This story is so sad that it made CB, Kaiser, and myself get all sentimental about puppies. These are some amazing photos of Ryan Gosling with his beloved dog, George, in 2011. Ryan is very compassionate about animals and has recently asked people to care about pregnant pigs in small cages, but at heart, he’s a dog person. If it were up to Ryan, he’d take George everywhere, and he very nearly does that — remember when he took George to yoga class, and the poor creature peed in the corner and sniffed booties galore?
Now George is getting up there in advanced doggie years at the age of 13, and Ryan is beside himself with anticipatory grief. In fact, these old photos might point towards a potential health issue for George a few years ago because he’s half shaved just like when my dog had an ultrasound. I hope George is okay now other than “old age,” but Ryan feels like his boy won’t make it another year, and he was so afraid of taking him on a long flight to his current film location that he had to take some drastic boarding measures:
When it comes to their beloved dogs George and Hugo, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes spare no expense. While the couple of nearly two years are on location in Iceland filming their movie, How to Catch a Monster, they are spending a pretty penny to allow their pets to stay at Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan’s L.A. home, mostly due to 13-year-old George’s ailing health. “Ryan is heartbroken over George and doesn’t expect him to make it another year,” reveals an insider.”
“He didn’t want to take him on a long flight, so Eva pushed him to allow the dogs to stay with Cesar, who is her friend.” The source adds that an emotional Ryan, 32, was still hesitant to leave George but trusted that Eva, 39, knew best. “Ryan is still on pins and needles being away from George,” says the pal. “He’s fearful that something tragic will happen, so he Skypes with George and Cesar every day.” And just when you thought Ryan couldn’t get more adorable.
[From Star, print edition, August 19, 2013]
Poor George and poor Ryan. Poor Eva too? I guess. This story is much like Fiona Apple’s recent plight where she cancelled several tour dates to stay home with her own dying dog. I guess Ryan wasn’t in a position to cancel his film since he’s in the director’s seat, and producers probably wouldn’t oblige. Hopefully, the Skype is helping, but it’s never the same as feeling doggy breath on one’s face.
This dog is George too, right? It looks like the same dog to me.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet
Poor George.
It’s so hard to say goodbye to pets. We just bought a house and moved in last week – they left us their cat. Which annoyed me, not because we’ve gained a cat, but because they were just cool with leaving it to strangers.
And the poor thing is about 13 years old. She’s so sweet though. She seems to be pretty healthy considering she’s getting up there in age, so I’m hoping she has a few more good years left in her.
Thank you for taking care of Kitty instead of treating her like a piece of trash, as her previous family did.
She has been living a relatively spoiled life for the last week. She comes in and out whenever she wants, and I’m constantly brushing her, and giving her treats. She now follows me around the property whenever I’m outside.
You’re awesome, Erinn ♥
Yes! Thank you!!
I can’t believe how cruel people can be leaving animals when they move. It sounds like kitty has a better home with you!
As for Ryan and his dog, I think it’s sweet that he cares so much. Too many people treat their pets like they have no feelings and are just acessories like purses or whatever. We love our dogs and cats and they are part of our family. Two of our dogs are getting up in age and I know we won’t have too many years left and it’s tough. I will miss them so much when it happens.
Wish more people had Ryan’s compassion!
It depends on where they were moving to — some cats bond more with the house than the owner and disrupting the cat’s life might have been crueler than leaving her. Especially if it was an outdoor cat and they were moving to an apartment. Just a thought — don’t know if it’s true in this case.
She’s an indoor-outdoor kitty. She also tried to pawn her dog off on us for a YEAR then we’d have to give it back to her daughter. I couldn’t take it for a year then give it back up. She found someone else to take it. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. He’s not there. And I really hope they didn’t put him down, because I said if they wanted to leave him for good, we’d take him in.
OK, I could give them the benefit of the doubt on the cat decision but not the giving up the dog for a year! I really hope that someone else has the dog now. I am glad the kitty has such nice new owners!
Cats have a tendency to try to return to where they lived previously if their owners move & just put their cats outdoors @ their new location. I’ve researched this a bit & from what I understand it has something to do magnetic waves in the earth….something like that…and that’s actually how animals can return to their “old” homes…they “pick up” on the magnetic waves somehow.
It’s a good rule of thumb, when moving, to keep a cat indoors @ the new locale for about a couple of months, so they’re “acclimated” to the new location, before letting them go outdoors.
