Friday, March 4, 2011

Flying Bavarian aka, Bavarian, B-Man, Newbie, Snoobie, Green Trees and others I cannot publish!

Today Les and I had to put down our very first greyhound Bavarian.  He was 12 and a half years old.  Les let him outside with the others this morning.  When he looked out the door a little while later he saw that Bavarian wasn't using his back leg.  He barely got him into the house and then Bavarian laid down in a crate and did not move.

We took him to Dr. Kolar's at one thirty today.  It turns out he had broken his femur.  Les thinks that he may have been trying to get up and that the femur broke from all the pressure Bavarian put on it pulling himself up.  Bavarian's hips had been bad for a while now and he had been having a hard time getting his legs under him for a while now.   However it happened we made the decision to go ahead and end his suffering .  He had a long life and was a wonderful friend to us.

Bavarian was my heart dog.  He made me fall in love with greys and made me want to help them however I could.  He was loving, funny, spoiled, maddening and a trash raider all rolled into one.  There will be no dog like him and I am thankful to have been able to have had him for seven and a half years.

No trash can left unattended was safe with him.  He also loved to counter surf if we were fools enough to leave food on the counter when we left the house.  Just this weekend he snagged half a box of fig newtons and ate every one of them.

I miss him dearly and will for a long time to come.  I know that it will take me a few days to stop expecting him to come through the door when I let them in from outside.  He was always the first one to charge through the door.  I always count them as they pass me coming into the house and tonight there will be one less to my total.

It just won't be the same without my beautiful brindle boy with the missing toe, fancy tail and bad breath.  I am thankful for my fur babies at home, that helps ease the pain somewhat but I still miss him.

Give your fur babies a hug for me.

Bavarian - 7/16/1998 - 3/4/2011
Tattoos 74775 and 78C
Racing name:  Flying Bavarian









21 comments:

  1. Jess, I am so very sorry! I remember losing my heart dog four years ago and I was just devastated. Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

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  2. Jess, I am so very sorry. I lost my heart dog, Kasie, just last September, and I know how hard it is. You and Les are in my thoughts tonight and in the coming days. I hope you and your pack can comfort each other in your grief. hugs...Janette, Rio, Tiana, Willy and Merlin

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  3. Oh no! I am so sorry...it seems that most of us have lost our heart dog. Even though he is no longer physically present, you will have your memories forever.

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  4. Along with everyone else I'm so very sorry to read this. Hopefully knowing we are all feeling great sympathy for you and Les will be of some comfort. Barvarian's passing will leave a huge hole in your life and your pack but I'm sure Sweetheart and the rest of them will do their best to help you through this.

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  5. I am so sorry for your loss. My heart aches for you.

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  6. I am so sad to hear this...but I am so thankful you have other fur babies...regardless it is always a very difficult decision...my prayers are with you...

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  7. I am so very sorry for your loss. Our prayers are with you tonight. Love on those furbabies when you get sad!

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  8. (((Jess))) I am so sorry to read of Bavarian's passing. So glad you have your other fur babies to help with the sadness.

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  9. You will be missed Bavarian...you were a GREYT ambassador for the breed, adoption and for Fasthound. RIP big boy, you are now flying free at the Rainbow Bridge with all of our other furbabies that got there ahead of you. Hugs {{{{{Jessica and Les}}}}}

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  10. I am so sorry to hear of your loss, my deepest sympathies and condolences go out to you Jessica and Les during such a difficult time. It's never easy having to say goodbye, especially when they have been faithfully by your side, and such important members of your family. I have included a few poems, that I hope can help ease your suffering as they helped with mine when we lost mother/son 6 months a part.

    Meags



    The Rainbow Bridge

    By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill, is a lush green meadow where time stands still. Where the friends of man and women do run, when their time on earth is over and done.

    For here, between this world and the next, is a place where each beloved creature finds rest. On this golden land, they wait and they play, till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

    No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness, for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness. Their limbs are restored, their health renewed, their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
    They romp through the grass, without even a care, until one day they start, and sniff at the air. All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back, then all of a sudden, one breaks form the pack.

    For just at that instant, their eyes have met; together again, both person and pet. So they run to each other, these friends form long past, the time of their parting is over at last.

    The sadness they felt while they were apart, has turned into joy once more in each heart. They embrace with a love that will last forever, and then, side-by-side, they cross over…together.


    Beyond The Rainbow

    As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
    I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
    I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free
    Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

    I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
    Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide!
    And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
    Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!
    My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
    And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

    I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
    That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night.
    'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold
    And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

    For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
    We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
    So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
    If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.


    A Parting Prayer

    Dear Lord, please open your gates
    and call St. Francis
    to come escort this beloved companion
    across the Rainbow Bridge.

    Assign her to a place of honor,
    for she has been a faithful servant
    and has always done her best to please me.

    Bless the hands that send her to you,
    for they are doing so in love and compassion,
    freeing her from pain and suffering.

    Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss.
    Help me remember the details of her life
    with the love she has shown me.
    And grant me the courage to honor her
    by sharing those memories with others.

    Let her remember me as well
    and let her know that I will always love her.
    And when it's my time to pass over into your paradise,
    please allow her to accompany those
    who will bring me home.

    Thank you, Lord,
    for the gift of her companionship
    and for the time we've had together.

    And thank you, Lord,
    for granting me the strength
    to give her to you now.

    Amen.

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  11. I am so sorry for your loss. I found you through Sue and Song's Graceful Greyhounds blog that I've been following since I started blogging last year.

    I am so very sorry that I came here at a time of such sadness. I'll be thinking of you and sending you my very best wishes.

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  12. So sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  13. I am so very sorry for your loss. Bavarian sounds a lot like my Mork man, who will also leave a huge hole in my heart when he leaves. Please accept my condolences for the loss of your special boy.

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  14. Having had to face the same terrible decision mid last year with Schniff (aka Go Joe Go) I know exactly what you are going through. Schniff was my first Greyhound and he was the best ambassador. Everyday I still miss him terribly. Although Cami and Jakka are now just s much a part of our family Schniff will always be my first hound, not my last but always my first. Love is a hard master. I'll be thinking of you and dreaming about Schniff & Brave Bavarian running together under the Rainbow Bridge. X

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  15. Oh, Jess, I am so sorry that you have lost Bavarian. It's always so hard. I can see from all you do for greyhounds just how much he has given you -- your work is his legacy. My thoughts are with you and Les.

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  16. Oh no, I am so sorry you lost Bavarian. I'm sure he knows how much you love him. He'll be watching over you and your family now.

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  17. That is very sad. He had a good life with you, and he perhaps knew that Sweetheart now strong enough to help you along after his passing. It is very hard to watch them get old and frail. Thinking of you...

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  18. Thank you to everyone for all of your kind words. I miss my big guys terribly but I am grateful for having had him in my life. I am thankful that he is not suffering and that he went peacefully. He was a great boy and won't ever be forgotten. I will miss seeing his three toed paw print outside when it rains and watching him delicately eat slices of bread (his favorite). So many memories of him and those are the best part of his legacy. Again, thank you to everyone for taking the time to comment, as always, it makes Les and I smile to hear that you guys care so much.

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  19. Jess I am in tears reading this. I lost my first greyhound Enza suddenly three years ago. she was the perfect greyhound ambassador and opened my heart to three more greyhounds. even after three years I can not talk about her without tearing up. my heart breaks for you. Know that he will be with you always. and know that he has done his job by opening your heart to him and other greyhounds as well. Big hugs and prayers sending your way. JB

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  20. Condolences on your enormous loss. May your beloved send you only the sweetest of dreams, and gentle kisses on the wind. -- Batmom

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