# A sad end



## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

Today, a handler called me with a real catch in his voice. He called saying his dog (10 year old single purpose drug) had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (liver and pretty much the endocrine system). the Vet said the dog had maybe 4 weeks. He asked me what he could do. I told him: "I'm really sorry about the diagnosis. I'm not that far removed that I have forgotten what it's like. I know how tough it is. What I have to tell you though won't make it easier. She has been there for you for a good number of years. Now it's time for you to do the right thing by her and not let her suffer."

He couldn't finish the conversation and had to call me back when he composed himself. I think of these times when people bad mouth police training and police handlers. It's tough to watch a big bad law enforcement man, that cares that much about a dog. After all -- isn't it just a dog?

DFrost


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

David Frost said:


> Today, a handler called me with a real catch in his voice. He called saying his dog (10 year old single purpose drug) had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (liver and pretty much the endocrine system). the Vet said the dog had maybe 4 weeks. He asked me what he could do. I told him: "I'm really sorry about the diagnosis. I'm not that far removed that I have forgotten what it's like. I know how tough it is. What I have to tell you though won't make it easier. She has been there for you for a good number of years. Now it's time for you to do the right thing by her and not let her suffer."
> 
> He couldn't finish the conversation and had to call me back when he composed himself. I think of these times when people bad mouth police training and police handlers. It's tough to watch a big bad law enforcement man, that cares that much about a dog. After all -- isn't it just a dog?
> 
> DFrost


That final blessing of release that we can give to our canine friend is never easy -- it's all about doing what's kindest for our dog and not ourselves.

We all know it isn't "just a dog." :sad:


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Its never easy but you gotta feel good that he has that bond and feeling towards his dog. It is good he called you to get confirmation about letting her go. I imagine he just had to hear that it was ok; he already knew it.


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## Jeff Zimmerle (Feb 15, 2011)

But it is so hard to let go, I had to put down a dog that I had for 9-10 years, due to a terminal illness. Only time I was that sad was when my mother passed away. Tough , only time will heal.


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## Terry Berns (Jun 17, 2010)

You gave him good advise, David. 
Last month, I lost my 6 month old Rottweiler puppy to a seizure caused by some type of undiagnosed brain infection. While she was seizing, I couldn't lift her myself so I had to call 911 for help carrying her to my car to get her to the Vet. I live in a small town with a small police department, none of which had I ever met. Within 5 minutes of my call, I had 2 police officers show up. One officer came in and scooped up my puppy and carried her to my SUV and carefully laid her in with a blanket to cradle her. The other officer gave me an escort to the Vets office. I was so impressed by their kindness but it didn't stop there. The next morning, one of the officers came to my door to find out how my puppy made out. When I began crying he knew she didn't make it. His face turned red and his eyes began watering as he told me that he had recently lost his 14 yr old GSD. He and his wife were still so heartbroken they haven't been able to spread her ashes. 
I know what you mean by a " big bad law enforcement man, that cares that much about a dog"...I saw it in his eyes. 
Just for the record, I wrote a letter to the Chief of Police and the Town Selectman praising the officers for their compassion. Also brought them a few dozen fancy cupcakes from one of the winners of "Cupcake Wars".


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

that sucks.
Gotta do what you gotta do. Many people dont.
I was amazed to find out a friend of mine put down his his GSD right after his 14th birthday...I was amazed because I had offered to take the dog to the vets for him, about 6 months prior, he just couldnt let him go..dog was in real bad shape physically, but still wanted to work...it was very sad...all aspects of it....




Terry Berns said:


> Also brought them a few dozen fancy cupcakes from one of the winners of "Cupcake Wars".


How touching, I am teary-eyed reading your post....
I will PM you my address...


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## Terry Berns (Jun 17, 2010)

It's never easy to say good bye to those we love and have relied on. 

Hahaha, Joby, I've been on Weight Watchers so I never got to try the cupcakes myself but they were beautiful and according to the officers..they were excellent. I just figured that not many people thank them, they only receive criticism.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Sorry to hear that David. I, for one, have never had "just a dog".