Regardless, there’s absolutely no rational excuse or explanation of why people leave pets behind like Erinn just described other than the fact they are indifferent, @ best. I was a realtor for many years & I can’t tell you how many times I had to find homes for cats that people just wanted to “leave w/the home!” It made me physically ill.
Call me crazy, but I view my pets as part of my family. I couldn’t live w/myself if I did something like that.
That’s crap, JennJ. moved from a house to an apartment with my cat when I moved out of my mom’s home at 24 and my cat adjusted just fine to apartment living. She was 11 when we moved and lived to 18. It was me she was bonded to, not the house. Pets are a part of your family , not property to be left behind when you move. They are trusting creatures who don’t deserve to be left behind because the new place “doesn’t allow pets”. If you can’t keep your pet, be compassionate enough to find another home for it. Surely, a friend or relative could take it.
Karen,
For you it is crap, but I had the opposite experience.
I moved from a house to an apartment with my very happy outdoor cat, and she was miserable. She had been so excited to be outside, and inside all the attention in the world could not make her happy. Her personality radically changed, and I felt incredibly guilty. Three years later, she died. Years later, I still feel horrible.
JennJ — no you absolutely have it wrong. Animals are part of the family. If you have to move, you bring the animal with you.
I mean, so you leave your kid because the old school district and the old neighborhood had their friends ?
Sorry. But my animals are my little fur babies
I can attest to that, JennJ. A long time ago, we moved to a house next town over. It was a smaller house, with smaller land and yard. We had an indoor/outdoor kitty, whom we kept indoors and only let her out into the enclosed yard, and then only with our supervision, for months after the move. We slowly let her explore more and after almost a year, we let her come and go as she pleased, as she had done at the previous house. She ALWAYS came home before dark. Then one day, she didn’t come home. We found her at our old house 2 days later. She did this 2 more times, each time taking longer to be found, so we didn’t let her out anymore. Then, one day, she escaped – and while our old neighbor said that she was at the old house – we never found her again. After that, I’ve never had another outdoor cat again.
Thank you Mean Hannah for understanding, and I am so sorry for your experience — it must have been horrible.
And to the others, a cat is an animal, and what I did was essentially take her from the wild where she had territory and places to go that she loved that had nothing to do with me. It was like putting a wild animal in a zoo. Yes, I loved her, and that did not change, but it was certainly not enough.
Imagine a similar situation with people: how would you feel if you were confined to a hospital room? Your loved ones would visit, and maybe even stay overnight, but for the rest of your life, you could never leave and go outside. Would their love and attention make up for all that you lost?
uhh … you guys, JennJ is not wrong here. While some cats can move from place to place (which you still have to be careful introducing them to a new home / apartment / etc.) … there are some cats that … if you move their home, they start peeing all over the place and can become aggressive. Believe me, I know this from experience. It’s horrible to watch any animal go from amazingly sweet and then completely change personalities when they’re put into an unknown place / situation. Not saying all cats are like this … absolutely not. But there honestly are some that just kind of freak out if you move them to unfamiliar territory.
Leaving cats with the property is very common for all there reasons mentioned above. Remember, cats are quite different than dogs. We were lucky with our old cat. When we moved, he didn’t have any trouble adjusting but he was also older by then so that may have made a difference. I don’t know. But around here, people frequently leave the cats with the house and it is usually not a problem at all.
Erinn, it’s so good/cool to hear that you gave that kitty a good home! God smiles upon those who are kind to animals. And yes, I’d have been peeved too…some people are just like that. They have no empathy or bond w/animals that love them unconditionally. Then there are the angels like you who come along!
You ROCK! And those previous homeowners are asses!
Aww thanks guys. I wouldn’t have been able to say no. I’d feel way too guilty. I still feel bad about the dog. When we went on our viewings of the house I would play with the dog and cat haha.
Any animal lover is a good person in my book! I have had my chocolate labbie Daisie since a puppy at 3 months old and she’ll turn 10 this year. Just knowing that she’s getting older is tearing me apart. She’s my baby:) She doesn’t live with me right now, which is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I lived with her out East for most of her life, and when I moved back to Illinois 3 years ago I made the decision to let her live with my parents in my hometown of Southern Illinois (I’m in Chicago). I’m single and live alone and she’s such a people dog, she literally will sit at the door and wait all day long for you to come home so she can lay at your feet or next to you on the bed! But my parents are retired and with a big home and big yard, and my parents ADORE her. I miss her so much, but if I had her right now, she’d be in doggy daycare all day while I’m at work, and I know that would be the selfish choice about what’s good for me and not her. It’s so hard to be away though:(
thank you for keeping her erin!
that could devastate an animal, but i have to think that you have already shown her more kindness and love than they ever did
my cat is dying, he is 18.5, i’d give anything for time with him. i will never understand some people.
