Nikki, rip

[bob perry]

My son put down his 20 year old Blue Healer, Nikki, today.
She had an abessed tumor that was not going to heal, according to the vet.
Nikki was struggling.
My son is going through an uncomfortble time. I shoulda, woulda, coulda. No, you did your best.
Nikki had a very good life with you.

I bonded with Nikki. We used sign language. I bond with animals. Can't help that.

Nikki really liked me. When I dog sat her she knew she was in for some good times.

Tonight my son Max is feeling things that I would not like him to feel. But at the same time you know this is exactky what he should be feeling. I raised hi, to recognize this pain. I can only try to help. I'm his Dad.

So,,,tonight Nikki and Spike are in a field with a ball. Nikki loved a ball. Nikki's hearing is perfect, or not, she didn't need to hear. She was a happy and comlpete dog. Spike is throwing the ball and laughing.

Tonight I'll be thinking about you Nikki. When you sat in my lap. When you watched me cook. When we walked on the beach. I will miss you.
Love that never dies,
Bob

[cap10ed]

Bob tell Max cap10ed knows the anguish of losing a selfless companion. Our last two dogs lived well over 15 years. I made it a point to be with and hold them as the vet administered the needle that took them away from us. I couldn’t drive the car home I was crying so much.

[BeauV]

Bob,

I'm really sorry to hear about Nikki. Our old Romo is nearing the end, his hips are shot and one front leg is failing. Eventually he won't be able to walk at all, but his heart and mind are just fine. He loves and thinks and plays, he just can't move much. I dread the day when we loose him - he has been such a great friend.

We've got a new rule 'round here since Romo has become pretty much bed ridden: Never Walk Past A Dog Without Petting Him

You never know how many more pets you'll get to give in your life, don't waste any chances.

Our thoughts are with you, Bob.

Beau

[Orestes Munn]

Aww, shit. So sorry, Bob et al. Dogs are pretty emotional, but they seem to face up to the really painful existential issues better than we (I) do.

[kdh]

We've put a dog and two horses down. The horses have to be put to rest near where they will be buried, and a backhoe operator who is a bit lawless and understanding standing by. Every town in these parts seems to have one.

Our dear Bert the yellow lab was hardest for me. He was our first child. Very much part of me and Ann and especially us as a couple. He made it clear to us when it was time. It was sad but we're so grateful for the time we had with him.

[Rob McAlpine]

My daughter just had a knee replacement done on her red heeler. He's a sweet dog.

Think we get emotionally attached to dogs? Sparky was a much beloved black lab mutt.

[JoeP]

Awhh Bob, I'm so sorry. Passmy condolences on to Max. We had to put down Sandy, our old shepard-lab mix, 10 years ago. Like Captain Ed I couldn't drive home.

[bob perry]

Thanks guys. It's so funny how those demanding and often annoying dogs work their way into our hearts.
It was a bit odd to listen to big, tough Max today. He doesn't call me much. But when he called today he kind of did some small talk for a couple of minutes and I was wondering what was going on. Then he said, "We put Nikki down today."
It was a hard time for him and he was not afraid to let me know. I felt really good that he called. He's bringing Violet up on Saturday.
So I got that going for me.

Beau:
Sorry to hear your old dog is not doing so well. Give him a pet from Uncle Bob. That's going to be very hard when the time comes. We'll be here.

I try never to leave Ruby. I take her everywhere. She loves the bank. I leave her home when I go to Tai Chi. She is without me for maybe two hours. When I get home she attacks me. You'd think I had been gone for two years. I get a good lickin'. Not sure my wife notices I'm home.

I bet Spike is happy to see Nikki.

[Soñadora]

I'll never understand why some people would ever go through life without having a pet. Seems like a joyless way to go.

Vaya con dios, Nikki.

That's a great pic, Bob.

[bob perry]

Nikki was born deaf. She was deaf as a stump.
Nikki was amazingly aware through her eyesite. She would choose places to sit where she could catch reflections off surfaces so she could see through a wider range. She was very aware.
We had hand signals for her and she was pretty good with them. She did like to go on walkabout from time to time and that was a challenge. You couldn;t call her. She couldn't hear you. You had to make visual contact. I lost her a couple times while I was was taking care of her and I'd have to go off in my car circling the neighborhood to fnd her. But I always found her. As she got older the walkabouts ceased.

Violet is coming up Saturday. I need some happy in my life. Violet is walking now and I'll get to see that for the first time. I'm going to smile until my face hurts.

[LarryHoward]

Bob,

I tend to judge people by how they treat their pets. These animals return loyalty and love for just a bit of care. It's a poor man who doesn't mourn the passing of a good friend or family member, 2 or 4 legged. RIP Nikki.

