Rest in Peace Emmitt

Emmitt

The last few days have been pretty rough for us. Our beloved dog, Emmitt, passed away Wednesday night. He was only eight years old.

Last week he developed what we thought was a minor illness. He was drinking a lot of water and was slightly bloated, but other than that he seemed pretty normal. The first round of tests that the vet performed revealed nothing. He went into the vet again on Wednesday morning for an ultrasound, it revealed that the bloating was blood. Emmitt was bleeding internally from cancerous tumors that had ruptured. He underwent emergency surgery, but it was unsuccessful.

We spent Wednesday night at the animal hospital, holding and comforting him until the end came. Our only comfort is that he did not suffer, the end came quickly.

Just two years ago, I lost my other dog, Booger. His passing was from old age, and was slow and painful. I remember thinking that it would be much better if it was from a single event, and happened quickly. I was wrong. Emmitt’s death came so suddenly, and unexpectedly, that we were totally unprepared. It’s been a devastating blow for both of us. I’m fighting back the tears as I write this.

Emmitt was a wonderful dog, and a treasured friend for many years. We loved him dearly. He will be missed.

18 thoughts on “Rest in Peace Emmitt”

  1. I check your blog often after finding such funny and cool stuff and was saddened to hear about your loss, I’m so sorry to hear about your dog…

    We lost our dear kitty Emma (6 year old British Shorthair) after a house move – she had a siezure and heart attack brought on by stress. She died 5 minutes after we brought her to our new house. Needless to say it was shocking and devastating, so understand the pain and confusion you must be going through.

    I feel for you and your family. My sympathies go out to all of you.

  2. This is just the saddest news. It’s so hard to believe Emmitt’s gone. Emmitt began life abused and scared. But under your care, he thrived. Once Emmitt realized he was loved, he gained confidence and his wonderful personality emerged. Though his time here was short, Emmitt’s final years were good, happy years and that’s something to be thankful for.

  3. Just stumbled across your blog… I’ve been through exactly the same thing with my dog. It’s never easy to loose a great friend but nice we have the chance to be with them to the end. I’m sorry for your loss.

  4. I am really sorry for your loss. As a pet owner I can feel your pain! Our animals are just like family and you can feel their pain as though it is yours! I am very sorry for your lost.

  5. paul, so eloquently written. i called him “emmit-the-dog”, but loved him as the great friend he was, regardless of species. emmit was way more fun than lots of people i know, with a quirky and unique personality that would always make us smile. he was so intuitive and smart and goofy and silly — i wish all the blog readers could have known this great dog. while i’ve lost a nephew, this must be so much more magnified for you, his dad. i offer my sincerest condolences.

  6. I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I just lost my 15yr old Corgi (Kasey) 2 months ago. We had to put her to sleep. Extremely hard to do. It gets better after a few days. Better as in you don’t feel like crying every 5 mins. Take care.

  7. AWWWWWWW, I started to cry reading your thoughtful words. It brought back all the sad memories of our beloved Chocolate Lab BaileyAnne who also died from cancerous tumors, hers were in her lungs.
    We were blessed to have taken her on one last trip to the Porcupine Mountains to hike and camp before she was put down. She almost didn’t make the trip and we came home early from vacation to have her treated.
    If we had known she was sick before our vacation we probably would not have gone…. but not knowing we went and had a good last trip with our dog …. 3 days after coming home she was put to sleep.

    I’m so sorry for your loss, but as another said … after a few days you won’t cry every 5 minutes and within a few months you will feel much better … it helps to get another dog … I only lasted 6 weeks before I brought another lab home … Piper is a wonderful dog but she’s not my Bailey Girl!! I’m filled with great memories of my big brown dog!

  8. I’m very sorry for your loss. Dogs have that special empathy with owners. It’s more than a pet, it’s really a close friend.

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