07/06/2026
When is it time? It's without shadow of doubt, the most heavy weight on any dog owner's shoulders. What we see and remember, is that strong, young dog like in the picture below, we remember the puppy that - perhaps - was a bit naughty, we remember that one retrieve and of course the one that was 'perfect' until THAT slip up 🙈
I once sat waiting at the vets and some people walked out with an old English Pointer and my only thought was: 'They should not have walked out with that dog, it's not a happy dog, it's in pain' and I promised myself to never do this to any of my dogs, to let a dog go when it had given everything to me and was not well anymore in its body.
They can't tell us when that is and yet they can or rather show us - sometimes a dog 'looks at you', the look says: 'I don't quite understand, I'm in pain do something to sort this out', sometimes (or often) it'll also struggle, might not really want to go on walks. Then its body starts to change before your very eyes, the backend that was ever so strong and made him/her fly over walls and fences, well, it's just gone. Look closely at the breathing, looks quite similar to that time when he/she took a tumble and was in pain...... It is time. You must let go. You must step up. It's your weight to carry, not theirs.
