I want to cry (border collie, how much, shepherd, labs)

[Dashdog]

I have to share this with all of you dog lovers as I just want to cry

One of my best friends that lives up In the SF bay area has raised guide dog puppies for many many years. They have loved them like their own and cried buckets when the guide dog school would call saying it was time to take them back. They always had the first option of keeping any that did not pass the schools tough standards as many fail. They own a border collie and wanted to keep raising the puppies so always passed but found homes with friends when they could so they could have the dogs be a part of their lives.

They raised alot of labs a couple, Golden retrievers and one German shepherd. The German shephard . Tahoma was by far the all time favorite of the family. She ended up being dropped by the school but they were still raising puppies so passed and cried big time with the decision.One of the schools trainers loved her and took her.

Their youngest child started college last year so they had decided that was it with Puppy raising and as fate had it the Golden they had did not make it through school either and was being considered for a career change as an assistant dog but they always check with the puppy raisers first and my friend and her husband said they would take her so Tropic came back " home" and has been learning how to be just a pet,She can play with toys now so that was a big thing for her to learn.

This past weekend my friend called and said that they had gotten a call from the guide dog school saying that Tahoma ( GSD) who was now 6 was needing a new home. The trainer had moved to Arizona and there are alot of thunder storms and poor Tahoma was terrified and they could not get her past them and began to feel it was cruel to have her so stressed so they were looking for a new home so the school called my friend,Tahoma's puppy momma.

My friend called me to ask what she should do as she said You know how much we loved that dog and her husband and girls were both saying " we have to take her" . My friend was nervous with the thought of 3 dogs and since I have had three before she called to ask me. I of course said " you have to take her" I think she called me as she knew I would say that! So they told the school that yes they would take her and were very excited to be getting her back as soon as this week.

Well I just found out that Tahoma made it back to the guide dog school in CA yesterday and they fed her and when they came back this morning she was dead. The school breeds its own dogs so they have to know the cause of death , turns out she developed gastric torsion after everyone had left for the night. I just want to ball my eyes out as she never got to see her puppy family who loved her so much again and they are quite heart broken at this turn of events.

Once again this is one of those curve balls life throws at you which does happen and is why I see a terminal illness such as Dash's cancer as a calling card. I will take that calling card verses a sudden loss like this one.

My friend lost her dad last year and he loved that dog too so I am just hoping they are togther now keeping each other company.

[Katie1]

How horrible for the dog to die in such pain. Why was nobody there at nite?

[leorah]

Oh Dash, how incredibly sad!!

[Honeycrisp]

Oh that is a shame, it w/h/b such a happy ending (and beginning)...

[Dashdog]

Originally Posted by Katie1

How horrible for the dog to die in such pain. Why was nobody there at nite?

I do not feel the guide dog school is at all responsible as this is just one of those things that happens. For all I know there maybe someone that stays at the kennels all night.The school has a very large kennel as they breed their own dogs but my guess is the dogs all get fed then later when everyone is settled down they probably do not go in the kennel area where the adult dogs are as these are healthy dogs not sick dogs that you may find at a vets ( who by the way frequently have no one there at night).

I think once everyone is settled you would avoid walking through the kennels just to check on all the dogs as all that would do is get them all stirred up and barking as these are dogs that love people. I think you can not expect someone to be with that many dogs 24/7 as I said they are healthy dogs and not checking on them at night is no different then me going to work and leaving my dogs alone during that period. As I said the death was just one of those things that happens and sadly life is full of such events, no one is at fault.It was very tragic and yes I feel horrible knowing she may have suffered but still no one is to blame.

[ShepsMom]

Ohh i'm sooooo sorry!! That is the horrible thing to happen to any dog. That is why i'm considering to to a tummy tack for my other GSD, you never know.
Cry all you want, and please stay strong for all the others.
Take care, and you have my biggest sympathy!!

[ShelbyGirl1]

OH How very very sad. Please,pass on my condolences to your friend. And also, thank her for all the good she had done in raising these puppies. She is to be commended, as I know how hard it is to give these babies back when the time comes.

[grannynancy]

That is so heartbreaking - always a possibility with the larger deep chested dogs. I am sure nobody did anything wrong, it just happens.

[Mike in TN]

Very sorry to hear about this? What causes it?

[sapphire-rose]

I am so very sorry that your friends family and you had to go through this, Please accept my heartfelt condolences, even I have tears welling up over your story. I am so very very sorry for the loss of this wonderful dog.