Lisa — my kitty will be 19 in September. He Wes diagnosed with kidney failure in May.
I have been thanking God each and every day he is still here with me and doing well. I am so greatful for the time.
Bless you and bless your fur baby
I am in the same boat: 19 yr old cat, dealing with kidney failure now. I’ve had her since she was eight weeks old; it is SO hard watching this, but I am cognizant of every day that I still have with her.
Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how some people have “pets” but don’t actually care about them! Good for you for taking care of the poor abandoned kitty.
My old farm dog died earlier this year. He was 13, a beautiful old border collie. Still miss the guy so much and it hurts to know I’ll never see the goofy guy again, but I’m glad he’s no longer suffering (had bad arthritis and was going deaf). There’s nothing like a dogs love.
Thank God a kind and compassionate person moved into that home. It’s disgraceful for the former owners to just leave their cat unless they had made an arrangement in advance with you. If they did not, you should report them so they get put on the nationwide “do not let adopt” list that is maintained by shelters.
I can’t believe someone would do that. Why not just try to find someone to take her or take her to a shelter? Anything other than leaving her to potentially starve to death. Horrible! Thankfully, she got lucky and found you.
Erinn … i really wish I could like this 100000 million times. I’m a sucker for any animal …. and the fact that you gave her a home rather than chasing her away or calling animal control … ugh, it really is just awesome.
I can’t believe anyone could do that!! I’ve heard of it happening…I just can’t imagine. To lose your pet by accident is shattering. To be forced to give it up due to circumstance is shattering. To intentionally leave it?!?!
My cats are pampered and beloved family members. We have a gigantic pillow on our bed that is great to prop up on when reading, but makes sleeping very uncomfortable because it takes up about a sixth of the bed. However, if the kitties are sleeping on it when it’s time for lights out, we leave it. We just can’t stand to make them move.
Poor Ryan & George…I am going through the same thing with my older dog and it’s heartbreaking.
I’m so sorry, brin.
My cat is only 5 but I tear up just *thinking* about the day when she starts to have the typical health issues associated with older animals.
I’m sure you’re enjoying every moment with your pup.
Thanks, TOK, I am. We have to enjoy them while we have them!
It’s one of the hardest things in the world, and my heart goes out to you and all of the other commenters writing about their own experiences.
I’ve had dogs all of my life, but I have a malamute/great pyrenees mix who is truly the love of my life. My giant, furry baby is only 6, but I try to treasure every day with him because I know I only get so much time and will be completely devastated when he passes.
I’m having a morning cry now.
Hi
I would like to get a malamute one day. Can you tell me more about the breed? Do they grow very big? Can they be left alone in the house during the day?
Thanks
I think only pet owners can understand how heartbreaking it is when your pet dies.
Our cat died a few months ago, she was about 19 years old. I spent more time in my life with her than without her. I cried like crazy and I normally do not cry easily. It was devastating.
@Liv – I’m sorry. I had my first cat almost 14 years – he died the morning after my mother had lung surgery about 3 years ago. I was getting ready in the morning to go to the hospital and he had some sort of seizure and died within minutes. It was the most horrible thing to see; I’m just glad it was fast and I was there with him. I had to take him to the vet (I had him cremated) then go to the hospital to my mother. It was devastating; I cried for days and I really didn’t know how to get through it all. He was my buddy and I adopted him a year after I moved out of my parents’ house. I didn’t think I would be able to go through the loss again but I adopted another shelter cat a few months later.
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”- Anatole France
Beautiful quote.
I always think it’s a relief when a cat or dog dies fast. At least they haven’t had to suffer.
We had cats and dogs before, I’m sure we’ll get another one – but this cat was kind of special, I guess we still need some time.
We got another dog just months after our old one died though – it’s pretty hard because your brain is so trained to call the name of your old dog and at the same time it’s kind of beautiful to see a young dog growing up after experiencing death 🙂
This makes me sad for my own dog. I have a mini english bulldog-they don’t live long. Dani is only five years old and she’s been having problems for the past year and a half. Her eyes don’t produce tears, so we have to clean the gunk out of them (literally on her eyes), and give her drops and cream-medicines. Her face is also getting infected very easily because she has skin folds.