[bob perry]

Larry:
I'm counting on that for when I have to face the final judgement.

"Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob. What are we going to do with you? You made so many bad mistakes. And you knew better. I don't normally handle these cases myself but you are a challenge. Based on what Mei Mei, Orson, Mork, Breezy , Nikki and Piper have told me I'm inclined to let you go through. Against my best judgement. OK, you are through. Spike would be so pisssed if I sent you off."

"Thanks God. You da man."

At that moment a curtain would open and out would come Spike wih the animals. Spike would be holding a Gibson Super 400 (tobacco sunburst, Florentine cutaway) in one hand and a Gibson L-5 (all black Duke Robelard type) in the other. He run towards me dropping both guitars to the ground (cloud?) Guitars don't break in heaven.

I am listening to Bruckner's 7th while I have fun with these words. So fitting. Fun.

[JoeP]

Maybe a bit trite but I've always liked/believed the saying 'all dogs go to heaven'.

Our current dog, (Australian Shepard, Australian Cattle Dog, Brittany mix) is 9 years old. She has lived with a congenital heart defect all her life. Of course she doesn't know it. She loves to run and she still runs like she is a puppy. We had to take her to the emergncy room 2 weeks ago when she came down with a bad coughing fit every time she got excited. We thought she was choking on something. Vet showed us x-rays. The heart was enlarged to the point where it was pushing on the trachea. She said the coughing could be from the heart or from kennel cough (the x ray showed signs of that too). We got meds for the kennel cough and it went away. She was back to her old self running and playing. Last night my wife came home and Sophie came to greet her, very excited as usual, and she started coughing again. Damn!

Sophie:

IMG_0004.JPG

[bob perry]

Very beautiful dog Joe. Hope she gets over her cough.

[kdh]

Yay! We bringing out dog pics?

[JoeP]

Keith, that first picture is one of my all time favorites.

[bob perry]

Mine too Joe. Hard not to love that pair. It's truly a classic photo.

[Soñadora]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the 2nd and 3rd ones don't suck

You guys are not helping the 'no dog' policy we have in our house.

[BeauV]

Goodie! Doggie Pix!!!

Here are the only two dogs I've had in my life. Bonnie, the black one, ended up staying with my X and went nuts every time I came to get her. She would jump right in through the driver's side window of the Cayenne, the scratches are still there. I lost her two years ago. Romo, the Shephard, didn't really enjoy sharing "his cayenne" with Bonnie, but he tolerated her. She'd eventually win him over and snuggle right up on long trips.

[cap10ed]

Yay! We bringing out dog pics?

Excellent pooch and kids shots. Yes I think picture one is the Kodak shot. Now that's a happy kid!

[bob perry]

Beau:
That breaks my heart. I know Bonnie. I know PDW's. They are amazing dogs. I'm sure it broke her dog heart to have to leave you. I fucking hate that. What are you goning to do? Humans!

I think I'll take my hounds for a walk. I'll smoke my pipe. I'll think about what I am going to talk about when I post on Spike's Facebook page today. I talk to him everyday. The love of a Dad never ends. I always have something I need to dicuss with him Laugh. That's ok. It's about me and Spike and we would be happy if you laughed.

Now,,,it's dog walking time
"She broke the needle now she can't sew,,,walking the dog"
I think there may have been some heroin involved in that old lyric.

[kdh]

I smoked cigarettes when I was writing my dissertation. That's the only time I've been addicted to nicotine but I'm convinced it helped a lot. I also think that for other activities, like writing songs, drugs help.

With all this talk of Lance Armstrong I finally got what PEDs are (performance enhancing drugs).

[Cherie320]

Bob, so sorry to hear of Max's loss. He has our sympathy. Hope your old girl and the new pup can cheer up Max and the rest of the family. Pat

[GerryH]

Sorry to hear about Nikki, Bob. She was a sweetie.

Please pass along my condolences to Max and the rest of the family.

Beau -- losing a dog to divorce sucks. Our two went with ex, and the only time I get to see them is occasionally at the door when picking up my daughter. They about turn inside out and my heart breaks a little for missing them.

