Let's Introduce Ourselves Options

[wchamilton]

After all of the support, sympathy and help you all have given me the past several days I thought I'd pop in here and actually introduce myself.

*ahem*

My name is William Clay Hamilton, but I go by Clay. I'm 38 years old and live in Chenango Forks, New York, and I work at a hospital here doing technical support. I'm married and have been with my wife since we were in high school, which is going on 21 years. We have an 18-year old son who's about to start his third semester of college.

We've always had animals. We have two lab huskies (we call them purebred Huskadors) named Miya and Takoda, and until this past Sunday we had a Doberman/Shepard/?? mix named Winston (RIP). We also have two black cats named Angel and Nala, but they literally are so identical looking that you can't tell them apart.

In our spare time my wife and I are avid video game players and we like to watch movies and are avid readers. I also play a bit of bass guitar and fancy myself to be an amateur photographer... I'm also a huge military aviation nerd; my wife and I took a weekend trip to Washington DC in May to see The Blue Angels.

Here's a picture of us that was taken last year at Disneyland.



And here's a sample of some of the pictures I took at the airshow in May::

[autumn leaves]

I'm Jerry, 53. Live alone in Pa, never married, no children. I rescued my first dog in 2000, Autumn, and she only lived a year before she had kidney failure and I had to put her to sleep. Got another mixed mutt, Sydney (had just taken a vacation to Australia) and after 2 short years, he was hit by a car and died in my arms. Started to think I was not the dog owner type, but I gave it one more try and along came Zoey, a baby girl border collie mix.
We were the perfect "odd couple" match. I just wanted to watch TV and eat, she was non-stop and wanted to eat. Since she was the lady of the house, she usually won-out, and I got a lot of excercise thanks to her. We spent almost 8 years together, (she picked me when she was 1) and our bond was so strong, especially since I spent almost every day of her life with her.
2 months ago she just woke up with a limp, and after seeing multiple doctors and taking an MRI, found out she had Nerve sheath tumor and it extended into her pelvis. The doctor did not think I should opt for the surgery, it was expensive and this tape of case frequently reoocurs after a few months. I was still going to try to ride it out and see if I could get a more positive response about whether she could be happy after surgery, but she quickly became weaker, had problems breathing, and could barely walk.
I now think maybe I should have waited, but I deceided at that moment, that I should let her go. I think I did the right thing for her, but I want to have that decision making moment back again, if only to give her one more kiss. Some days are not too terrible, others are. She has only been gone a month. I started a relationship with a girlfriend pet owner about the time this all began, and she has been wonderful. Pet owners just get it, you know?
I'm so glad I found this site, I hope I can share in a way that will make someone else feel better. I know I already feel better with the responses I have received since a few days ago when I came on. Thank you,
Jerry