We are responsible for our pets lives & sometimes for their death. We tell people not to hold on to your pet for you when they do not have a good quality of life. They do not know a tomorrow & that what they are doing through will not last forever. How would you like to think you would be in pain forever? Animals can hurt a lot & not show it because they don't want to appear weak to something stronger. It is very hard but staying with your faithful friend at the end is one of the last kind things you can do for them. Most vets will let you stay with & hold & comfort your pet after the final shot has been administered. In most cases, they just go to quietly to sleep & don't wake up again (but there are exceptions). I have bawled & blubbered over my animals (& my vet who is a sweetie) many times. Go ahead & cry if you feel like it, it's nothing to be embarrassed about when you love your pet that much. My Newf Abby is almost 11 & I am dreading the day I will have to make a difficult decision about her. It really sucks that your sister has a whole box of her own problems to worry about too. Linda

Hi Choco...I thought of you when I posted this. Really! I know you were a breeder and showed dogs. What I don't agree is they are trying to spay and neuter at 4 months. So some of this bill has to be cleared up. Because most the time you can't show a pup or young dog till they are 6 mo. It would be a problem. And I know that people think that since you are in the country it would be perfect setting (dumping ground) for their pets that they get tired of. So I guess a revision of this bill would be in order. It is my opinion that it should be a choice. I agree about the mix breeds and lets not forget the "Designer Breeds" that are popping up and selling as it they are purebreeds...now that one ticks me off a bit. $$$ Sell those pups for what they are worth....mixed. We do have a shelter that 2X a year they reduce the cost of spaying and neutering. By supporting them in return you get a coupon to take to a vet for the service. Nice way to give and receive. But I agree there should be more done. But I still like the choice and not the force. I am sure there are others on this forum that have had pets and have taken in strays and have had to do the same as you. Its really not fair to the animals. It's wonderful that there are people like you who take them in and give them a home. But I do realize the $$ that you have incurred. So happy to see you post. I was wondering if you were still here.

Good tip! I got a recipe for liver treats, and considering all the disgusting revolting and harmful crap that goes into the base for pet food and treats, I have decided to start making my own treats as well. As for the regular food, I switched to Natures Variety after much research and my dog and cat loved it from the start. It is a little more expensive but much healthier so could save in vet bills in the long run. If you email Natures Variety and say you would like some samples, they send you a coupon for a FREE 5lb bag. (valued at around $9 depending on where you buy it) Anyway, here is the recipe for liver jerky Cook some calves liver in water, till done (don't overcook, look for timing on poached liver either in a cookbook or online) Add some chopped garlic to the water for extra flavor Remove liver and cut into bite size chunks appropriate for your dog's size. Place on cookie sheet and into a 200 degree over for 2 or 3 hours, till dried. Store in a container in the fridge. The whole point is to turn it into "jerky" and some new ovens, like mine, have a food dehydrating setting, but the low heat/long time setting in a regular oven should work fine. If you try it, I would love to hear how it works out. I have finals this week, but will have more time next week and plan on making a huge batch to give as xmas presents to dogs of friends and family and to the rescue group where I got Oobi. Now, Ms minnamouse, I wonder if I add lemon juice to the liver at some point if it would help it to keep longer, so it won't have to go in the refridgerator...any suggestions on when to add it? Although, jerky is supposed to keep forever, AND these treats are so delicious that they won't last long!

This sort of reminds me of something similar...well, sort of. I had a friend who had a stallion and he fed him 5 gallons of steer feed...for fattening steers...a day. Many times I tried to tell him how foolish this was. One morning, about 6 a.m., he showed up at my house to tell me the horse had died and he needed to get an autopsy done because if it was anything contagious, he wanted to vaccinate his other horses. I told him an autopsy would be expensive. He said he didn't care if it cost $100, he needed to do it. He called the vet, who happened to be my vet and he met him at the barn. I came along to witness this. I did tell the vet, quietly, that he had been feeding the horse steer feed, five gallons at a time, and he didn't care if an autopsy cost $100, he was willing to pay it. The vet walked around the horse and said, "Adam, look here how the horse's head is scuffed up. He died from colic. I can do an autopsy and charge you a lot of money, but I can guarantee you, that is what killed the horse." So, Adam decided, he wouldn't have the autopsy after all. The vet charged him $100 for coming out. (This was nearly 40 yrs ago.) Adam said "I can't believe he just walked around the horse and didn't touch him and still charged me $100." I said, "Just be glad he didn't do the autopsy."