I'll miss you buddy :( My Bender passed away.

[Scott Harness]

Sorry you guys! You are making me sad.My boxer is getting there, one eye, deaf, bad hips. He is starting to need help getting on the couch.

[WormGod]

This is very interesting to say the least. I ran into a friend last night who is a vet assistant and was asking her about bloat, to keep me up with the facts, other than what's online. She instantly got all serious on me and was saying that it was weird that I bring it up because the number of pets being brought in and diagnosed with bloat was really high this year and just seems to be increasing. Even for simple check ups now, her office is considering sonograms as part of the check up process, to look for any digestive complications. Her response has me more worried than ever now.

[Chopper]

Sorry you guys! You are making me sad.My boxer is getting there, one eye, deaf, bad hips. He is starting to need help getting on the couch.

That's my Crystal now....13....gotta lift the back end onto her couch. Getting a little senile too. I just keep on putting that decision off. We have a service that comes to your home to make the whole thing easier on the dog...but I just can't pull that trigger, you know? Every day is a gift at this point.(probably more for me than her) I hate this conversation.

[lasturbo]

My condolences to both of you. My Aussie Shepherd is 9 years old now and my first dog that I purchased and raised. I will be devastated when his time comes....Hang in there all, they all go to doggy heaven

[Chopper]

You had to say "pull the trigger" didn't you?! I had a dog when I was a kid, part shepard/part coyote (grew up in the desert on farm land). Perhaps, we just assumed he was that type of mutt because he came home with all sorts of crazy critters. He came home with someone's prize rooster one morning. Not too long after that, he came home with a bullet hole and a dragging leg. My mom's boyfriend came over (yes my dad knew about him) to put my dog down. I was inside the house when I heard the gunshot so I immediately ran outside balling only to see my not-yet-dead dog get shot in the head - first shot didn't do the job, the one I saw did the job too well to forget. Took years to want another dog!

I was raised on a farm too. Only horses (and MAYBE a cow) got Vet care. I've yet to use a gun on any animal. Saw way too much of that growing up. I'm all for hunting the hunters. Way more sporting when your target is armed

[taylorRichie]

To also append my initial post...

I misunderstood what my Vet was saying... He has only seen one other case of Bloat in a doberman. And that was in school. He sees 1-2 cases of bloat each month. "Bender's Story" has already saved a life. 2 days ago my sister-in-law's Parents dog got sick. They were worried after hearing about Bender, so they took her right in to the vet. Turned out she was Bloating and needed Emergency surgery. She is doing better now, but only time will tell.

I don't mean to SCARE anyone I just want to make sure we're all aware of this silent killer. I wished I'd known. Next time you take your dog in for shots, or a check up have a conversation with your vet. Know the risks, and preventative measures that can be taken for your specific breed.

[nfpgasmask]

I was raised on a farm too. Only horses (and MAYBE a cow) got Vet care. I've yet to use a gun on any animal. Saw way too much of that growing up. I'm all for hunting the hunters. Way more sporting when your target is armed

x2. I thought I was the only one who felt this way...

Aside from last resort, starving in the middle of nowhere, the only thing I will be found shooting an animal with is my Nikon...

Bart

[Ldub]

I was raised on a farm too. Only horses (and MAYBE a cow) got Vet care. I've yet to use a gun on any animal. Saw way too much of that growing up. I'm all for hunting the hunters. Way more sporting when your target is armed

x2. I thought I was the only one who felt this way...

Aside from last resort, starving in the middle of nowhere, the only thing I will be found shooting an animal with is my Nikon...

Bart

x3...I always thought that having a high powered weapon was a MAJOR unfair advantage. I only know one person who IMO, hunts "right". That's my cousin.
He makes all of his own arrow heads & spear points from flint, makes his own long bows & flint knives, etc. Doesn't use bait, salt licks or cameras, just goes out with what he made & brings home food. I've always admired him for that...

[nfpgasmask]

x3...I always thought that having a high powered weapon was a MAJOR unfair advantage. I only know one person who IMO, hunts "right". That's my cousin.
He makes all of his own arrow heads & spear points from flint, makes his own long bows & flint knives, etc. Doesn't use bait, salt licks or cameras, just goes out with what he made & brings home food. I've always admired him for that...