I wish she was still a cute little fat puppy. I don’t want her to die, but it’s going to happen within the next few years.
I don’t think that I’ll be able to get another dog like her.
I had a wonderful beagle named Rosie who lived to be 14. I never married and she was my fur baby. From the time she turned 10, I viewed every day as a gift with my wonderful companion. It’s tough to see the end coming. Tears as I write this.
I had a beagle mix that lived to age 18. I was away at college when he died and my mom was too emotional to tell me over the phone. I didn’t find out until I came home at Christmas break. It’s the worst thing in the whole world to lose your dog.
Something similar happened to me when I was in college. When our family dog died my mom didn’t tell me for a week because she didn’t want to tell me over the phone. She finally called me to tell me because it was going to be a few months before I’d be home. She said “I’m so sorry to tell you this over the phone, but poor Blackie passed away”. I cried like a baby. Our family had that dog since I was about 6 or 7. My mom used to call him my “brother”. Still miss that dog and it’s been almost 30 years since he died.
Sometimes I wonder if losing our beloved companion gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to lose a spouse. Dying is so heartbreaking, and I miss my dog everyday. Although, I adore my ‘new’ dog of three years more than I ever thought possible, I still feel it was a privilege to have shared my life with my “Boss Dog” aka “Show Dog” aka “The CEO”.
Ryan’s dog is truly loved, and I’m teary thinking of their time together coming to a close.
Pet love is a great thing, but as a vet told me once, it’s such a shame the time here is so relatively short. I do feel for Ryan and his pooch- off to give mine a breakfast biscuit.
That’s so sad. I’m currently away from home on an exchange year in Australia and I’m terrified that my dog Salka (who is also 13 years) will be ill or die while I’m gone. I cried so much saying goodbye to her when I left 🙁
George gets his hair shaved in the summer when he gets too hot. There’s no medical reason for it, Bedhead, so don’t worry for him on that. And yes, that is the same dog.
yeah, but the dog is only shaved on one side. it’s quite literally a half-assed puppy cut.
no, george has a mohawk in that one pic with the escalator.
Did anyone ever read Neil Gaiman’s blog when his dog died?
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2013/01/the-power-of-dog-cabal-2003-2013.html
Thanks for sharing that blog.
Oh my God. That was beautiful and heart wrenching. It describes my worst fear. That something will happen to my dog when I’m not there. I know if I’m there, he won’t be scared. Because he knows that we are a unit, and I’ll take care of him.
thanks for posting that even though I bawled my eyes out.
Reminded me of our lovely Leonberger, who died two years ago, aged eight. Their life span is normally seven years, so we were lucky. And our cats adored her – one even slept with her head in Cleo’s mouth. I still see her out of the corner of my eye…
This is a nice story, but weren’t there terrible items about the way Eva treated animals?
I’m really surprised that she works with Cesar Millan. I know that he works with shock collars but I had thought he would have taught her more about the correct use of a shock collar.
The only “terrible item” that I’ve ever heard about her is that she uses a shock collar on her dog in public to minimize the risk of him harming any smaller animals. She doesn’t say that she shocks her dog every day; she just admits that she uses a shock collar on him.
The breed she owns, a Belgian Malinois, is “bred primarily as a working dog for personal protection, detection, police work, search and rescue…” (wiki). She said that he would kill for her, and she would rather use the shock collar than see that happen (particularly to a small, innocent creature). She mentioned that she tried it on herself, and that the shock was not painful.
She clearly loves her dog. And it’s not irresponsible, in my opinion, to want to ensure that the dog obeys her when they’re in public (especially with paparazzi yelling at her or rushing her or otherwise appearing threatening to a loyal “attack” dog).
My animals are my children, I’ve spent half a paycheck the past two weeks on my poor doggie, unfortunately she’s having hip issues, watching her limp around can bring tears to your eyes. I hope George hangs in there, it’s nice seeing him treat his dog like a pet and not a prop like some of these celebrities.
It’s so hard to lose your pet! Two years ago our boxer developed lymphoma and we watched him waste away until we knew it was time to put him down. It was soooo hard because he was young, not even 5, and anyone who has boxers knows how joyful and full of life they are. Almost 6 months to the day our little yorkie was attacked by a stray dog on our property and also had to be put down. I was heartbroken. I cried my eyes out for a long time after that. I got another dog only 3 weeks later because my husband works nights, we don’t have kids and my house seemed SO empty and lonely without another living thing. She is adorable and so very sweet, I love her to death. But I miss our boys.
