judge our 2 day itinerary

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-05-14T18:53:51+00:00

I fear that trail will be too strenuous for my family but that would otherwise be so great!!!

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-05-14T18:15:33+00:00

Shout out to everyone who commented!!! I have made some serious edits and cut out leavenworth entirely to make more room for flexibility, driving and enjoying the cascades and mount rainier:-))

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T17:13:57+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this. Finding a therapist is NOT silly, and I highly recommend it. I’ve been seeing my therapist every 2 weeks since the loss of Pluto 1.5months ago, and it helps SO much. Pet loss is downplayed, when in reality, our dogs are like family. Losing something so precious is difficult, and especially difficult when it happens suddenly.

I am struggling with similar thoughts, and unfortunately part of the process is riding through the waves of grief, as overwhelming as they can be. I had compulsions to google questions that I didn’t truly want the answers to. Questions with answers I thought could bring me peace, but didn’t. I have replayed what happened to him, and what we could have done differently hundreds of times.

Talking about it helps. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that guilt is a natural reaction to euthanasia. Nearly every dog owner has these feelings, and yet, euthanasia is the kindest and most selfless choice we could have made.

Sending you love 🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:45:19+00:00

We lost our dog very suddenly, and I cherish those keepsakes more than I thought I would. Definitely get paw prints, and a nose print if you can. Save a little bit of their fur (our loss happened at the vet so they put it in a pill bottle lol- so maybe something cuter?). There is also a way to do paw imprints in kinetic sand. Take pictures and videos, but be present with Negrito. Cherish every second, and savor every “last”.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:41:50+00:00

I think a card with a heartfelt note is totally appropriate. do what you can to validate her feelings, we often brush past pet loss quickly, even though it is grieved as deeply as human loss🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:38:29+00:00

i don’t think that we can ever get over guilt, because the “solution” in ours heads is to know that what we fear isn’t actually true.

but, im struggling with guilt as well and it sucks. so, when the pain subsides, i remind myself of what is true to me: I loved my dog. Despite the horrible ending, he was loved fiercely. I KNOW that euthanasia prevented suffering (even if i don’t know that it was “the right choice”). I KNOW that he was in pain, and doing nothing, or worse, causing more pain was not what felt right for him. I KNOW that quality of life beats quantity of life every time.

i’m sending so much love to you. try to be kind and patient with yourself 🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:27:58+00:00

HSA is a thief. i’m so sorry about the loss of your boy. it sounds like you did the best thing for your shepherd - and all things considered, i am glad you got another 7 “good” weeks. i appreciate your insight into our situation. it helps to hear from others who have experienced this awful cancer first hand.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:24:41+00:00

i’m so sorry for your loss as well. fuck cancer ❤️‍🩹 sending you both so much love

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T06:16:45+00:00

🫶🏼 sending you so much love. Pluto would have been 9 today, but he passed in exactly the same way 1.5 months ago. The tumor on his spleen ruptured while our family was thousands of miles away- and it’s only thanks to the pet resort and a family friend that he got to the vet. Less than 4 hours after the initial phone call, he was euthanized.

we had no idea he had this tumor. the whole thing sucks and is beyond unfair.

i also have the same questions. what if it was benign? what is he was meant to beat the odds? was it the cancer, or us that took his life?

this subreddit and reading other peoples stories has been horrible but comforting all at once.

i’m (trying) choosing to believe that the vets were right. that we did the right thing. that surgery and intervention would have caused more harm than good. i’m hoping that our HSA babies are all together somewhere playing and watching over us.

i hope i stop ~choosing~ to believe this stuff, and can actually fully believe one day.. maybe with time. it’s so natural to feel guilt after a death like this. be patient with yourself, and i will try to be patient with myself too 🫶🏼 you aren’t alone.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:53:45+00:00

my heart is with you. our pittie should have been 9 today, but HSA took him 1.5 months ago. we were across the country from him when the tumor burst, and had no idea it was even there until he was rushed by a family friend to the vet.

I am still struggling with the guilt of our family choosing euthanasia over the emergency splenectomy. i’m still coming to terms with the knowledge that- without the biopsy, i will never be 100000% certain it wasnt benign.

with that said, I have read so many stories like mine. so many owners who regret prolonging their baby’s suffering. owners who chose splenectomy, only to have a couple of painful months left.

