Good Night, Dear Jack!

[ThomCat]

This morning we had to take our 22 year old dog, Jack to the vet for the final time. He was starting to show signs that he was feeling pain and discomfort from his slow growing cancer.

We had been watching him very closely. In a dog that old, we knew the down-turn would come quickly. As soon as we saw it happening we wanted to make sure he didn't suffer. He was strong and active for an amazingly long life, but once the downturn started we knew he would never be strong again.

The last 24 hours have been so very hard for him, and for us. But Jack lived an amazing life for a dog. He lived 22 years, 10 months, and he was always so very loved. Our beautiful one-eyed, selectively deaf, not always very bright, big old lap dog with an amazing nose for sniffing out even the best hidden treats he was never supposed to find! :loveya:

Good Night Dear Jack! We will love you forever!









Now we have to console each other, and one of our other dogs, Molly, who keeps searching the house for him. :cry:

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. So sorry Thom

:cry: :hug:

[ThomCat]

8. Thank you very much!

:hug:

I appreciate this. I've been through this twice before with two cats. It never gets easier to lose a furry family member.

[jonnyblitz]

2. OH NOOO ! jack was SWEET. I remember him when i helped

you guys move! big hugs for you and Jenna!:hug:

I think of you guys and others in NYC that I haven't seen in over a year often. I have only been to new york once, just in and out to see a band with my sister last June, since I helped you move. I have become a recluse.

[ThomCat]

5. We've talked about you a bunch of times

and wondered about getting you down for a visit. :(

It you decide to stop being a recluse you have an open invitation. We would love to see you. :hug:

Yes, Jack a very sweet dog. He had to had to learn to be sweet, but once he learned it, he learned it with his whole heart. :loveya:

We think that because he had one eye, he was insecure about what he couldn't see on one side and felt defensive at first. He had to get over feeling defensive and vulnerable before he could really love everyone.

[jonnyblitz]

6. i justed edited to correct Jenna's name. I typed Jen because

that is my sister in New Hampshire's name and i just got back from spending the weekend with her.

when i get some extra cash i will come visit real SOON. i didn't mean to go this long without a visit! i have do my annual trip 6 and a half hours away to northern maine to see my parents on thursday.

[ThomCat]

7. She'll be very happy to hear that you're coming down at some point.

I'll let her know. Yay! :hug:

And she's not one to get upset if you accidentally spell her name wrong. :)

[Phentex]

3. Aw, so sorry!

Sweet pictures. I'm sorry for your pain.

[ThomCat]

9. Thank you!

:hug:

We are very, very fortunate that Jenna loves to take pictures. Her cell phone camera isn't a very good camera, so some of the shots aren't always great. Her shots with her real cameras are amazing in comparison.

But all of the pictures are valuable to us at a time like this. I lost one dear cat years ago that I don't have any pictures of. I have always regretted that, and I always will.

Pictures are a real treasure. :)

[joeybee12]

4. Poor Jack! RIP sweet guy!

:grouphug:

[ThomCat]

10. Thank you very much!

:hug:

We all appreciate that. I will pass along that hug to Jenna and each of the surviving fur kids. :loveya:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. My dear ThomCat...

I am so sad for all of you...

And you know he went easily, loving you and knowing what a great run he'd had...doggy treats and all...

Perhaps this little poem will help:

"Grieve not,
nor think of me with tears
But laugh
and talk to me as if I were beside you.
I loved you so...
'Twas heaven here with you"

--Isla Paschal Richardson

My heart is with you...

:hug: :hug:

[ThomCat]

14. Thank you very much.

:hug:

:loveya:

Not quite heaven, but if there is a heaven then he has that now.

We could only hope that he enjoyed his life every day, and we tried very hard to make sure that there was love and affection and play in his life throughout the day, every day. And treats that he would enjoy at least every few days, and more often towards the end. :)

A lot of work and care and attention goes into loving an old dog. But it's absolutely worth it.

[frogmarch]

12. Ohhh, so sorry for your loss.

My elderly pup Fritty Sue and I had to console each other too, after her older "brother" Flower Lou died. Fritty left us a year later.

Losing pets is very sad, and I am so sorry your beloved Jack is gone.

[ThomCat]

16. I'm so sorry that you had to lose two beloved old fur family memers.

:cry:

:hug: Thank you very much.

We hope the other pets in our family will all have many more years before we have to go through this again. :(

[frogmarch]

22. Many happy returns to your other pets!

My husband and I swore we'd never have another pet, because losing Fritty and Flower (and other pets before them) was so hard. But about six years ago, along came a little stray poodle (?) who won our hearts, and he's now our kid. We still miss F&F and all the others we've lost through the years, but it's helped us a lot to have another furry friend to love. And he needed us too.

[Call Me Wesley]

13. Safe passage, Jack.

May your suffering be over. Peace and comfort to you and yours, ThomCat. :hug:

[ThomCat]

40. Thank you very much.

:hug:

I just crashed and slept off and on for over 24 hours from exhaustion. I guess I needed it.