Poor Ryan 🙁 I think it’s so cute how he carries around that big old dog!
Very hard. I still miss our boxer who died well over a year ago. He was 10 years old but was still energetic until he got sick and went downhill quickly. It wasn’t the same exercising without him.
Boxers are my favorite breed. They seem so joyful and loving. A woman near my home has one and when I would walk to work she would be walking him and every time he’d see me he’d stop and sit and wait for me so we could have our daily chat and scratch. Such a sweet baby!
Another boxer lover here!
We adopted our white boxer from a shelter, and we don’t really have a good idea of his age. (They claimed he was young, but he’s the laziest boxer you ever met, and his teeth were/are still missing/in terrible shape.) So I treat him like a prince every day because I’m afraid his time will come at any moment.
We had some lumps and bumps removed a few months ago, and I was terrified that it was going to turn out to be malignant cancer. Thankfully they were benign.
I’m sorry for your loss. 🙁
I completely understand. My 10 month old lab was diagnosed with blastomycosis about 2 weeks ago. We did not think she would make it through the first week. Luckily she has pulled through and is on the mend. But when she was at her worst I cried nonstop. If someone had told me a year ago that I could love a furry friend this much I would have thought them crazy. The love Ryan has for his dog makes me like him even more.
I have a 13 year old puppy, too, and it is heartbreaking to know your brief time with them is drawing to a close. My other dog passed two years ago at 16, a year after having a stroke. I worried about her so much, but we had a really good final year. Older pets can bring a lot of joy, and I am trying to make every day a great day for my senior boy.
“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.”
My first child LOL, a dog, is 14 and has gone blind. She was so spunky before the blindness, and it’s been overwhelming for her. And on top of it we’ve just moved after a few months of her blindness and new furniture, too. She is really so turned around. When I leave and come home, I can hear her howling from the front door scared because it’s not home yet and no familiar surroundings blind.
I never thought I could love a dog (wasn’t a dog person per se. I was more of a cat person. I got her in some manic phase after that Jack Nicholson/Helen Hunt movie with the puppy) and she had my heart from the moment I saw her. She is a mix, and I’m praying she lives to 16 not the 13 – 15 usual lifespan for her main breed, parti cocker spaniel. I can’t imagine losing her. I just can’t. She’s still my baby.
I’m struggling through the same thing right now. My first dog (well, first dog that was completely mine – not a family dog) is seventeen years old. She’s almost totally blind and nearly deaf and she tries so hard to be her old spunky self at times. Everyday she struggles to the door to meet me home from work. But I can see her declining everyday.
I feel so bad for Ryan – to have to be away from George at such at time. I cannot imagine leaving my Lacie for a length of time right now.
Poor Ryan and poor George. Though what a blessing to have that bond.
That is so sad. I hope you guys enjoy the time you have left . My dog is 3 he is a mastiff with a 8 yr max lifespan and the last couple of weeks I’ve been very morbid and sad thinking that he is about middle age for his breed when I got him he was not even 5 weeks old . So he really believes he is my child. The thought of him not being around scares me alot.
Jennabean, we adopted a 10 year old, very neglected English Mastiiff (thin, massive urinary tract and ear infections, not neutered etc). He lived another 2 very happy and healthy years with us; had his spleen removed at age 11 and snapped right back from that surgery. The best disposition with everyone. Superb dog. He passed away very peacefully from heart failure within 10 minutes one day. I hope you have as many or more years with your Mastiff mix.
He also took George on David Letterman or Leno once. He had a cute red bandana on him and he had that same mohawk. I love that he’s such an animal lover.
I’ve never seen one thing Ryan Gosling has acted in, but the photos of him and his dog always make me think he must be a really good guy.
It is so hard losing a beloved pet. My last doggie, a Portuguese water dog, made it to 15+, very good for a large-ish dog. I thought I would completely fall apart when he passed (he was ill with what in retrospect was obvious congestive heart failure, stupid vet misdiagnosed it as pneumonia and the day we were going to the animal ER he had passed away early in the morning), but my boyfriend gave me the advice to “focus on the good”. I cried a lot, of course, and tear up even now writing about him, but thinking of how he made my life more fun, and vice versa, helped. He was set to be euthanized at a pound when we got him. We gave him an awesome life and he was a fantastic dog. 13 months later we got the dog we have now, and he is also fantastic, just in a different way.
Pets are worth the pain.
Rent The Notebook, The Ides of March, Crazy Stupid Love, Lars and the Real Girl. All really good movies. He’s a good actor.