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

David Frost said:


> I think of these times when people bad mouth police training and police handlers. It's tough to watch a big bad law enforcement man, that cares that much about a dog. After all -- isn't it just a dog?
> 
> DFrost


That's for sure...I've been there for those tearful conversations as well.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

this is always hard to handle and i have had to go thru this hell more than i imagined i ever would
- i remember posting awhile back on my opinions regarding doing it at home, etc - it is a BIG issue for me and many people never even consider it

- but there also is the issue of WHEN, and that can get tricky ... the quick answer "when they are in pain" is not so easy to recognize ... dogs of course have EVOLVED specifically to NOT show pain :-(
- but i have known people with big hearts that have put their dogs thru a huge amount of stress over long periods that i have felt was NOT beneficial at all for the dog primarily because they just couldn't let it go and felt they had to give it EVERY chance, etc.........in those cases imo it becomes VERY selfish....i have seen too many cases where the poor dog was kept alive just because the owner wanted to hang on to it "a little longer" and kept saying the dog was "happy"

- this is only from my experience, but :
1. i think people tend to wait too long because they are afraid they will feel guilty that they did it too soon :-(
2. i think the dog's vet (who is treating it) is sometimes the wrong person to ask for advice on this decision. if they are very good they will just put the decision right back on the shoulders it belongs, but i have seen other cases where they have acted inappropriately for weak people who did not want to face up to the reality of a decision that was THEIR responsibility to make

but no matter what, it is just plain horrible 
... as cold as it may seem, i'll admit i've cried more over dogs dying than i have over some people i knew that died :-(
...maybe because deep down their hearts are totally honest and pure .... often not the case with us humans :-(


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Terry Berns said:


> Just for the record, I wrote a letter to the Chief of Police and the Town Selectman praising the officers for their compassion. Also brought them a few dozen fancy cupcakes from one of the winners of "Cupcake Wars".


Just so you know... those letters will mean the world to those officers and they will never forget them. The cuppy-cakes don't hurt either!


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

That sucks, David. It always sucks. Every time I hear this I think of my boys and it is very difficult even years later. I wrote a poem for my last PSD and I still can't bear to read it. Sucks.


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## Gerald Dunn (Sep 24, 2011)

I had a vet tell me one time that he could keep the dog alive as long as I was willing to let it hurt, it was time


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## Pete Stevens (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm in complete agreement with Gerald. Only keep the dog alive if its for the dog, not you. If they are in pain, let them go peacefully. Its not an easy thing to do, ever. They are with us more than our families are. Lots of times they save our butts and all they want is a "good boy". Ain't no shame in shedding a few tears for that. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

Gerald Dunn said:


> I had a vet tell me one time that he could keep the dog alive as long as I was willing to let it hurt, it was time


thats a good way to put it!


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

david, please pass along my condolences to that officer. as connie said, the best gift we can give to our companions is letting them go when it's time. i look at it as "easing them down the road". never an easy decision, but one we're obligated to make sometimes as a good partner.


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

Heartfelt condolences to this poor guy. Anyone who has ever been there knows that the "decision" is as difficult as the deed itself. They're never with us long enough.


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## Thomas H. Elliott (Aug 6, 2011)

I echo the same feelings all around....dogs may be just dogs, as some put it but boy could we ever learn alot from them about "true bonded no strings attached love." I truly believe they (our past dogs) will be the first ones to greet us at those gates in the sky one day. Man, that is going to be great!! Tough decision as always but most correct ones are....


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

rick smith said:


> 2. i think the dog's vet (who is treating it) is sometimes the wrong person to ask for advice on this decision. if they are very good they will just put the decision right back on the shoulders it belongs, but i have seen other cases where they have acted inappropriately for weak people who did not want to face up to the reality of a decision that was THEIR responsibility to make


Doing at home euthanasias, I get people ask me pretty frequently how do they know when it's time and the classic "Doc, what would you do if it was your animal?" I tell them it's not my animal, but I do explain how I like to make a list of the top 5 favorite things their animal likes to do. Maybe play with kids, other dogs, play ball/tug, go for rides in the car, go on walks, etc. So if they no longer get enjoyment out of say 3 or 4 of those things, it's maybe time to start thinking about saying goodbye. That way it's a subjective and objective way to look at it.


