Thank you to Bruno the rottweiler's owner

While hanging out in the lobby of a Ft Collins, CO hotel, I witnessed something that touched my heart.

A man walked by with a three legged rottweiler named Bruno. Bruno's hind right leg was amputated and his front right leg was wrapped in a cast. He could barely walk and limped badly on the one right leg he did have.

I asked what had happened and the owner said Bruno has been battling cancer. He lost his one leg to cancer, but unfortunately it spread to his other leg and through his body and Bruno only has a couple weeks to live now.

The owner was decked out in a Red Sox shirt and hat and said he and Bruno are from Boston and have travelled to Ft Collins several times for Bruno's treatment (there is a leading vetrinary program at Colorado State University). This must be taking a terrible financial toll on the owner but I believe he is doing right by his friend Bruno. I do not know this man but I feel proud of him in a way for being such a kind person. I hope that in the same situation I would do the same thing. Unfortunately many people are unable to treat other people with the kindness and respect this man treats his dog.

One of the most valuable lessons in life is death. We must recognize that we are all mortal and will experience death eventually. It's the great equalizer, as death greets both kings and peasants. I come from a muslim backround and the recongnition that you will one day die is an important part of my faith. Someday we'll all die and be judged for our actions. We should not get so caught up in the day-to-day life to forget this and commit harmful actions. Judging by what I saw today, Bruno's owner doesn't have much to worry about in that department.

I don't mean to get all religous on here, but somehow meeting a sick dog today provided a weird sort of spiritual awakening...

Although I applaud it the owner goes to such lengths to help his dog I have to wonder if that is what is best for the dog....
I can't imagine he has much quality of life left.

I have a 4 year old Rotti female. She would have been put down by many people if they owned her. She had major problems with both her rear legs. This dog is the most loving thing I have ever had. My only past experiences with Rotti's was with Police dogs. To be frank they scarred the living hell out of me.

All I can say is that I have invested close to $10,000 in vet bills for my girl and I am just happy that I could afford it, she is worth every penny of it.

Oh, and by the way, she is doing fantastic. She loves to chase the laser more than a cat.

jelly... on the whole death thing... last year, I worked for the county Medical Examiner for 5 months. I was the Medical Examiner Assistant... fancy title to cover just about every area of the office that you can possibly imagine with the exception of the actual autopsy... although I attended and assisted many. Talk about looking at death just a tad bit differently! I completely understand when you say "a weird sort of spiritual awakening"... and it has nothing whatsoever to do with religious beliefs. I have missed the job terribly since I left back in October. Fortunately, the Powers That Be have decided that I am suited for such a place in this life and if all goes well, I will be back on the job as of July 1st. I can honestly say that I have never in my life worked in such a fulfulling job... and humbling.

Dogs... I have 8 of them... and have lost more than that over the years. I'd do anything for them... and my heart goes out to Bruno's owner... but like B@rt said, the quality of their lives is what really matters... and I have always tried to put that first and foremost above my own "needs". I had to put my Rottie down on the day of my daughter's junior prom... :sigh:

Gorn, I can relate to that.
Nagy has been operated on both hips for HD when she was 9 months old, she's 11.5 years old now, and still very happy.

I've seen the other side too though, and have had to put my bouvier to sleep just before she was 7. I held her when we were at the vet, and both me and my wife as well as the vet were crying when it was over....

..that's a tough part of being a vet, face it, we humans outlive just about all other animals.. When you obtain a pet, you are probably going to have to face it dying some day..ferrets; they live just long enough for you fall in love with them, then then they're gone after 5-6-7-possibly 8 years.. if you get a long-lived pet like an African Grey parrot, you need to write a will to provide for the bird, because at 80 + years life span, it will probably outlive you..

While my heart goes out to Bruno and his owner, I have to agree with Bart. There has to be some quality of life to go with the pain.

I have spent many tens of thousands of dollars on my pets. Money is not the issue. We don't put pets to sleep as long as they have some happiness. We had a cat that was blind for the last 5 years of his life. We had a kitten with drain bamage that lived with us happily for 18 years or so. We had a cat with a shattered leg that needed pins and was stiff for the rest of her life.

But the key is that they were happy most of the time. They were not in constant pain. They were always pampered. I hope Bruno was happy and pain free.

Daniel

FWIW, Bruno looked like he was plodding along OK and he even seemed happy. The guy did say he only had a short time left - I assume that means they were putting him down.

A good friend of mine died recently. He was perfectly healthy and found out he had a rare form of cancer around Thanksgiving. By new years, he had lost most of his weight and couldn't eat. He didn't last past April. He was only 40.

Whether you're canine or human you will die eventually. How you die doesn't matter much. You have to be ready for that day every day.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

I'm glad to hear Bruno seemed in good spirit. I hate to see needless suffering when the final outcome is the same.

btw, I can't believe I missed the part about where it was...
I have been there while I was visiting a friend many years ago, and was with him while his dog was put to sleep.... oo:

I would never, ever want to see an animal suffer. But, a fair assessment of an animals contentment or happiness can only best be made by its owner.

I took my Akita, Mijo to the vet back in Feburary for a cancerous tumor in her mouth. The vet wanted to put her down right then. I said no, she is going home. She was still happy and enjoying life and in no pain or discomfort that we could see.

She made it till two weeks ago today. The tumor had gotten so large that it spread into her nostrils and was starting to bleed lightly. She was 13 years and 4 months old. She was still happy and enjoyed her final ride in the car. She went peacefully and now plays with all of our pets that have crossed over at the Rainbow Bridge. She was a wonderful gentle bear of a dog and will be missed.



I am glad Bruno had a caring owner.

Some people will never fully understand the love of a good dog.....I have said it many times however will say it again and that is a good dog will be much more loyal than most people I know.

I had my friend Zeus for 12 years and for a 250 lb Great Dane this was a very long time to say the least. In the end I had to decide to end it for him and it was the least i could do for him in exchange for 12 years of pure joy he gave me.

Yes I consider myself a manly man but that face of his could always bring me to my knees and turn me into a pudding cup.....damn do I miss him every day and always will. Many people own animals that should not do so I believe however for some in this world they are excellent owners such as the man you described with Bruno.

I have known many who said I was weird for having such love for an animal as I spoiled him daily. I dressed him up on Halloween and even had Birthday Parties for him....he loved the attention and gave as much joy as he received. A good dog has no hidden agendas nor will they turn their back on you and these are qualities you will not find in many people these days.

I always enjoy these type threads as it brings back old memories for me as well as others here I am sure.....thanks for the story I enjoyed it.

I have had 2 Rotties, Ceasar was almost 11 and had to be put down just due to old age and the many problems that were taking him down. When my daughter was diagnosed with Giant Cell Fibroblastoma, I got her a Rott puppy, Gabriel. That dog was glued to her every move. Slept in her bed, untill he got up to about 130 pounds and couldnt fit anymore. They would do everything together, even jump on the trampoline. Somehow he got into antifreeze (someone had to put it in the yard for him to get to), vet said the crystals in the blood were a givaway. Had to put him down at about age 4. Both of these rotts were big babies, wanting nothing more than to be in your lap and have you love on them. Vet said he could have done IV's and other stuff to try and save Gabriel but he was already in great pain and really sick from organ shutdown. Its hard to do but it would be terrible to let a best friend suffer.

I'm thru with pets. In the last couple of years I lost 2 dogs and 2 cats. They were old and the dogs needed to be put down.

People keep asking me how the dogs are, and I tell them they're in 'doggy heaven'. Then they ask if I still have the cats, too, and I tell them they're in 'doggy heaven, too'. I mean, how many different heavens do there need to be?