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

[Cmptn845]

What awesome memories you have made.

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[Bluewheels]

Extending my heartfelt sympathies.

Truly sorry for your loss.

 

[CARdiac]

I am so sorry for your loss. We are on numbers 5 and 6 of what we refer to as our Rally dogs...Road Rallies. Each one has enjoyed road trips, and we enjoyed their company. Saying goodbye is never easy, and my heart goes out to you.

On another note, why did we call them Rally Dogs? If you saw my wife drive, it would make sense. Our dogs have learned to lean into corners and stand while experiencing high-speed maneuvers.

 

[AK007]

So so sorry for your loss!

 

[SubmarineNuke]

Brother I feel you. The stomach flipping is something I worry about every day. It is very common in bigger dogs, so much so that the vet actually recommended they attach it to his skin in a procedure while they were doing his neuter. I chose not to, but we have to be careful of what we do before and after eating etc.

My boy Kona is just over 6 years old and he’s my absolute life bond. He’s saved my life a few times that I won’t get into here.

know that we all share in your pain.

 

[jwysopal]

Not many things hurt more in life. So sorry you had to do this so suddenly. He is not in pain anymore and I'm sure we was the goodest of boys! I've been there, and it sucks. Hang in there.

Enjoy the trips the Bronco takes you on, and remember this fondly as quality time with Thor.

 

[Nickhick]

I hate hearing this. Our pets are most definitely a part of our family. I don't know if I could ever be without a damn good dog. I wish they could live longer. I had an 18 yr old foxhound that died in my arms two years ago. I wanted to take a break to give her time to fade away from memory. She didn't so I went to the pound and brought this freaking guy home. He's helped alot. Better to have lived and loved than not at all right? My condolences brother.

 

[Johnny Mo]

Sorry for your loss, as a fellow dog owner hard to not get choked up seeing all your wonderful photos of him.

 

[dangerfoot]

Sorry to hear about your dog, we just had to part ways with ours as well and it was heartbreaking. If you made it back to ATX and want to play with a puppy, drop me a DM...we have a new pup, half piranha and half pointer.

 

[Jsb]

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).

So sorry for your loss. I have had 7 GSDs and we lost our last one when he was barely 8 yrs old. We also experienced this issue with another one of our dogs, but we were fortunate to save him with emergency surgery. It is called torsion bloat and you do not have much time when it happens before it is too late. Ironically the dog it happened to name was Thor, although he went by a different name. Beautiful dog and pictures. Remember the good times you had with your friend as memory is all we have to hold onto. Believe me, I feel your pain.

 

[Gregc57]

God bless you, both. It's so tough to lose a good dog.
I lost my almost 12 year old Shep, Luca, a few weeks ago. I had let him out in the morn and noticed he looked a little distressed in yard, labored breathing and looking up at the sky. I called him in. He ran right by me and to the door from the mud room to the garage. He crashed into the steel door and collapsed. By the time I got over to him, he was gone. I miss him every day.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

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).

Looks like a great adventure but I am very sorry you lost your best buddy. He had one heck of a great last few days. He will always be with you, watching over you. All dogs go to heaven. As a long term GSD owner and trainer....I sympathize with you and your family. Take care and eventually his loss will make room in your heart for a new 4-legged friend.

 

[Peitnahtan]

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).

Man, devastating news. Sorry for your loss bud, at the very least you had the opportunity to spend this awesome trip together.

 

[Cbiggs]

Oh man this is sad AF, so sorry for your loss.

Clearly you were and are a great dog Dad.

I just read every post in the this thread, so nice to see the compassion and understanding of your heartbreak.

Chin up, your dog lived his best life in his mind and you were his purpose.

 

[Sparkherd]

Epic trip!
Sorry for your loss.
I had to put my lab down at 12 years...never had to do that before.
Not going to have another pet...

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