by Terri Edinburgh

Created on: May 19, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

My fondest childhood memory was of our beloved dog Rex. He was a full breed German Shepherd, born of a strong lineage of police dogs, and very well trained by my father. Of course as a child, that meant nothing to me, my brother or my sister. What did mean something to us was his unconditional love for us; his loyalty; his courageousness; his willingness to protect us no matter the cost. Rex never started a fight, but he never backed down or walked away from one when provoked. I remember our water fights with Rex in the back yard, the many hours of play and the anticipation of waiting for homemade ice cream to be ready. You see, Rex loved ice cream as much as we did! I remember our many trips with Rex to Clear Lake for fishing and the mountains to go hunting. Rex was just not a dog; he was a part of our family.

Unfortunately, as is common in many large full breed dogs like German Shepherds, Rex succumbed to hip dysplasia. What this did over a period of time was change our active, robust, full of life, always ready to go Rex into a dog who could barely get around. It started out simply enough. Rex seemed to exhibit signs of stiffness or soreness when getting up. He developed an abnormal gait and went from limping, to bunny hopping, to eventually dragging his back legs to get around. Despite the pain he suffered, Rex never quit, he never stopped trying. Even though he could not play with us like he used too, his eyes always told us he was ready to try, and we always gave him ample opportunity to do so.

After many trips to the vet, my father began to talk to us about Rex's suffering and the pain he was in. We cried, and because of our youth, we refused to let our dad take Rex anywhere. So finally, one day, we came home from school to find our beloved life long friend and constant companion dead in the backyard. It wasn't until many years later, that my mom confided in me that my dad had our vet come to the home to put Rex to sleep. I would not have understood as a child, but I did as an adult.

When is it time to put your loving dog, your pet, your family member to sleep? When that pet, my Rex, cannot live the quality of life he/she has become accustomed to. When every move; every breath becomes a struggle. When that pet looks in your eyes and see your love, and you look in his/her eyes and see their pain. There is never a good time to let go, but there is a right time.

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