australian Cattle Dog Emily. She is the smartest and most amazing dog. We see her beginning to slow down at 11 years. I hope that when the time comes, we can do what is best for her as you did Jack.

I do think I read somewhere, that the longest-living dog is an ACD.....LOL! I think if Jack had been raised from a pup, in a loving home where he was well-socialized - he could have been happy for a longer time period?

[Reader1]

Your Jack looks so much like our Australian Cattle Dog Emily. She is the smartest and most amazing dog. We see her beginning to slow down at 11 years. I hope that when the time comes, we can do what is best for her as you did Jack.

[DOTLDaddy]

Deb,

I haven't been keeping up very well with RV.NET lately, so I missed your initial post about Jack. Needless to say, I am sorry to hear the news, but also agree that "it was time." 😞

I am happy to hear that your smaller dogs are doing well, and I am sure that Jack did, indeed, find Ike.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

To CA Poppy: different parents for Jimmy and Ben - they're sort of the extreme ends of the "miniature" breed extremes. Jimmy's 17" tall and weighs 35 lbs; Ben is just 13" tall.

To Crowe: I just remarked to Ed the other day: "Did you ever think we'd own a dog this puny??" LOL!! I have to admit, that in the small confines of an RV, smaller is nice - I can't tell you how many times, in our no-slide Class C, I would ask Ike "Would you go sleep in the bed, please?" just to get him off the floor and blocking access from the kitchen to the living room.

I love this cross (poodle/aussie) - the poodle seems to erase the Aussie Aloofness towards strangers? Jimmy and Ben never met someone they didn't just LOVE. On the other hand, for the first time in 4 decades, I don't feel "protected". Aussies are very protective of their people and "stuff" - and Jack was like having a loaded .45 caliber around. I felt very safe hiking in the woods by myself, for example.

[CA_POPPY]

Oh, way cute! Does he have any lineage in common with Jimmy? Did you say it was the same breeder? Did Jimmy grow much after the first year? I would never have thought of that combo but it makes a beautiful and no doubt very smart, compact sized dog. :B

[Crowe]

OMG is he cute! For years I disliked small dogs-for no real reason other than they were small, which was funny because I had a Schipperke growing up. Had big dogs up until we got Jesse & Jake 5 years ago. My turn around was when we started RVing. I got to meet so many of the smaller breeds and have grown to love and appreciate them more and more. If it were just me I'd most likely have something no more than 20 lbs. 10 years ago I would have told anyone they were NUTS if they thought I'd feel that way.

[AZPops]

Well, ... Happy Birthday Ben, and don't eat No Bad Easter Eggs!

Since you don't live with us as Pops can be real cheap at times, ... If you wish real hard, you may find an Easter Egg with Steak Tar Tar in it! Wouldn't that be cool huh?




Calvin


Oh, and Ben, don't forget. My names Calvin, NOT Clavin!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Ben will be a year old tomorrow 🙂 A whopping 15 lbs...LOL!



When people ask what he is, I tell them he's a "Teacup Olde English Sheepdog"

[CA_POPPY]

Deb and Ed M wrote:

xteacher wrote:
He's now at peace and so is your household. All is good.

You're right - and Ben and Jimmy are none the worse for the abuse, other than Ben is rather cautious when approaching other dogs. At a whopping 15 lbs - that's probably a very good thing 🙂

BTW, I'm thinking we need a photo of Ben and Jimmy. Haven't seen that baby dog for a long time. :W

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

xteacher wrote:
He's now at peace and so is your household. All is good.

You're right - and Ben and Jimmy are none the worse for the abuse, other than Ben is rather cautious when approaching other dogs. At a whopping 15 lbs - that's probably a very good thing 🙂

[xteacher]

Hindsight is always 20-20, isn't it? Don't beat your self up over it. You did the best you could at the time. RIP Jack. He's now at peace and so is your household. All is good.

[Crowe]

I should have put Jack down about 9 months ago, when the aggression first started and his bloodwork showed he was "normal".

Never look back because it will keep you from moving forward. Seldom in life do we have all the info necessary to make a decision. Add a bit of emotion and all bets are off. "Normal" IMHO is not truly definable. Just because he fell within the 96% on the bell curve doesn't mean it was right for HIM.

[CA_POPPY]

It's seldom an easy call, is it? I often wonder how it is for vets, since they must worry about emotional consequences if they tell a pet owner there really is no hope. Our old country vet (who died on the job a couple of years ago) made the call for us several times. I've heard that some of his clients did not appreciate that, but we always respected his opinion. With Poquita and the new vet, who we like very much, we felt that we were given false hope and only ended up prolonging her misery. Hindsight is truly 20-20 and each case is different. Luckily, that darned second guessing doesn't last too long.