Dealing with a hard decision

[smilingcat]

Dear Sandra,

I know you are hurting for having to give up Bull. And he misses you too. The thing we have to remind ourselves in situations like this is that someone was there for him. To take care of him. And to love him... He has an angel looking over him. In time, Bull will have recovered and he will be in a home, loved just as he was loved in your family.

Sometimes the best gift you can give to a loved one is to let them go. Let go sometimes means putting them to sleep so they don't suffer. let them go sometimes means to release the animal back to the wild, to fly free in the wild to run... And here it means for you to adopt bull out to a new family who is willing to give him a second chance at life.

Through it all, I understand your hurt. And my sympathy for your loss...
And after a good cry, please realize that you did the right thing. Bull is recovering and no longer in physical pain. And he will be loved.

my sympathy,
Smilingcat

[sandra]

UPDATE Thank you all for your expressions of support and comfort. After a day of agonizing and another night of little sleep, we just can't do it. We are going to get Bull and bring him home.

I just can't bear the thought of him with someone else, no matter how much they love him. We have loved him and cared for him for 8 years. He needs to be where he is already happy. This may not be the best thing for us financially, but it is the best thing for us emotionally and I know it is the best thing for Bull.

I don't know about the next thing or what we will do at that time. We'll deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

I apologize for working through this with all of you, but you have helped more than you can imagine. You have helped me come to this conclusion and I think in a way, that's what message boards are all about, people with common interests coming together which branches out to other areas of our lives.

I'm up and ready for work early so that I can get finished and get off and hopefully go pick him up. Much gratitude....Sandra

[Blueberry]

Sandra-

That's wonderful news!!!!

Please don't apologize for asking for help - I've asked for advice on non-bike related topics here many times, and have been astounded by the wisdom that others have to offer.

Hugs,

CA

[sbctwin]

{{{{{Sandra}}}}}}

[rij73]

I couldn't stop thinking of your situation last night. It made me wonder what I would do!

I'm SO HAPPY that you are keeping Bull. I agree that it's the right thing for him and the right thing emotionally, and if you are a true animal lover, you know that that trumps finances. You guys will make it work out.

By the way, consider pet health insurance. There are a few companies, and they are great. Premiums are super low, and they will reimburse you a lot of the cost of any veterinary treatments. That might be your answer for what the future brings. Hudson (my dog) has insurance precisely because I never want to have to make a decision about his life based on money. We use: http://www.petshealthplan.com/

Oh, and Triskeliongirl, I see where you are coming from completely. I might have misunderstood, but my impression was that the vet *was* going to do the surgery for free and then give the dog to his employee. From the way Sandra told the story, it sounded like since the Bull was going to be with someone who worked there, he would get *free* care... not that the new owner was really taking on the financial responsibility. I might have misread the story.

Anyway, doesn't really matter now!

[sandra]

rij73, I'm sorry that I gave that impression. I really don't know how the vet and the employee had worked out the financial issues. It was not my place to ask and really none of my business.

I made an assumption that he would have better access to medical care, but I really don't know that. I was upset and probably made many wrong assumptions. I am sorry if I misled anyone.

[sandra]

OH my gosh. I just read about the petshealthplan.com. I'm so glad to hear that you have had a good experience with them. Have you actually used it? I wonder if you can get it if they have any pre-existing conditions.

That is THE solution. I called my husband. We are going to do that if he is eligible. We can afford his routine care, grooming, special diet, medications and all that. It is these big things that throw you for a loop.

[sundial]

Sandra, I am so happy for you and your decision. I know you have agonized over Bull's dilemma and you have weighed your options. I don't know......I guess if he were my dog, I would rather have him with me to the end rather than send him off to a loving home.

I'm sending healing thoughts for Bull and hugs to you.

Cathy