Things are now calm around here, but we're all feeling how different it is. :(

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

15. Peace to Jack as he crosses the Rainbow bridge

and for you, Molly and your partner as you deal with his loss. :cry: :hug:

[ThomCat]

41. Thank you!

Molly is being very subdued. One of our cats keeps trying to get her to play, but she won't. :(

It will take time...

:hug:

[Burma Jones]

17. I'm sorry....

and I also am thankful for you and all the others that quietly make the world a better place.

[ThomCat]

42. Thank you very much.

I appreciate that. :hug:

[driver8]

18. Awww...RIP, sweet Jack.

What a wonderful life you and Jack had together.

I'm so sorry for your loss...

[ThomCat]

43. I just found out

that some time in the last year I added a year to his life and didn't realize it.

Jenna just corrected me. He was 21, going on 22. Not 22, going on 23. He was born in 1988. My confusion has been getting worse I guess, if I can't keep track of ages any more. :(

But either way, he passed the dog in Guinness Book a while back and he was one of the real oldest dogs in the world.

Some other dog will pass him now, still alive with all the love some other family can give. :)

[foxfeet]

19. I wish him a peaceful journey to the Otherworld.

And comfort and healing to all who love him.

[ThomCat]

44. Thank you! He was loved by a lot of people

who grieve for him now. :(

[myrna minx]

20. I'm so sorry ThomCat.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

45. Thank you.

:hug:

I just found out that at some point in the past year I started adding a year to his age, calling him 22 instead of 21. So my OP is off by a year. He was 21 years, 10 months old.

Its so different around this house right now. He was the biggest dog, and we were all used to having him pressed against us for attention. When he was asleep his snoring would fill the house like background music.

It is so quiet and different here now. :(

[suninvited]

21. What a tough thing to go through

nothing is ever sadder than the death of a beloved pet.

:hug: :hug:

[ThomCat]

46. It changes the whole family, and the whole feel of the home.

:(

All of our routines now have to be adjusted to console the animals that loved him most, and then they will have to be adjusted again when when peace finally settles into this home again.

[Inchworm]

23. Sorry Thom

Sounds like you shared his wonderful life.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

48. I was fortunate. I did.

Being home-bound, I had no place else to go, and very little else to do except play with the pets every day. So I gave him a lot of attention every day, throughout the day.

Whenever I was asleep while he was awake he would lead the vigil waiting for me to wake up so that he could get more love and attention. :loveya:

[nolabear]

24. Ahhh, Jack. It looks like a life well lived. You all were lucky to have one another.

[ThomCat]

49. We were very lucky to have found one another.

:loveya:

I was able to do a lot to make his life a good one, and he definitely did a lot to make my life better. :)

[NewJeffCT]

25. I'm very sorry for your loss

May he rest in peace.

[ThomCat]

50. Thank you!

:hug:

[mnhtnbb]

26. I'm so sorry...what an amazingly long life your dear Jack had!

:hug:

[ThomCat]

51. I just found out that at some point in the past year

I started adding a year accidentally. He was 21, going on 22. Not 22, going on 23. He was born in 1988. JennaLaw corrected me. She has become my memory as my own memory has gone all to pieces.

But yes, he was still older that the dog in Guinness last we knew who was only 20 years old, and one of the oldest unofficial dogs in the world. I don't know what the oldest age is right now.

What's most important is that he was happy every day of that long life. :)

[hippywife]

27. Dear Thom...

I am so sorry to hear this, hon. I wish you love and peace, and all the wonderful memories of Jack to last a lifetime, sweetie.

He had a really, really good run, was loved and loved in return. He will be with you always.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

52. There are a lot of wonderful memories

and many, many wonderful pictures. Some of the pictures even go back to when he was an all-black dog before he started turning gray. It's hard to remember him not being all gray like he was at the end.

He will never be forgotten. :loveya:

:hug:

[Flaxbee]

28. Sweet Jack had a lovely life with you, ThomCat

I am sad to hear it was his time, but he knew he was loved, and he loved back.

[ThomCat]

53. He didn't always have a good life, not at the very begining.

but we definitely made sure the all the years we had him were as good as they could possibly be. :)

He was definitely well loved, and yes, he knew it. :loveya:

[Brickbat]

29. Good dog, Jack.

Good boy. Good boy!

You and your family are in my thoughts.

[ThomCat]

54. Yes, he was!

:cry:

Thank you. :hug:

[livetohike]

30. My sympathy to you and your family Thom

:hug: RIP Jack.....such a sweet face....I hope the good memories you have of times with Jack will help ease the sadness. What a gift to have him for so long :hug:.

[ThomCat]

55. I wish every dog could live a good life to a nice old age.

I wish every dog could have a home where they were loved and cared for. I would wish this pain upon everyone if it would mean that dogs could live good lives.

But, that can't happen. So I'll settle for our good memories and helping other animals when we can. :)

Thank you. :hug:

[one_voice]

31. I'm sorry for your loss...

safe passage to Jack, and peace to you and your family. :hug:

[ThomCat]

56. Thank you!

:hug:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

32. I'm so sorry

I know Jack knew how much you loved him. RIP, sweet friend. :hug:

[ThomCat]

57. He definitely did.

:)

:hug:

Thank you.

