Winston T. Puppy, RIP Options

[wchamilton]

We have three dogs... Winston (the one who died), Miya and Takoda. Our morning routine is when they get up we hook Miya outside on a run to go to the bathroom, then Takoda, then Winston. When we hooked Takoda out the door didn't close all the way and when she was ready to come in her lead was long enough that it let her push the door open and as soon as she did that Winston took off.

He couldn't have been outside for more than a couple of minutes; all three of us were in the kitchen when my son saw the front door open and Winston gone. We got our shoes on, grabbed a couple of biscuits and went to get him when we saw Takoda on her lead staring up the road and not moving. We looked where she was looking and Winston was lying on the side of the road.

We we got to him he was still breathing but not answering to his name or looking around. The person who hit him, as well as the people who lived in the house whose yard he was in were all outside when we got there. I picked Winston up and told my son to get a blanket in the car. The person who hit him came up to me and said he was sorry... when I asked if he hit him he very quietly said yes. I told him it was an accident and carried Winston to the car. When I got there I put him in the car, left a message with my vet's emergency number and got ready to go when the person who hit him came up to me, gave me his home and cell number and told me if there was any vet bill that he would pay it. I told him I appreciated that, got in the card and headed to the vet while Johnathan sat in the back seat with Winston.

He seemed to perk up a bit on the way there... he looked around a bit, would perk his ears a bit when you called his name but after a couple of minutes of that he put his head in my sons lap and, as my son pet him and told him what a good dog he was, he died before we got to the vet. I called the vet and told them that Winston didn't make it and brought him home. We buried him in our back yard, lying on his dog bed, covered with the blanket he was lying on and the t-shirt my son covered him in, a rawhide chew and biscuit under his paws. We lined his grave with a small picket fence and made a grave marker for him.

We're all torn up about this, but especially my wife. That dog was her soul-mate. When we adopted him in 2006 we had just bought our house and we found out after we adopted him that he had pneumonia in both lungs and was severely dehydrated and undernourished from being so sick. The vet said she couldn't even promise he'd live through the night, but Sue stayed up with him all night, thumping his chest to keep the phlegm loose. He recovered and turned into the best damned dog we EVER had. He was protective of us but would let people approach him, as long as it was apparent it was okay with us. He would come into wherever we were sometimes and kind of make a little grunting noise at us, tail wagging, and we'd say "show me what you want" and he'd lead you to whatever it was, be it a slice of leftover pizza on the counter or to snitch on one of the cats or other dogs for being in the garbage. My son and I taught him Hawk Dog... you could hold your forearm out, as if you were waiting for a trained hawk to land on it and say "Hawk Dog, Winston!" and he'd stand on his back legs and put his front legs on your forearm.

He was an incredible dog and even with the two girls still here the house is just empty without him. My wife told me last night the only thing for her that could've been worse than losing Winston would have been losing me or our son.

RIP, buddy. We gave you four of the happiest, most love-filled, spoiled years that any dog could ever hope for.

I also have a question I hope I can get an objective answer to... to those of you that have lost an animal companion in this manner, how long did it take you to come to terms with your grief? I've read a bunch of websites that say things like "everyone is different" and what-not but I'm hoping for some real-world answers from real people. I know that only 48 hours removed from Winston's death I can't expect to be over this but I'd like to know what people's experiences are.

[Loci]

I am sorry to hear of your tragic loss. When I was a little girl, our next door neighbor ran over our 3 year old poodle. My brother found him and carried him home. He was probably only 5 years old at the time. Being an avid dog lover, I was just crushed and at such a young age. I didn't see it happen and it was incredibly hard on me, but I know it must have been so much harder on my brother. Like with every loss, there is really no time frame to get over it and deal with the grief. Cleo, my australian kelpie, passed on her 9th birthday pretty suddenly from a disease that she had for 3 months, but one nonetheless, we thought we had under control. Cleo was (and still is) so incredibly dear to me......my soulmate of sorts. I miss her more than life itself. When I read your post, I just cried and cried. Winston sounds like such a special dog!

For me, it's been 3 months since Cleo's passing and I am still tormented by the loss. However, I have also learned to keep her memories alive. To always talk about her, laugh about the things she did, love her for the incredible dog that she was. We exchange stories all the time about our beloved. I have moved on from the tragedy and eventually the hard decision to let her go (you know, the "why" stage). That part was tough because of the guilt, the sadness, and the just plain wanting her back. But as I put my energy and focus into all the wonderful things I hold so dear about Cleo, I was able to leave the tragedy of her death behind. Every time I start to think about that day and the 3 months that led up to it.....I steer myself away from such thoughts and anguish and focus on Cleo's wonderful spirit.
I hope you are able to do the same.

Winston was extremely special to you (and your family) and you can feel that love through your words. Embrace his spirit and know that he is not far from you if you want to talk to him.

Peace to you!