A few years back we had put down Emmy, our livestock guard dog. She was half Anatolian Shepherd and half Great Pyrenees; we rescued her from a very abusive situation and had her for only a little over a year or so. Healthy, she should have weighed about 140-150 lbs; she was half that when we got her, with most of her hair missing and her nails grown so long that she couldn't properly stand on her feet. We nursed her back to some measure of health and loved on her as much as we could; she gave back a ton of love and exuded a gratitude I have never felt before or since. Day or night, I never walked past the pasture without meeting her at the fence for some loving. She never did make a recovery to full health, though, and as another winter set in it became pretty clear that she was suffering nearly constantly. I know in my heart that putting her down was an act of kindness and mercy and that our time with her was probably the best she'd known; still, it hurt pretty bad to say goodbye to her. In the end, I think she gave more to us than we did to her.

[kdh]

Gerry, the vets we used came to our house so our yellow lab Bert could be put down in his own bed. The vets were very good with him and us. We were allowed to cry and mourn in our own house and were completely comfortable doing it. It was sad, but the whole thing felt right.

I've never been with a person when they die. I have a cousin who has though, with my grandmother and also with a sick cousin. She describes both experiences as beautiful.

[GerryH]

It is beautiful, Kieth. Unexpectedly so.

We lost my Grandfather a few years ago; he was a proud -- and rightly so -- man, one of the "greatest generation", a child of the great depression who left home with nothing but two bits in his pocket right after he graduated high school and made his way in the world through hard work and living the values he believed in. Spent his working life doing big things -- working on the dam projects on the Columbia and Snake rivers out here, and the Niagara Power Project back east. He died in his mid-nineties of pretty much "everything" -- he was very healthy and vigorous his whole life, and would show up when someone moving, or on a construction site when I was building one of the restaurants, and shame people a quarter of his age with his "work steady and don't stop until it's done" work ethic. Also, don't ever overlook enjoying a cocktail at the end of the day.

When his body finally did begin to fail, he suffered an ever-growing list of ills -- renal failure, congestive heart failure, prostate cancer spreading throughout his body -- including into his bones, which I understand is extremely painful. Through it all, he never complained and, in fact, for the most part he would barely even acknowledge his symptoms (like his swollen lower legs that were readily apparent) sufficiently to get timely care. The process of his death took about a year from the time he really started to decline, and he fought it every step of the way trying to hold on to his pride and sense of who he was. I learned a lot about him and about the man he was through that time.

Near the very end, though, he seemed to find some level of acceptance. In fact, I think that he didn't die until he finally, completely reached the end of what for him was a long process of accepting it all; that it was ok for him to stop; to leave his wife and two daughters, and all the grandkids and great grandkids behind. That his work was done. My Grandmother later observed that, very near the moment of his passing she had a deja vu kind of experience that felt just like watching him climb onto the back of the work truck that took the crews to and from the job site some 70 years earlier.

He died in his own bed, with my Grandma, my Mom and her sister, and me with him. We had some people from our local hospice in attendance; I cannot say enough good things about their care of not only my Grandfather, but the rest of the family as well through the whole process. They were like "death guides" if I can say that and have it come across in a positive way and not a morbid one. The Hospice nurse seemed to know just where he was in the process at every step of the way; when he ultimately passed, the four of us were at his side and it was a profoundly moving bit of life to be there for his last breaths, to say goodbye, and to hold loved ones close in the moment.

Fuck, now I'm crying. I should go find that gee-tar thread and post something. I have a Fender Jazz Bass and Bassman 60 I'm sure I need to say something about. And did I see Bob thinks I should be a drummer?

[cap10ed]

Gerry, your grand dad was a great role model. Looks like you paid attention. Your a good soul . Thanks for the story.

[kdh]

You should be crying, Gerry. Life is big. We all die. I hope I die the way your grandfather did.

Edit: And we can always use another bass player. What year is your J-bass?

[kimbottles]

SWMBO and I have attended together the deaths of: my father, her father, my mother and her mother. They all went in a very classy way, in their own beds under hospice care (agree with Gerry, can not say enough good about hospice.) They have set a very high standard for SWMBO and me to follow. We are both glad we were there for all four of them.

[Courtney]

At that moment a curtain would open and out would come Spike wih the animals. Spike would be holding a Gibson Super 400 (tobacco sunburst, Florentine cutaway) in one hand and a Gibson L-5 (all black Duke Robelard type) in the other. He run towards me dropping both guitars to the ground (cloud?) Guitars don't break in heaven.

I am listening to Bruckner's 7th while I have fun with these words. So fitting. Fun.

Bob, sorry to hear about losing a dog of 20 years. I've rarely heard of a dog living that long, it would be hard to imagine a time without her. I too believe that we'll be reunited with our best furry friends in heaven. Would it be heaven without God's most loving and forgiving creatures, given to us on earth to love us? I don't think so. If you haven't read it, here's a poem about Rainbow Bridge.

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
© 1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky. All Rights Reserved.