Half Nelson is my favorite RG film.
Poor Ryan, I know from experience how hard it is to lose beloved dogs to old age 😞
I love Ryan but I have to leave this thread because I’m getting tears in my eyes. Love my animal-loving celebitches!
I’ll admit it.I cheated on this thread and didn’t read all the comments because I know that some of the stories/comments will be to hard to take.
+1
I skipped many comments and I cannot even finish reading.
Yeah…I think I have to tap out, too. I’m starting to think about my first kitty, Moose. He was the first pet that was my very own. He was my cat and I was his person we had an amazing bond but he passed away suddenly when he was just 6. I was heartbroken. I look at his picture every day.
As an animal lover and owner of two cats and a dog, I can relate to what he’s feeling. The love you have for your pets is very special and losing them is heartbreaking. I hope his dog makes it to see Ryan again.
Our eldest cat Gravy passed away 3 years ago. My husband and I sat with her on the kitchen floor because that was the spot she had chosen to be in her last week. She wasn’t doing well and we were actually going to have her put to sleep the following morning. She died instead with us petting her, kissing her, surrounded by our love and telling her it was okay to go. Watching her slip away and take her last breaths tore us both apart, and we were both crying. After she left us, our dog Sandy came into the kitchen and smelled her and gave us the saddest look, and very gently lay down next to her as if paying her last respects. It was amazing and made me break down all over again. My husband went out at 3a.m. to bury her under a pine tree. We still miss her. She shared my sweet tooth and whenever I eat pound cake or vanilla ice cream I can hear her meowing for her share.
Our dog is now 12 and her hips are not good. Our eldest cat is 15 and our newbie just turned 1. I love them like they are my ‘kids’, and are most certainly part of my family. All were strays, including the dog we gave my Mom, and I swear you can feel the love from them and that they know we saved their lives. Our dog for instance, was found by my husbands’ partner (they work for sanitation) after he realized a box he was about to put in the truck contained four female puppies. I can’t imagine what heartless creature put them in there. Happily all of them were adopted.
As I’m typing this my eldest cat is laying in front of my on my desk, giving me ‘the eyes’, my kitten is next to me on the couch and my dog is behind me laying on the floor.
I will always have pets, I grew up always having one and they add so much to my home and my life. We actually are looking for a new place right now and it will be a challenge to find one that takes 3 let alone 1 pet, but they are ALL staying with us. Eventually we will find that landlord that’s a pet lover too 🙂
I love animals, and I’m sorry to hear George’s health is failing. I know how much Ryan loves that dog. But I don’t know how much of an animal lover Eva Mendes is. She uses a shock collar on her dog, and there’s photographic evidence of her using it. She lets it run free without a leash in the city, and claims it to be an “attack” dog. She’s out of her mind. The fact that Ryan trusts her with George baffles me.
Some of these stories are truly heartbreaking.Everyone who has or has had a pet can relate.Condolences to those of you who are in the process of loosing your pet.It’s one of the hardest thing all pet owners go through.
**My apologies for the super long post**
I’m tearing up as I’m writing this and it’s been almost 2 years now…We lost our 7 yr old Shih Tzu, Abby to renal failure – it took us by surprise and hit me HARD.
ShihTzus(at least ours) are very fluffy, so when we decided to shave Abby for the summer, we were taken aback by how skinny she was. I found it strange because she always ate(we free form feed the dogs)her food and had bowel movements, etc.
We took her to the vet on Thursday expecting the vet to tell me she had a tapeworm in her stomach and prescribe us pills to get rid of them. He ran some tests and gave us the results right then and there and told us that she had maybe 2 months, if that, to live – I was a hysterical disaster. We couldnt/didnt want to say goodbye right then and there so the doctor said he could give us medication that would make her comfortable until she passes. We opted for that but by Saturday, Abby couldnt even stand on her own so we knew that we couldnt be selfish anymore and we decided to take her to the vet Sunday morning to put her to sleep and let her rest in peace.
That Saturday night I stayed up all night with Abby to make sure she was comfortable,take her to the wee wee pads so that she could do her business since she had no strength to walk or do anything. I tried to give her water, small bits of food – I just wanted to make her comfortable.
Sunday morning came (which happened to be Father’s Day) and my husband and I got up early and drove to the vet with Abby. I was crying from the moment I was in the car but the worst part was handing her over to the nurses – I was a wreck and didnt want to hand her over but I knew I couldnt prolong this any longer for Abby’s sake. I was inconsolable for the rest of the day. I even called in sick from work the next day because I was so grief-stricken.
