I put him to sleep yesterday.

@flexghost thank you for taking care of this precious baby. My heart breaks for you. My dogs just checked on me to see why mama was crying.

All of my pets have been rescues. Sometimes, they just showed up. They had, I think, all known trauma. Charley cat was afraid of bags or being enclosed in spaces. Lucy dog was afraid of brooms. Baxter was afraid of crossing a threshold indoors without permission. One by one, we learned their fears and then learned to completely remove any triggers from their environment, and overcome their terror with love, safety, and trustworthiness. My mom's cat, Spirit, hid in a bathroom for three days. She had never been allowed on the furniture. It was a new world to live with a gentle lady who loves and cares for her every need.

@flexghost Man, losing your friends is the WORST. I am so sorry to hear, but happy you had so many years with him. We lost Zoe in April 2023 (left), and brought Ellie (our 3rd Bichon) home in December 2023. She's on the border between crazy puppy and tolerable young lady. I guess we will keep her.

@flexghost So sorry! It's so damned hard to lose a fur baby! We have 6 of them (4 #cats and 2 #dogs). This is my current state with Tinker

@flexghost This was my buddy, Panda. I hadn't had a dog for a while and decided it might be time again for my mental health, but wanted to be very particular. I wanted a Great Pyranees and found him (a mix, of course) in a shelter where he'd been for quite a while. He'd been rejected a few times, because he was large and already an old boy but I thought he was perfect. It would only be a few years before he passed, but he's the best dog I ever had and I'm glad I got to take care of him.

@flexghost This was my buddy, Panda. I hadn't had a dog for a while and decided it might be time again for my mental health, but wanted to be very particular. I wanted a Great Pyranees and found him (a mix, of course) in a shelter where he'd been for quite a while. He'd been rejected a few times, because he was large and already an old boy but I thought he was perfect. It would only be a few years before he passed, but he's the best dog I ever had and I'm glad I got to take care of him.

@flexghost Ah, what a tough thing for the remaining pet. Mac had been having trouble with walking and moving spending ten hours or more just laying but he would move for the right food and almost always to go outside a few steps. We decided it was time when he would not move for food. Finally, he just would not move at all on the night he decided. The picture of him is right outside the front door, he would never go any further, doing all his business there, then taking two steps to lie down.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

@flexghost So sorry for your loss. Our animal companions know us so well. They worm their way into our hearts using their powers of persuasion and love.
We can only try to live up to their expectations of us.

@sentientsponge absolutely wonderful story and what a beautiful face. What attracted you to that breed? I’m not familiar with it

@flexghost This was my buddy, Panda. I hadn't had a dog for a while and decided it might be time again for my mental health, but wanted to be very particular. I wanted a Great Pyranees and found him (a mix, of course) in a shelter where he'd been for quite a while. He'd been rejected a few times, because he was large and already an old boy but I thought he was perfect. It would only be a few years before he passed, but he's the best dog I ever had and I'm glad I got to take care of him.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

I put him to sleep yesterday. My sweet boy for 15 years. He’d come to me from an abusive home. You could see it in how he held himself those first months, like he was always bracing.

But he figured it out. Not all at once but in small surrenders. Picking up a toy. Playing so free. The way he’d eventually push his head under your hand, asking.

I miss him.

If you have a moment, I’d like to hear about your animals. The ones you still carry with you.

@NickBoss OMG

RIP your socks

@flexghost we have a good cat, and the other cat. This one is the other. Sometimes she let's her guard down and pretends to be friendly. She wants to be, but trusts nothing.

@flexghost
So sorry. These 2 are dogs 13 and 14, so I've been through it a bit. It's always hard. I don't think I can be without a dog, so I have 2. You can see the shaved leg and scar on the little one from surgery for her blown out knee.

@flexghost You'll always carry him in your heart, and I think that's what counts the absolute most. I grew up with dogs, always rescues from the shelter, and while the ones I grew up with are long gone, we always followed the rule of twos if not threes, so that there's always one of them left to carry the torch on to another generation. ️

@flexghost They're big, beautiful, smart, and gentle. Herding dogs by nature. He was great because once he got used to his new home I could just walk around with him off leash (I live in pretty rural place) or let him out on his own without worry. Neighbors funnily enough were scared of him at first because they thought he was an actual bear. He was terrified of storms and hated car rides. About the only time he willingly got into the car was when I rescued him from the shelter.