Epic road trip, but had to say goodbye to my German Shepherd before we made it home

[gmannerino]

I'm still processing everything, and this is not the post I was hoping to share. I had meticulously planned my first camping road trip with my dog and Bronco. We were having the time of our lives, and he was such a strong, healthy, great dog. Everyone we encountered love saying hi to him. At 8.5 short years of living together, we had so many firsts on this trip.

Unfortunately on our 2nd to last night on the trip when we arrived at our motel, Thor suddenly became very ill. I thought he may have been motion sickness, as we had a rough day of driving in blizzard conditions. He had a rough night, struggling to keep down water, with no appetite and desire to go on walks. I extended our stay at the motel so he could rest, and by morning with no progress I was searching for nearby vets for urgent care. His stomach flipped (apparently common for larger chested dogs, I had never heard of), and his spleen was enlarged, amongst a nasty fever. They were shocked he was hanging in there as well as he did. He was such a tough dog. How quickly and unexpectedly everything had turned. I was not prepared to say goodbye, and have not been well.

He was my soulmate, and we were never separated. I adored him since I had him, and dedicated my life to making his the best. I am lucky to have so many wonderful memories with Thor, truly a special dog.


With that, I'd like to share some photos of our trip. It was about 3,500 miles from Austin, TX, up Big Sur, and back. The Bronco performed phenomenally, and my lifetime gas mileage went up almost 2.5 mpg (living in the city has equated low smiles per gallon).

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[Ford Motor Company]

I'm still processing everything, and this is not the post I was hoping to share. I had meticulously planned my first camping road trip with my dog and Bronco. We were having the time of our lives, and he was such a strong, healthy, great dog. Everyone we encountered love saying hi to him. At 8.5 short years of living together, we had so many firsts on this trip.

Unfortunately on our 2nd to last night on the trip when we arrived at our motel, Thor suddenly became very ill. I thought he may have been motion sickness, as we had a rough day of driving in blizzard conditions. He had a rough night, struggling to keep down water, with no appetite and desire to go on walks. I extended our stay at the motel so he could rest, and by morning with no progress I was searching for nearby vets for urgent care. His stomach flipped (apparently common for larger chested dogs, I had never heard of), and his spleen was enlarged, amongst a nasty fever. They were shocked he was hanging in there as well as he did. He was such a tough dog. How quickly and unexpectedly everything had turned. I was not prepared to say goodbye, and have not been well.

He was my soulmate, and we were never separated. I adored him since I had him, and dedicated my life to making his the best. I am lucky to have so many wonderful memories with Thor, truly a special dog.


With that, I'd like to share some photos and videos of our trip. It was about 3,500 miles from Austin, TX, up Big Sur, and back. The Bronco performed phenomenally, and my lifetime gas mileage went up almost 2.5 mpg (living in the city has equated low smiles per gallon).

We are so sorry to hear about your sweet Thor, may his adventures continue in doggy heaven!

 

[RobWTX]

I teared up a little reading this, I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[DougF]

I'm still processing everything, and this is not the post I was hoping to share. I had meticulously planned my first camping road trip with my dog and Bronco. We were having the time of our lives, and he was such a strong, healthy, great dog. Everyone we encountered love saying hi to him. At 8.5 short years of living together, we had so many firsts on this trip.

Unfortunately on our 2nd to last night on the trip when we arrived at our motel, Thor suddenly became very ill. I thought he may have been motion sickness, as we had a rough day of driving in blizzard conditions. He had a rough night, struggling to keep down water, with no appetite and desire to go on walks. I extended our stay at the motel so he could rest, and by morning with no progress I was searching for nearby vets for urgent care. His stomach flipped (apparently common for larger chested dogs, I had never heard of), and his spleen was enlarged, amongst a nasty fever. They were shocked he was hanging in there as well as he did. He was such a tough dog. How quickly and unexpectedly everything had turned. I was not prepared to say goodbye, and have not been well.

He was my soulmate, and we were never separated. I adored him since I had him, and dedicated my life to making his the best. I am lucky to have so many wonderful memories with Thor, truly a special dog.


With that, I'd like to share some photos and videos of our trip. It was about 3,500 miles from Austin, TX, up Big Sur, and back. The Bronco performed phenomenally, and my lifetime gas mileage went up almost 2.5 mpg (living in the city has equated low smiles per gallon).

I’m so sorry for your loss. I know the bond between a person and their dog. Im sure you have a lot of great memories.

 

[orion]

Super sorry for your loss. Our pets/best friends are hard to say goodbye to...

 

[Brian_B]

Sorry for your loss - it's hard losing a dog, especially when it's just suddently out of the blue. At least he got to go out with an adventure. You have some great pictures and memories.

 

[Jwells104]

Thoughts and prayers bud. Amazing that y'all had one last big adventure and no doubt you gave him the best life a dog could ask for.

I am in Austin too. Beers on me to celebrate Thor’s life.

 

[RC Bronco]

So sorry for your loss… that’s really awful to deal with

I just recently got to have my parents German shepherd join us for a trip across southwest Utah and back through Colorado. She struggled a bit, but having read this… got me in my feels a bit man

Hopefully you still had some fun yourself and can enjoy the memories you two had together

 

[Jossman]

Super sorry for your loss. Our pets/best friends are hard to say goodbye to...

So sorry!Our bonds with our "Fur Babies" are some of the strongest we will ever have!Know from experience!!

 

[604Bronco]

I'm really sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been, being it was so unexpected.

I'm confident that he spent this trip having an amazing time and leaving so many positive memories with you. Although it's never easy to say goodbye, remember all the great times you've had together over the past 8.5 years together. Just like he had such a positive impact on your life, you would have had the same on his, and that's something to never forget.

I came across this online a few years back and saved it, and share it when I can - It's an important message to remember.

 

[Skwatch]

So sorry for your loss...what an amazing journey you had with him...I am sure his wish was to be with you and I am sure he would have wanted it no other way.

 

[TX-Dennis]

Might be corny, but . . .

 

[Digital_Synapse]

What a good boy. Im so so sorry for your loss. Epic times with an epic friend.

 

[Jazer]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Bloat & torsion are always a concern for the breeds I tend to own. Previously a Boxer & now a Doberman. Those deep chested breeds always increase the risk. My father in law also lost a German Shepherd to this as well. You can do everything right and it still just happens sometimes.

I hope you find some comfort in the life you have provided for your pal. It is obvious that his life was exceptional with you. His last adventure was a very memorable one. I hope you find some peace in that.

 

[TEAMSLO]

Damn brother, this one got a couple of tears from me. I bet Thor is up in dog heaven looking down saying, its ok, I'm good up here.

I was out of the country a few years ago and got the message that Moose, my akita had to be put down while I was away. Something I will never forget as I wasn't able to be there with him when he needed me most.

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