I made a decision a few years ago regarding the passing of my dog Corbu as it relates to my other dog Lucy and ever since wondered if it was the right thing to do. Maybe someone else here has had a similar experience and can tell me if they've ever had to make a similar decision.

My wife and I met in a neighborhood park walking our dogs after work back in 1990. Both were pups at the time and they became fast friends.. we did as well and were married two years later. Corbu (my dog) and Lucy (hers) were inseparable for the next decade+ but eventually age would begin to take it's toll. For Lucy a small whippet/beagle mix it was mostly just grey on the nose area but Corbu, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, began to suffer from diabetes and arthritis in the hips. Corbu eventually lost most of her vision and found it very difficult to get up from the floor and climb stairs. As Lucy continued to hop through the ivy and chase squirrels they became a study in contrasts.

It soon became clear that Corbu's quality of life had deteriorated so much and she was in so much pain that we needed to say goodbye to her.
We asked our vet come to the house to put Corbu down in her bed where she would be the most comfortable. My wife and I discussed what to do with Lucy during the procedure because we knew she would bark at our vet and interfere with Corbu being relaxed. We decided put Lucy in the other room while we tended to Corbu...

...and here is where my decision comes in.

I knew that the two dogs where as close as sisters and I didn't want to have Corbu just mysteriously disappear from Lucy's life. I wanted Lucy to know what happened so after Corbu passed away I brought Lucy back out to see / smell / nudge Corbu.

It still hurts my heart to recall that moment when Lucy realized her best friend was dead.

There was no immediate reaction from Lucy - she just walked away but she was never the same again. She went from being a perky dog who would come running every time she heard the treat jar or the doorbell to a rapidly aging dog who just walked around in a daze. She got very thin and listless and within a month was suffering from internal issues herself.

It wasn't long before Lucy followed her friend Corbu and to this day I wonder if I hastened her end.

Hi, Lee, please permit me to offer you my sincerest sympathies in the physical loss of your beloved Corbu and Lucy. Losing a beloved companion is never easy regardless of the circumstances or how long we are blessed with the privilege of their company. Euthanasia is the last gift of love we can give to our companions on this side of eternity at great sacrifice to ourselves so that they can be restored to their former youthfulness in the company of the angels. To lose two companions in a short period of time is very traumatic.

Lee, you did the very best for Lucy at all times and in all circumstances. Grieving can take a toll on surviving companions as it can take its toll on people. I have seen this with my precious Noah as he has watched all of his housemates precede him to the angels in a short period of ime: His big adopted kitty brother Eli who joined the angels at 6 years of age on December 11, 2006; his big doggy brother Oslo at 15 years of age who joined the angels on November 29, 2009, and his beautiful sibling baby sister Abbygayle at 6 years of age who joined the angels on March 15, 2010. If I were to speak for him, I truly believe the hardest loss was Eli - - because the last time Noah saw him was when I was taking him to the car for his final trip to the vet. He deeply grieved for Eli for 2.5 years. It truly broke my heart seeing him so mournful. Oslo's journey to the angels was eased here at home, and Noah had the chance to say his "good wishes" before I took him to the vet's for cremation. Abbygayle's journey home to the angels was eased at the vet's office, but they let me bring her home so that Noah would have a chance to once again say his "good wishes" to his baby sister - - which he did so very lovingly.

"There was no immediate reaction from Lucy - she just walked away but she was never the same again. She went from being a perky dog who would come running every time she heard the treat jar or the doorbell to a rapidly aging dog who just walked around in a daze. She got very thin and listless and within a month was suffering from internal issues herself. It wasn't long before Lucy followed her friend Corbu and to this day I wonder if I hastened her end."

If there is an underlying illness the stress of grief can have an adverse effect in our companions just as it can have an adverse effect with people. So, I need to ask if your vet was able to determine if Lucy had any illness? How old was she when she joined the angels?

From my experience with my precious Noah, my personal thinking is that you did the right thing letting Lucy know first hand that Corbu was no longer physically alive. Your Lucy could have had the same outcome if you had "protected" her from seeing Corbu's physical body for the final time.

Which brings me back to the question of any insights your vet offered you about Lucy's health decline. Unfortunately we are mere mortals, Lee. We are not blessed with the privilege of foreknowledge - - only the "wisdom" of hindsight. The challenge that comes with this "wisdom" is sorting through the sorrow and guilt of the outcome of our decisions - - and the "vows" we make in the process to "never let this happen again." When we lose our companions or a human family member or friend we are faced with the supreme reality that there really is very little we have any control over in our lives - -including the lives of the ones we love.

I hope and pray that somehow you will be able to find a peace in your heart about Lucy's phyiscal decline after the loss of your beloved Corbu. Neither your beloved Corbu nor Lucy want your heart filled with grief and guilt, for this will overshadow the many beautiful and treasured memories they share with you through the course of their earthly journey with you.

So, for whatever it may be worth to you, Lee, I hope and pray that you will focus on your treasured memories of your beloved Corbu and Lucy, rather than on the "what might have's". You ALWAYS did the very best for your beloved Corbu and Lucy with the information that you had at the time, and they are forever grateful to you for giving them a happy and healthy earthly journey. Their sweet Living Spirits continue to share your earthly journey now just as they always have and always will, - - they are forever a heartbeat close to you.

I hope what I have shared with you will offer you some comfort, Lee. Thank you so very much for sharing your beloved Corbu and Lucy with us. Perhaps sometime you would like to share a picture(s) of them with us - - but only when / if you would like to. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, Lee, and please let us know how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you so much for your quick reply Moon Beam! Your words are very comforting.

Lucy was at least 13 when she passed away. We don't know her age exactly because she found us as a stray but she was an old dog. She lived a full life and had a great friend to share it all with. Maybe she just knew something that I didn't. Maybe she understood that her job was to be a companion to Corbu more than us and she knew she had completed her task.

I do have many pictures of them. I also have paintings I did of them. I used painting as therapy for a long time to help myself deal with the fleeting nature of our time here and the shortened life spans of our pets. The very first painting I did after Corbu died was from a photograph of her as a pup, just weeks after I got her. I've been doing painting for friends who've lost pets ever since. I'll look for the images and post them here.

Thanks again for your empathy!

Hi, Lee, thank you so very much for sharing with us how you're doing. It is true that our companions are much "wiser" than we are - - and this is one of the many reasons why they are so endearing to us. I am very glad I was able to offer you some comfort.

How beautiful your tributes to Corbu and Lucy doing paintings of them, as well as for your friends. I will most certainly look forward to sharing your pictures / paintings of your beloved Corbu and Lucy whenever you are up to posting them.

Lee, I hope today is being kind to you, and I hope you will have a very peaceful evening belssed with your beloved Corbu's and Lucy's sweet Living Spirit to comfort you. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, Lee, and that I look forward to knowing how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

i most definitely think you did the right thing, otherwise, lucy would have more htan likely walked around looking for corbu and it probably would have driven her nuts never to find him.

i always let my other animals see/smell the one that has left us, regardless of their history. i have a mixture of cats and dogs and even if they didnt always get along, i think its only right to let them know what has happened - you dont want the ones that are still with us to wonder if they too shall one day 'go missing'.

companionship with animals is a blessing, but also a heartbreak at some point, we can only do our best.