I felt so bad for my husband because it was probably the worst Father’s Day – all I did was cry and didnt speak to anyone the rest of the day, I kept to myself and I didnt go all out for him like I usually do on Father’s Day. Just one of the worst moments of my life. I’m crying remembering it all.
Fast forward 4 months later – I am with my daughter at Petco, picking up some food and hay for her Guinea Pig and there is an Adoption Event there by a local shelter that Petco was hosting. I had NO intention of adopting another dog(we still had 2 other dogs at home) but for some reason, a 10 yr old(senior for dogs)Pitbull/Sharpei mix grabbed my attention and heart. He had been homeless for who knows how long, was at the shelter for a year and because of his age and his breed’s ‘reputation’ he was never adopted at any of the previous events. I would walk to his cage, look at him, talk to him, walk away but I kept on going back. The shelter administrator noticed, came up to me and told me that he was the dog the shelter used to evaluate the temperament of the new rescues because he was so sweet and calm and loved every dog and human he encountered. All he needed was a loving home to live out the rest of his years. That’s all she needed to tell me and I adopted him on the spot to my husband’s surprise(he was at work).
Two years have passed and Bosco is happy and lazy and sweet and funny and I couldnt love him more than I do – my husband thinks I might love him too much and I say no such thing! He does have seasonal allergies and is allergic to poultry and grains and has chronic ear infections which makes for a lot of trips to the vet and money spent but I’ve found a way to manage this through a grain-free, poultry-free diet and trips to the vet whenever his allergies flare up.
I’m happy I could give him a happy and loving home for the remainder of his life, however long or short that might be. I know I’ll once again be devastated when I lose him but I’m enjoying him as part of our family until then.
Also, because of Bosco, I will always adopt a dog from a shelter and specifically, pitbulls/pit mixes as they are the most prevalent dogs in shelters and they need to be given a chance at having a loving and caring home.
Anyway, I wrote all of this just to say that I can totally understand the love Ryan feels and the great lengths he’s going to, to make sure George is comfortable and happy for as long as he is here.
Again, sorry for the long post but it was therapeutic in a way to write seeing as how emotional I was just thinking about telling Abby and Bosco’s story.
Thank you. :0)
That’s really a beautiful story, Isla. Good on you for adopting a senior dog. My husband and I often foster dogs and cats for a pet rescue organisation near our home. It’s so difficult to find a loving permanent home for the older dogs and larger breeds.
We have a 13 year old cat that we adopted last year, because his owner refused to pick him up at his vet or pay the bill (we’re friends with the vet). He has chronic urinary tract infections. He was so skittish and shy then, but has blossomed. We originally intended just to foster Jeffie, because we have 2 cats already. However, everyone in our house (feline, canine, human) fell in love with him, and now Jeffie is very loved and spoiled and confident. I’m at least grateful that his former owner left him at a vet office instead of abandoning him on the street.
Aww, sweet story. Give Bosco a kiss for me.
@Isla- what a wonderful and heart warming story and it brought tears to my eyes. I rescued a 5 year old female chihuahua from a breeder. Turned out my little love was pregnant with 2 dead puppies. My vet said she would not have been able to give birth to those puppies. I know I saved her life. It broke my heart taking this little girl for her walks because I knew she had never been outside, had never felt grass under her feet or heard birds chirping. She was so curious (and scared)about everything related to the outdoors. It amazes me how far she has come in less than two months. It also amazes me how easy it is to love something so quickly!
@elisa – Thank you; you are living my dream. What great, compassionate work you’re doing! I am hoping to become a foster parent sometime in the next few years. Wish me luck. Every abused, abandoned and displaced pet deserves to be loved and cared for and feel safe. Keep up the good work! *Hugs* to Jeffie.
@UsedToBeLulu – I sure will even though I’m pretty sure he gets tired of us kissing and hugging him all the time; he’s just too sweet to bother letting us know so he puts up with us.
@Brenda Bond – your story brought tears to my eyes too. Beautiful ending to a terrible beginning for her. She is in a loving home, where she should be.She will always be grateful to you for showing her what love is and what a caring human being looks like.
This makes me all teary again since we just had to put our beloved 10yr old Sheltie to sleep last week. He developed bladder cancer that took him away too quickly. He was my constant companion and it’s been tough. I feel for Ryan and it’s so sad that we don’t have more time with our pets.
