Bye Bramble

[Andy_R]

There's something special about rescue dogs - it's almost as if they know they've been given another chance in life and repay you in bounds (no pun intended). Our last 2 came from rehoming centres and have been a sheer joy to take into our family.RIP Bramble

 

[raleighnut]

 

[Levo-Lon]

Rip little fella,its horible losing a good dog..

 

[Maverick Goose]

RIP Bramble.

 

[Saluki]

Such sad news @Cubist. Our thoughts are with you and yours.
Your Bramble must have known how much you loved her. I have an ancient dog myself, so welling up reading your post more than usual. Bramble was a beautiful girl who looked like she loved every second of her life. What a lovely last 5 years she must have had with you.
RIP Bramble.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

@Cubist

What a lovely walk down memory lane with that photoset. Such a pretty girl too.

She was obviously much loved and it sounds like she lived life to the full whilst she was with you. And, without in any way meaning to be patronising, after years of loving care you owed her a swift and painless release from a life that was done. Fulfilling this, as you did, was the ultimate act of love.

I've been where you are and it is a dark place. It does get better and you will smile again when thinking of your Best Girl. Take comfort in the fact that there are so many poor dogs who lead a rough life and that Bramble was not one of them.

My favourite picture of my boy is very similar to yours (albeit a different breed) - I had it framed and I bet that one of Bramble would look great on your wall! Five years down the line I still look at his pic' every night and say goodnight to him before I go to bed. Mad, I'm sure, but it makes me feel better!

Dogs - crikey, they don't half get into your heart!

 

[hopless500]

Four or five years ago we rescued Bramble. She was on her last day on death row, having been found wandering the streets of Halifax. Originally billed as a young dog by the organisation that was rehoming her, it was clear she was middle-aged, but she was such a sweet-natured thing we took her on. She had a fatty lump on her chest that needed removing, and during tests it was discovered she also had a tumour on her bile-duct. Despite the eye-watering costs we paid to have her mended, and very much enjoyed having a lively, but somewhat dependent West Riding Tripe-Hound.


She loved her walks, and living where we do we had some good long invigorating strolls, her favourite route was along a bridleway leading up to the highest point for miles around, often hit by atrocious weather, but it gave me an excuse to buy some decent gear to accompany her.



She used to love nothing more than sitting and watching rugby with Dad


although she also enjoyed helping me explore the local singletrack


but over the last few months the sparkle faded. She had a couple of stroke-like episodes, and started to become disorientated. The last couple of weeks saw her lose interest in her walks, and she spent most of the day asleep on her favourite sofa. Tests showed she had a problem with her liver, and an attempt at medicating her was a bit too late. She could barely stagger to the garden for a pee and so she made the final journey to the vet for the kindest act of all this evening.

They estimated her age to be 16, so she hasn't done badly. She's shared some good times with us, and that five year extension to her life was rewarding for all.
My favourite memory of Old Bram:

Bless her and you x

 

[Pat "5mph"]

BigCat is reading this, and says Bramble is happy over the rainbow, thinking of her Dad that took her on so many walks and gave her a warm spot to rest by the fire.

 

[Andy_R]

Be prepared for "Phantom Dog" syndrome.....I get it every time one of our pups goes over the bridge. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see pup in his/her favourite place, but when your look properly he/she isnt there. For us it's always been the top of the stairs where all the heating pipes come together under the floorboards before heading to the boiler......or you drop something foodwise in the kitchen and you say "Leave it..."

 

[Andy_R]

Also, you do realise, that within 6 months, no matter how hard you set your heart and refuse to take another pup in, you will do so....not to fill the gap that Bramble has left, but to create a new chapter for a future Bramble. You can never replace them, but you can always add to their family.. Our first rescue was a collie cross who was climbing all over her kennel mate when we saw her at what is now the Dogs Trust. When Mrs R became pregnant with Jnr R we were worried that pup might get jealous. No worries whatsoever, she was the perfect Nana dog, making sure Jnr R was cleaned after all meals and protecting him from spiders and woodlice. She sadly passed with a liver problem, and the current pup is on duty, protecting Jnr R from squeaky toys, the postman, and other things that trigger his grumble mode. BTW Jnr R is now 12 years old, but pup still treats him like her puppy.....she's a Staffie cross, so we're not surprised

 

[ScotiaLass]

Also, you do realise, that within 6 months, no matter how hard you set your heart and refuse to take another pup in, you will do so....not to fill the gap that Bramble has left, but to create a new chapter for a future Bramble. You can never replace them, but you can always add to their family.. Our first rescue was a collie cross who was climbing all over her kennel mate when we saw her at what is now the Dogs Trust. When Mrs R became pregnant with Jnr R we were worried that pup might get jealous. No worries whatsoever, she was the perfect Nana dog, making sure Jnr R was cleaned after all meals and protecting him from spiders and woodlice. She sadly passed with a liver problem, and the current pup is on duty, protecting Jnr R from squeaky toys, the postman, and other things that trigger his grumble mode. BTW Jnr R is now 12 years old, but pup still treats him like her puppy.....she's a Staffie cross, so we're not surprised

Oh so true!
My previous GSD, Wallace, was an incredible companion to my lad with Autism. Wallace was a year old when we rescued him.
When my lad would have a meltdown (over anything it seemed!) Wallace would go to him. The lad would invariably lash out but Wallace would just lay beside him and wait - it's like he was saying 'It's okay, I'm here for you'.
In time, the lad wouldn't lash out at him and he calmed down quicker.
They would play in the garden together, which was great as the lad had a phobia of insects and birds and didn't go out a lot.
Wherever my boy was, there was Wallace.
We were all heartbroken when he had a sudden stomach bleed and had to be PTS.
Losing him was bad enough, but watching the lad melt down as I told him, was beyond pain.

 

[arranandy]

Aww very sad. I feel your pain. We lost one of our cats about 3 weeks ago. He was only 4 but had a heart defect from birth. Wife and daughter are/were very upset not helped by the fact I'm in South Korea working until Cjrkstmas

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

RIP Bramble.