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## scott zimmerman (Dec 7, 2009)

That is horrible news. Thoughts and prayers sent to him and his partner.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Maren's top 5 list is a good way to look at it
other than that i keep hearing the same stuff ... "if it's in pain let it go", etc etc 

and i still say most people don't know when that happens
ESPECIALLY true for dogs who gradually fade away ... they deal with it and show pain even less, imo ... they are canines ](*,)

imo, since there is NO way to clinically measure chronic pain in a canine, that seems like a bad criteria to use .. but it seems to be the overriding criteria we all use ... i've been just as guilty 

so :
- is lethargy a pain symptom in a dying canine ? (heard it explained both ways by vets)
- will a dog in pain still wag their tail ?
- is a dog with hemangiosarcoma (or other cancer with a low cure rate) and a grapefruit tumor inside, that will still trot around and chase a ball in pain when they do it ? (heard it explained both ways by vets) 
- is loss of appetite a pain symptom in a canine ? (heard yes and no from vets)
- does a dog on pain meds show pain symptoms ?
- is a dying dog that lays their head on you telling you they are happy ?
- will a dying dog somehow communicate when they've had enuff and want to go ? (some serious responsible owners have told me this happens)

some are no brainers, some are debatable but this is always true : dogs genetically mask their pain and then we often mask it even more :-(

or to pose it another way :
your dog gets diagnosed with a condition that has a high 90% fatality rate, but you can give it another year or two ... but it will involve major drugs and and surgeries 
- most people will go down the treatment route hoping for that miracle recovery that never happens ... is that best for the dog, or for the owner ?

not trying to force my opinions on anyone, just trying to broaden the discussion since it will happen to everyone eventually, and this thread seemed like a good place to throw it out so more people will think about it


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

It was bad enough to lose one dog. Monday the 6th, a handler called to tell me he was at the vet because his dog was off his feed and very lethargic. They removed over 100cc's of fluid from around the dogs lungs. They also did a biopsey of a mass that was found next to the lungs. A CT scan showed numerous lesions on both lungs. The biopsey indicates it is an atypical lymphoma. This form of lymphoma presents numerous lesions and isn't all that receptive to chemo. The vet's opinion is that it is very unlikely the dog will return to working dog health. In fact, it's doubtful the dog will ever be healthy enough to be a pet. I made the decision to have the dog euthanized. I called the handler and told him what the vet and I discussed and he agreed. He did not want the dog to suffer. A supercharged male Lab. A dog that has made numerous felony cases and is responsible for the seizure of large amounts of USC. He is just 7. He was a rescue from the Gifted Animal Placement Program. He was found running down the I-35, outside of Dallas TX. I obtained him free, but couldn't have had a better dog at 10,000 dollars. He'll be hard to replace. 

DFrost


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

David Frost said:


> .... I made the decision to have the dog euthanized. I called the handler and told him what the vet and I discussed and he agreed. He did not want the dog to suffer.


A blessing of a gift, IMO. The dog had caring humans acting in his interest the best they could.


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## Kelly Franks (Sep 24, 2010)

So sorry, David. No way around it- it just sucks.

I've had to make the decision to put two of my dogs to sleep. I made the appointment, and the days before were all about the dog. We did everything the dog enjoyed- we played, we swam in the lake, we took walks... just me and the dog. It was as much a good send off for the dog, as it was a day to make memories to last a life time for me.

I can honestly say that some of my biggest regrets in life are the sudden losses of dedicated dogs that I was not able to give that One Last Perfect Day to. 

I got this on FaceBook once, and it really resonated with me. It's all about letting the dog do what it loves most, one last time. I hope the link works....

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/01/police-dog-takes-one-last-ride/

I don't care who you are- the loss of a good friend and partner hurts. There's no shame in showing it.


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> That's for sure...I've been there for those tearful conversations as well.


That's one of the reasons I could NEVER do your job... Thanks for doing it.


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