My dog is 13. He’s in great shape, but it’s still scary.
Since Ryan keeps saying that he’s going to retire or take a big break from acting, then wouldn’t this be the time? He has enough money, why not give up the travelling and flying to work, and spend the next year somewhere wonderful with George?
Mr. bluhare and I have adopted more animals than anyone we know over the course of our marriage — 16 at last count — and all but 3 are gone now. The last one this year with no warning whatsoever.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade a minute with any of them. And it never stops us from adopting another.
So thanks for the lovely, albeit sad, read today. It’s always good to know there are compassionate people in this world.
They are worth every moment, because the overall joy outweighs the pain. I still grieve for the dogs we’ve lost and dread losing our remaining 2 dogs, but the happiness of watching them have the best life we could / can give them and the priceless, unconditional love they provide, is worth it.
When my shelter pup passed at 16, little did I know that several homeless kittens would come into my world over the last couple of years that I have been able to give a home. There are just so many pets that need good homes. This thread makes me feel sad for those who are grieving, yet happy there are so many compassionate people here!
I have a beautiful older pug who was left behind when her family moved. Luckily the neighbors knew her and took her to a near by vet. Lucky for me that it was my dogs vet and was entrusted into my care. Not sure how old she is… Don’t really care…. I love her very much and she is my Queen.
Reading these stories reminds me of the day we had to put my lhasa apso down. He was 13 and had been through an attack by three malamutes, and a stint at a bad kennel, and having to get used to a new “dad” when I got married after him having me to himself for 10 years. I still re-live that awful day of taking him to the vet, after cancelling the appointment. Since then, my husband says “no dogs” but, I now dogsit in our home for people on vacation, and he is slowly getting used to the idea of another dog, and has got quite attached to some of our guests.
I think eventually we will have another, rescued of course, and can again experience that wonderful pet love. I recently had to end a relationship with a toxic friend, and I miss her dogs more than her…..
I think that George just has a mohawk haircut in those shaved photos. He looks quite dashing.
It’s incredibly hard when our sweet pets get old. I had anticipatory grief over my childhood dog 10 years before he actually died!
This would totally explain the shock collar situation with Eva’s dog a while back. I remember we were all like dude, if your dog needs a shock collar, maybe you shouldn’t walk him around people. But if she really is a friend of Milan’s it makes total sense. “The Dog Whisperer” is a cheesy name, but Milan really does have amazing talent at understanding human and animal emotions and how to translate those into behaviors. In his book and on his show (once you get a German shepherd you realize you know nothing about how to train such smart and dominant animals) he uses shock collars for training purposes, as an initial tool that’ll be phased out within a few months. That makes a lot more sense instead of a dog who can’t be around people safely walking down the street.
It is very painful to endure. I hope the transition is peaceful for both pet and owner.
It’s a very tough choice. Our family just decided to take our wonderful old bulldog on vacation, because he is old and he’s stressed when we leave him home. He did not make it through the first day. This is a horrible thing to live through.
I wish Ryan and George good luck and ultimately peace.
Idk about leaving his dog with Cesar. His methods are inappropriate for almost all dogs. And Eva with her shock collar antic….if Ryan loves animals why would he be with someone who uses that?
Also my 15 yr old cat Frederico died in April and I think about him everyday and miss him everyday. He was the best kitty.
Love Ryan more for this. Love Eva for being friends with Cesar Milan!
Both have a new fan!
My heart hurts for Ryan and George. I was never much of a pet person, but this year my husband and I adopted two guinea pigs, Elena and Ibuki, because he loved raising them as a kid and he really wanted a pet. I’ve fallen in love with those baby girls and I’m already stressing in imaging what my life will be like without them in “5-7” years. My baby girls are my children.
I really miss the unconditional love pets give you, that most people don’t.
This really got to me when I read it since my adopted dog, Einstein was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer. He’s the best dog I’ve ever had . He was there when I first met my husband. He was there at our wedding. He’s been a great dog when we had our baby, who is now two and looks at Einstein like he’s his brother. I’m in massive denial that we probably only have a year (if we’re lucky) to be with him. 🙁
I think Ryan also shaves his dog’s hair that way. He said in an interview that George had to be shaved once and got a “mohawk” who would “become a jerk” when the hair grew back. My guess is that he just cut it recently
Why is RG trying so hard to stay relevant? Does he have a movie coming out soon? His PR team is trying so hard to keep this guy stay relevant. No, Ryan your 15 min has passed.