Yeah, hunting really is no "sport", imo. Personally, I think you should go hunting naked, and if you can take a deer with your bare hands, by all means, its yours!

Bart

[kodiak]

Yeah I’ve never had to put a family pet down before. I couldn’t imagine seeing what you did Justine. That must have been very traumatic.

[taylorRichie]

It was pretty traumatic at the time but I got over it after awhile. From growing up in Texas, dove hunting, and then moving to Wyoming with my dad, I was always around hunting. Guns and animals just fit now, I guess. Even a couple of months ago, my uncle took his old dying horse up in the mountains one last time, shot him, and left him up there somewhere. He never said anything about it or mentioned he was going to do it. Nobody questioned his actions because everyone could relate to leaving your hunting horse in it's element. I don't know what to say about hunting - it's a way of life that works for many people just like religion works for some and disgusts others. My dad gets all his meat for the year from the elk and deer he kills. It is a leaner, healthier food and just like eating a meal you have prepared for yourself gives you a certain pride; well hunting, killing, and dressing the animal you are going to eat increases that experience. The big horn sheep I took down after high school provided the greatest meals I had during college and was an awesome bonding experience with my dad. Riding horseback 20 miles into Wyoming high country, navigating fully loaded horses with packs through a washed out mountainside trail, surviving unpredictable mountain snow storms, camping with minimal essentials for 2 weeks, taking in everything around you, then taking down a big horn sheep when you are down to your last scraps allowing you to stay another day... I don't think anyone can say anything about "the sport of it" until they themselves have been a part of it. Besides, the animals we have killed died much more humanely than the burger you just bought at the store. Like I said, it's simply just a way of life, it works for some of us and doesn't harm anyone else.

x2

I've never hunted in my life, but I work with hunters... primarily bow hunters. And I enjoy the jerky and meat that I've been given.

I'm going to buy the book now.

[Scott Harness]

x3...I always thought that having a high powered weapon was a MAJOR unfair advantage. I only know one person who IMO, hunts "right". That's my cousin.
He makes all of his own arrow heads & spear points from flint, makes his own long bows & flint knives, etc. Doesn't use bait, salt licks or cameras, just goes out with what he made & brings home food. I've always admired him for that...

The only negative thing about that type of hunting,if your a bad shot, is the animal wanders around with an arrow stuck in it. Eventually dying from starvation or infection. The same can happen with a rifle,but chances are alot slimmer because you can get a second shot fairly quickly.
Look up Ted Kerasote,if you like to read,He has written alot on ethical hunting. He also wrote Merle's Door-Lessons from a Freethinking Dog,FANTASTIC BOOK everybody I've turned it on to has bought several copies for friends. www.MerlesDoor.com

[Scott Harness]

More writings:
www.Kerasote.com/books.html
especially Bloodties-Nature,Culture and the Hunt. Read the reviews. Sounds like he has a really good perspective.

[Ldub]

Look up Ted Kerasote,if you like to read,He has written alot on ethical hunting. He also wrote Merle's Door-Lessons from a Freethinking Dog,FANTASTIC BOOK everybody I've turned it on to has bought several copies for friends. www.MerlesDoor.com

Just reading the excerpt made me want to go out & buy this book...well, that & your recommendation...
I do believe a trip to Barnes & Noble may be in order this afternoon...if I can convince myself to brave the 14 deg weather...

[taylorRichie]

The only negative thing about that type of hunting,if your a bad shot, is the animal wanders around with an arrow stuck in it. Eventually dying from starvation or infection. The same can happen with a rifle,but chances are alot slimmer because you can get a second shot fairly quickly.
Look up Ted Kerasote,if you like to read,He has written alot on ethical hunting. He also wrote Merle's Door-Lessons from a Freethinking Dog,FANTASTIC BOOK everybody I've turned it on to has bought several copies for friends. www.MerlesDoor.com

Thank you for the recommendation... I just finished reading it[Merle's door]... I look forward to reading more of his works, though I can't see them quite measuring up to this one.

Thanks again...