Posted on by Doyce

Saying goodbye to my best buddy

#wp

Jake – doyce testerman
I’m going to tell you about a life. Somewhere in the middle of July, 2000, a puppy was born. I didn’t know about him at the time. I wasn’t even thinking about puppies. I had no plans to get a puppy. That’s just as well as, due to a few complications, this particular puppy – who luckily came into …


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112 Replies to “Saying goodbye to my best buddy”

  1. So sorry for your loss, I have 4 yes I said 4 dogs 2 are Austrailian Shepherds an 2 are mini Dashunds I love them their spirits their intelligence and their souls. I am a retired nurse and I worked the last part of my career in end of life care. My dogs ( not all 4) at once would come to work with me and stay with someone who was passing away. I have been humble by how much comfort an love they showed those who where passing and while doing rounds would often find the person who was passing had a hand on one of their paws or their face nuzzled next to the dogs. My littlest Dashund was with my mom who was at the facility I was at. We encouraged families to bring their pets in even towards the end. They were all 4 with my husband when he passed away laying around him in a protective cocoon . Your article is so touching I know the feeling . Thank you for sharing this.

  3. thanks for sharing, been there with our Maxwell. Miss him still to this day… He was a beautiful German Shepard , who just wanted to be with you and protect you, still missing him…

  5. I completely agree that while dogs' lives may be shorter than our own, they certainly "live" just as much. I lost my first dog 6 years ago, and the pain slowly gets replaced with only wonderful memories… and sometimes another wonderful dog to fill that void. Thanks so much for sharing!

  6. Beautifully written.sorry to hear about the loss.but he was one good dog for his master remembers him so well..its truly touching..and even scary to think about the separation from my fluffy.. :) :(

  7. 6 Years ago we went through this with our beloved Yellow Lab… Brandy, she made it to almost 14 which was great. She was no different than one of the kids in so many ways. Now we have 12 year old Shiba who is showing his age more each day and his time will also come too soon. The gifts they give us are tremendous, give back even more! Living without them is difficult so enjoy every moment with your pups and remember that they are enjoying those moments even more!

  12. You made me cry. I have a rescued 15.7 year old black lab, 90+ pounds of love. I also have a 13 year old who is showing his age. I feel your pain. My friend said he thinks that dogs teach us about love and death. Their lives are so short but our bond with them is so profound. Make room in your heart one day to rescue another because another beautiful soul will be waiting for you.

  13. No doubt +Daniel Campbell, I have NO doubt in my mind that I'm a better human being as a result of these little furballs.  They've taught (or further reinforced) me compassion, sharing, loving, loyalty, selflessness, etc.  I could go on and on about these guys   <sniff, sniff>

  17. I never get immune to these stories; I could read a thousand and would sob like a little girl after every one.  
    All we can do is grieve; don't consider it a luxury, it's a necessity.  You'll never find another Jake, but when you're ready, please rescue another dog.  There are so many out there waiting to love you as much as your buddy.  Peace.

  18. Beautiful testimony if what a dog does to your life.
    Always gets me because I am a dog owner myself and when it's time for them to go the pain is always hard.
    Sending my thoughts to you and your family who is missing a big part of it today.

  21. Beautifully done. We animal people come to this at some point. It's never easy. They are always ready before we are. They live on in our hearts.

  24. A bit of my heart has gone away when the time has come for any one of my doglets to move on. Each and every one of them was, and is, special in his/her very own way. I feel your pain, I feel your sorrow, and I am sincerely sorry for your loss. You may adopt, and dearly love I am sure of that, many other dogs, but there will be only one Jake and no one can ever replace him. My deepest condolences. I've been crying my eyes out since I first read your story yesterday and still am today. =(

  26. We lost a "Jake" too and only 6 yrs old—what a love.  We still think of him & miss him though we have Molson now—a white Lab who is also a "love"  and can't even think of a day without him.      John and Hilda Veleber

  27. +Doyce Testerman only other dog people can understand that when you lose your dogchildren, it's worse than losing a family member!!!  And that sounds wrong on all levels, but it is the truth!!!  And you feel foolish 4 months later for still being heartbroken!

  30. Don;t feel bad about the length of time, my son and I are at 9 months and counting. You never "get over it" – you learn to live with it. You can't lose that big of a chunk of unconditional love and not grieve.

  31. This is beautiful, and hit so close to home. Just weeks ago I had to say goodbye to one of my girls after a long struggle with cancer. She lasted 6 months longer than any of the doctors expected, and lived so fully up until the last day. So many tears right now…

  33. Beautifully told. It's time for mine to go soon. He's almost thirteen. I'm gonna miss him so…  much. Thanks for the wonderful expression of love for your dog. I understand.

  35. +Tammy Bridenbeck, I think that's because society expects us to mourn our human family, but belittles the effect that the loss of our animal companions has on us.  After all, they're just animals, right?  As a result we aren't able to fully grieve the loss of our animal companions, so, in my opinion, it sticks with us longer and comes out at random times which then make us feel silly for showing emotion.  Society really is backwards sometimes.

  37. +Polly Merkner I agreeeeee!!  Both of my husband's parents died a few years apart from each other and he mourned their death.  Our dog died and he was busted up for MONTHS!!!  A grown, football watching dude and he cried for a very long time.  One guy at work said to him, "God dude, it's just a freaking dog!"  But it really wasn't just a dog.  It was his beloved "girlfriend"! haha  She chose him from day 1 and they were nice enough to let me be in their clan! bwhaha

  39. wow, read the story, beautiful what a loving family you were to Jake.  My Son and his family have a dog that is so like Jake, they love her unconditionally.  My condolences to you and your family for your loss.

  42. +Tammy Bridenbeck That's the truth!  I didn't cry when my grandfather died.  However, I bawled my eyes out for days when we lost Xiumei, who incidentally was the first dog my wife and I have ever had.  That was April of 2011 and I still think about her EVERY day!

  43. +Taneal Bhandari
     it's been 4 years and my husband still talks about our dog, Blabbis Crombie! haha  and he compares all other dogs (friends' dogs, etc.) with her:  "Blabbis was so much smarter than Muffin!" haha  That was the love of his life…and I don't even mind.

  44. It's been 3 years since I lost my best friend Chester (a black Lab) to old age and cancer. He was 14. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. Your pictures of Jake show the same soulful gentle eyes and brings it all back again. I miss him so much, and I'm very sorry for your loss.

  45. I have a Australian Shepherd who I treat like my child and she's my best friend. Not just a dog. I would hate to see her go or anything bad to happen to her. I can't even imagine what you're going through. I can say with time it will get better and maybe you'll get another dog some day.

  46. Awww =0( it's not easy losing a loved one, I still mourn for my pup I lost many years ago.

    Perhaps I should blog about my boy?

    My bf knows him well only by my ramblings lol altho he's never met Dobie I just know for a fact they would have gotten along perfectly.

  48. +Tammy Bridenbeck Hahahaha!  We do the EXACT same thing lol!!!  

    What sucks the most is that Xiumei and Kaya LOVED kids!!!!  Unfortunately, we lost Xiumei before we had Maya.  And we lost Kaya when Maya was only about 3 months old.  That suckiness was compounded by the fact that it was around 4-5 months old when Maya actually started noticing Homer and wanting to play with him.  

    Every day she bothers Homer, we look at each other like, "why couldn't they hold on for a little bit longer".  <sigh>
    <sniff>

  50. I'm sitting here in tears having read your lovely tribute. I've always been absolutely distraught when one of my dogs has died: it's really the only downside of having a dog.

    You can console yourself though that he had the best possible life in a loving, caring home which is the best any dog could hope for.

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