Hello, My name is Lisa Quirke. I live in Cork City in Ireland. My beautiful friend Max Quirke Came home with me In July 1995 a few weeks after I got married. I had always wanted a dog and rushed to get one after my marriage. I was only 22 and had no children and he was the most magnificant puppy I have ever seen in my life. He was 6 weeks old. I fell in love with him the moment i saw him and that was it for me and my husband. We had nothing back then, no money and a rented house that was ancient and falling apart but we had so much love I cant ever describe. Every day was a joy with max. He was the happiest dog ive ever come across and nothing ever got him down. Though the years that followed we always went on holiday together and he was the whole of Ireland. We lived right next to a great field and we went there every day and he loved it. He lived inside always and slept on my bed almost every night of his life. After a few years we bought a bigger house and moved and he loved it there too. I still live at this home. Again it was very close to a great glen area for walks . We used to drive to a place called crosshaven on the coast which is only about 30 minutes drive a lot especially in the good weather. Those are the most precious memories of all the summers spent walking there and the joy it brought me. After 7 and a half years of marriage I had a chiild at last and was very worried my Max who was in essence the baby would get jealous even though he was so placid. I could not have been more wrong. He used to rest his head on my stomach when i was pregnant and listen to the bay move. If it was possible I loved him more then. When my son came home Max bonded with him and protected him from the very first day. They became great friends and as my son grew they became to partners in mischief. Max taught my son every thing he knows about getting what he wants. My son Michael is now three. I became pregnant again last May and loast the baby and Max hepled me through that hell more than I can ever explain. As always he was there for me and put his head on my lap to show mw his love and support when I was sad. I got pregnant again two months later and am no seven months along. I wondered as turned 10 last June would he mind another baby but I knew he would not and would be just as good again. Once more as I got bigger he rested his head on my stomach listening to the baby and I made sure after I had my first son that things never changed between us and we had just the same relationship as before . He was involved in everything as always as it should be. Last Saturday while on a stroll wiht my husband somwe thing strange happened to my max and he seemed to fall down slightly. I called the vet immediatly and was told it might have beena fit but he did not know the cause. I was to bring him to the surgery on Monday morning for tests. He was good all day Sunday and seemed almost fine. The Mondayt morning I knew he was not right and he went to the vet and was very shaky on his feet there. The vet tested his urine and said He felt that it was a kidney infection and was giving him small fit like occurance which he could control. I was given antibiotics and told to bring Max back yesterday Wednesday for more tests. He also gave me special food for kidney problems and said to try to get Max to eat that. He had a bad day on Monay and vomitted a lot but did not have any more fits. The vet said this was normal and the vommitting would stop after the antiboiotics took hold. On Tuesday he was improved again and did not vomit all day and was sprightly and normal but had a four small fits lasting maybe a second or two that I noticed during the day. I brought him in for the tests yesterday morning and he suddenly vomitted while waiting to be seen. As the nurse was cleaning this he got a fit but this time it was big and I knew it was serious. It went on for at least 30 seconds. I held him through it and then got him off the bench we were on to the floor were it went on ans then stopped. the vet witnessed all this and said that was a bad one and they had to take him in immediatly and find out the cause but that he woulds be ok. I hugged him and kissed him many times and told him how mush I loved him as I know how much he hates the vets and I did not want to leave him there. It seems when the brought him into the other room and set him down he went to asleep and never woke up. I dont understand what has happened to my beautiful boy. This is a dream and I want to wake up now. I brought him home and buried him in my back garden but I dont understand whats going on. I can not accept he is gone , He is everwhere and I cant cope. I cant think and I dont know what im doing. Im trying to keep it together for my son but am failing as My world has fallen down around me . Im angry , broken hearted , confused , lost , and shocked. Mostly I want to touch him like I did yesterday morning on my bed and kiss his beautiful warm face. He never once on the ten years slowed down in any way. He was the same as always.He never got old or grey or anything like that. He looked the same. Only last week a man asked me where I got my puppy. This was a regular thing. I got no answers from the vet. Does anyone no what happened to my baby. Can anyone help me to cope, I dont know what to do, What am I supposed to do now. Everything is all wrong, This is all wrong, Nothing is ever going to be the same again. I want him back and want to scream and scream at the injustice of it. Please help me if you can.