[Kali]

33. aw, old grey guy

but 22! wow! he had a good long life and was obviously well loved. sorry for your sadness.

[ThomCat]

60. I got corrected by JennaLaw

At some point in the past year I added a year to his age. He was 21. He was born in 88. He was going to be 22 in November.

My memory gets worse at time goes on, so she is my memory more and more.

Which makes it all the more important that I have pictures of Jack. I'd hate to think that I'll ever forget what he looked like. But realistically... :(

His getting old, his symptoms, are sometimes so tied up with my disability and my symptoms that I think I should write a story about it, relating us and tying it all together while I still can.

[laylah]

34. Bless his heart.

I'm sorry for your loss, ThomCat :hug:

Jenn

[ThomCat]

61. Thank you!

:hug:

[hobbit709]

35. I am so sorry to hear that.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

62. Thank you.

:hug:

[sarge43]

36. Safe passage Jack.

You loved and you were loved.

Good dog.

[ThomCat]

64. He layed across my lap in my wheelchair

and he was affectionate as he slowly fell asleep for the last time in the vets office.

And then when he was finally asleep they took him and put him on a table and gave him the shot to stop his heart while we watched.

I have never been allowed to watch before while they gave the final injection. He went peacefully. I'm glad I was able to be there for all of it.

[sarge43]

70. You gave him your love right to the end.

Peace and comfort.

[Parche]

37. big hugs to you my friend

:hug::hug::hug::hug:

to the rainbow bridge.........

[ThomCat]

65. Thank you Parche!

:hug:

:loveya:

[BarenakedLady]

38. So very sorry Thom

:(

[ThomCat]

67. Thank you!

:hug:

It's far better that it happened when and how it did, then later with any more pain or suffering.

And we're very glad that we got ever possible extra day with him. We didn't miss any chance for giving him love and affection.

So all in all, it's the best that it could be.

[sinkingfeeling]

39. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Jack was very loved for so long. Good night sweetie.

[ThomCat]

68. Thank you very much!

:hug:

[Capn Sunshine]

47. so sorry Thom

I'm glad for the time he spent here with you, and that when the end came you were with him. :)

[ThomCat]

69. Thank you!

Me to. And I think Jack agreed. :)

[LoveMyCali]

58. Thomcat

I hardly ever post on the loss of a pet threads because for one thing I'm usually crying and just don't have the words to express the sympathy I feel.

I'm so sorry for your loss but it seems like you and Jack had many good times together.

[ThomCat]

71. Thank you.

We did. They we all at the end years of his life, but we definitely did.

Jenna was his owner for all but the first year, when he was owned by people who had to leave him behind when they moved overseas. She has far more memories and stories than I do, and I love hearing those stories. :)

Jack was always an amazing dog.

[femmocrat]

59. I'm so sorry, ThomCat,

He lived a long and happy life and you did your best for him. He looks like an incredibly sweet friend. ((( :hug: )))

[ThomCat]

72. He was the best dog I've ever known.

And he was an incredible friend. :)

:hug:

[MadMaddie]

63. ThomCat I am so sorry for your families loss

I can only hope that we get to spend that kind of quality time with our critters.:cry:

[ThomCat]

73. I hope so too!

:hug:

[littlewolf]

66. sooo very sorry for your loss .... hang onto the good memories

[ThomCat]

74. Thank you!

I'm going to do my best, with lots of good pictures and stories. :)

My memories gets worse as I'm getting older and dealing with health issues, but I hope I never, ever forget someone as wonderful and important as Jack. He should be burned into my memory.

[applegrove]

75. vibes to 'dear jack'. And to you all.

[Rhiannon12866]

76. I am so sorry, Thom!

I am sorry that I missed this, since it happened while I was away. I have been there and it never gets easier, but you have given this pup an incredible life and he was so very fortunate to have found you. Love and sympathy from me and my little Jack... ;(

Rhiannon :hug:

[lukasahero]

77. Oh Thom, I'm so sorry for your loss

What a beautiful long life you gave your Jack. He couldn't have found a better family. :hug:

[In_The_Wind]

78. Poor Molly.

Lady Leigh looked for Lord Byron for a long time after he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

We had to pick up his toys because she started looking for him all over again every-time Jon accidentally made one of them squeak.

After ten years, I still shed tears because he is gone. :cry:

I'm sorry for your loss :hug: ThomCat.

[Tikki]

79. That love and devotion......

To know you were loved for 22 years...

You're a good family...with wonderful memories of a good friend.


Tikki

[mikeytherat]

80. So sorry to hear this - safe passage, gentle Jack.

mikey_the_rat

[AtomicKitten]

81. What a wonderfully long life he lived!

This is the part of the life-cycle that breaks your heart even though you knew it was coming. He will forever live in your memory where you can hold him close, always.

Best regards.