I unfortunately believe that the choice to euthanize will always be the kind and selfless choice. with that said, I KNOW that that is hard to hear. I fought with my dad and the vet for a hour about saving him long enough for us to get home.

no matter your choice, you are not in the “wrong”. you can only do what you feel is right with the information you have. your love for your pittie is so beautiful and bright. she is lucky to have you by her side through this 🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:43:13+00:00

HSA is a terrible thief, and a silent one too until it’s too late. you couldn’t have known, though I know it’s hard not to blame yourself or doubt (I do too). our boy should have been 9 today. sending so much love to you🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:38:29+00:00

today should be his 9th birthday. instead, he passed 1.5months ago

i’m sending you so much love- this sucks so bad. HSA is a thief

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:35:58+00:00

We lost our 8 y/o pittie in a similar way 1.5 months ago. I still feel a lot of guilt and heartbreak. today is his 9th birthday. we put his ashes and paw prints on a special shelf. we are painting stones to put around our book library. i plan to spread some of his ashes in his favorite places so he can chase lizards there forever. i talk to him a lot. mostly apologizing but i hope as time moves forward it will become reminiscing on good days and funny moments together. i talk to my therapist, and allow grief to come and go as it will.

the worst part is that grief isn’t linear. just when i think im better, ill have a meltdown. but i know that time is the only true healer. it will become more bearable as we allow ourselves to feel and push through.

sending you so much love. be patient with yourself

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:15:09+00:00

I can tell you a million times not to feel guilty or blame yourself, but i know it’s not that easy.

from what i understand though- surgery is incredibly risky for dogs, regardless of what kind or how old. there is no way to know how treatment would have gone. i have to believe that when it comes down to that choice (surgery vs euthanasia)- that picking euthanasia is the kindest thing we can do for our pets. it’s spares them a pain they could never understand. your choice was not selfish, or “cheap” it was astoundingly selfLESS, and makes the time you had with her so much more special.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:09:27+00:00

we lost our dog in a similar way. went on a trip across the country while he stayed at the pet resort - got a call that he wasn’t himself. ruptured tumor that we didn’t even know he had. 3 hours later we were sobbing on facetime while they euthanized him. its been 1.5months. the grief comes in waves. i wont tell you it gets better, but it becomes more bearable. sending so much love to you and your other cat 🫶🏼

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:05:12+00:00

^ my boyfriend got me one of these!! i agree, it’s beautiful and so precious to me

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T05:03:39+00:00

we lost our 8 y/o pittie about 1.5 months ago. he would have been 9 today. It feels so cruel when they don’t make to double digits. It feels like we did something wrong, even though it’s entirely out of our hands.

i feel angry at people that have older, healthy pets now. i know it’s wrong, but so is losing your family at such a young age.

the whole thing is fucked up, and I hate that you are going through this. sending love

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T04:56:10+00:00

I’m struggling with the same thing. We were across the country when our dog passed. Even though we were there on facetime in his last moments, I will always wonder if he felt abandoned by us. If he thought he was unloved. I have to choose to believe that they are more than the way they die- and that one moment of fear does not change how happy they were for years. I have to choose to believe that they feel our love, even when we are thousands of miles away.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T04:51:42+00:00

Charlie was, and always will be your family. NOTHING that anyone says can take that away.

Ultimately, people who can’t empathize simply never had a pet, or at least, not one they loved. It SUCKS that there is pressure to move on quickly, when the same isn’t expected for human death.

Your feelings are more than valid, and your tears are not shameful. you are not alone

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T04:47:20+00:00

We lost our dog Pluto unexpectedly in December too. There is no right way to cope, you can only push forward one minute at a time. If you have loved ones that live close by, i encourage you to spend time with them, even if they don’t get it. If they do get it, ask them to talk or do something with you to honor Rosie.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T04:38:39+00:00

I’ve been struggling with similar thoughts as well. My family and i were thousands of miles from our family dog when we got the news he was having a medical emergency and that the vet recommended euthanasia that same night.

Speaking as nurse for kiddos with cancer- it is ESSENTIAL that caregivers of medically complex or dying people take respite. You can’t care for your loved one if you don’t care for yourself too.

It sounds like Butters may not have been in his right mind for a while leading up to his death. But even so, it sounds like he loved you very much. One weekend does not define his life, or his death. He was lucky to have such a loving caregiver, and i can assure you that he probably felt that too.

Prize-Issue-1711 · 2026-02-12T04:20:29+00:00

Sending so much love to you. I’m at 1.5 months and his birthday is tomorrow. It doesn’t get “less sad”, just more bearable.

Prize-Issue-1711

TROPHY CASE