Hello Lisa I am sorry at your loss I too lost My Baby Baron very suddenly on Monday he had been fine as well but had thrown up and when I took him to the vet they said he swallowed something that was all and they would remove it. When they were doing the operation they said it was his large intestine was I guess you would say twisted and most of it had died they could not save him. I felt as you feel and still do! I want answers myself This is probably one of the most hardest times of my life. But I am thankful that I had him and have to think of all the good and wonderful things Baron gave me just like Max gave to you. I will keep you in my prayers. We are lucky to have that unconditional special love that we will never forget and I get angry too because I do not understand and I want Baron back so bad I would sell my soul but I cannot. He was loved and he loved back and they will always be with us and no one can take that away!

Im not sure how to reply properly on here but this is for ericamc. Im so very sorry for your loss also. Im just going rouund today desperate to take my mind off this madness and some how thought of trying to see if there were others like me. Sorry for the typos but my eyes are shot from crying and I dont know helf of what Im doing since yesterday anyway. How old was Baron? What kind of Dog was he? Im glad you got a little information from your vet even though it was too late. Im terrified that me bringing him there yesterday finished him . Of course I thought about it as the years moved on, but Im real good at pretending things like that would never happen especially to Max. I never thought when it did come that it would be like this. I knew i would be destroyed but never thought it would happen to him like this. He is buried outside my kitchen window so Im looking and looking and cant believe he is there under the ground. We dont have pet cemetries or anything like that in Ireland which is awful as I would have liked to have have some sort of gathering at least but , I would never have put him anywhere else except next to me anyway. Im consumed with guilt over yesterday. Even that 10 minutes in that room without me he was alone. I cant get past that I was not with him. How scared was he without me, Can he ever forgive me for those moments. Why oh why did I not realise there was no hope and bring himn home and let him die in my arms, Why did the vet not know what was going on after 3 visits and a routine checkup christmas week where I was told he was in fantastic health which I know now he could not possibly have been. I suppose it all comes down to the same thing in the end and that is that our loved ones are gone forever. I hope that you can get through this and that I can too. No one at the door , no sounds of movement around the house that make it the home it was. No food bowls no squeeky toys going off. No warm wet nose and soft fur to hold and no beautiful eyes to stare into. God help me he took so much of me with him i feel no more good. I wish you well and strength and thank you for talking to me.

Oh my goodness, as I read your story, I am crying too. There are no words to make it better, but be assured that others on this board are grieving with you. I too lost my Sheltie, Bailey, at 10 years old. She too was fine until the day she died--just lay down and that was it. In the days since September 26, I have asked all of the same questions you are asking. There is no easy answer. I guess since our precious pups gave us so much during their short lives, they did not want us to suffer through a long "saying goodbye" process. Your dog Max sounds like a beauty..so supportive of you in your pregnancies, and such a good friend to your little boy. Shelties are special members of the family, as all good pets are. We always ask, "Why?" and wonder what we could have done differently. But we do the best we can, and have faith that our best friends will be waiting for us on the Rainbow Bridge sometime in the future. By the way, we have been to Ireland, and particularly Cork, five times. You have a beautiful countryside to go and walk and meditate. I have always felt particularly connected to God when I am there--the sky is so big there. I am rambling now, so I will stop. But please remember that you have friends here that can indeed feel the pain you are suffering now. Please take care of yourself, and have joy in the memories and the wonderful family that you describe .

I'm in tears right along with. When I was growing up I had a sheltie-Trixie, she was so sweet and a lovely companion. I can imagine how much you are missing Max and how hard it is not knowing what happened.
It all sounds very odd...almost like he was having seizures. If that is indeed what it was, I am told that they are painfree. I had a cat that had seizures every so often and she was never in pain.
I can't believe your vet has no idea what happened.
I know right now it is so hard for you and you can't help but focus on what happened at the end but try to think of all the wonderful times over a period of 10 years that you shared. All the love you shared is what is important. max was a lucky dog to have been loved so much by all of you. The love doesn't die...it is always around you.

hi lisa,

i know exactly what you're going through. i lost my dog flurry yesterday, and it seemed so sudden. he was 9 and a half years old but was still like a puppy, and everyone was always shocked to hear his age.
flurry has been having a couple of odd symptoms for the past month or so... hesitant to jump off the bed, yelps when he moved his head sometimes, and tuesday night he vomited twice. then yesterday all of a sudden he turn a horrible turn for the worse and my parents rushed him to emergency and they found kidney stones and two tumors... he was bleeding internally and had to be put down.
i am in such a state of shock right now because he acted just like a puppy and i thought i would have him for many more years.

my heart is aching for my flurry and for your max right now. i hope they are playing in doggie heaven together.