What age did your favorite pet live to be?

Question

My favorite dog Sadie lived to be 14. She was mixed breed doberman/shepherd. She was smart, loyal and completely trained in obedience and personal protection. What an amazing dog. When you looked into her eyes it was as if you could see her soul. I first met her when I started dating my husband. It was love at first sight for Sadie and I At that time she was just a year old. She still loved my hubby but from that day on we were joined at the hip
She passed away at 14 quietly one morning an hour after I left for work. She apppeared to be hanging on and suffering badly. The Vet had told us to make her confortable which we did. The night before she passed I spoon fed her water and food. I held her head in my lap...looked her in the eyes and told her it was okay to go....we would be okay.
She waited until I left for work the next morning to pass. My father-in-law came out to sit with her and she took her last breath.

What great pets we have all had! We currently have a rot/shepherd mix that is 17, along with a Sheltie and a dalmation/terrier mix. The Sheltie and dal/terrier are just hysterical to watch. The rot/shep is the old wise one of the bunch....she receives much respect from the other dogs. She is so attached to my husband. I pray that when her time comes she too will pass quickly and quietly because I don't think my husband could be the one to have her put down. I guess I could buck up and do whats best for her but it would be very hard for me.

Thanks for all the wonderful stories about your pet's. It has been such a difficult decision picking the best answer.
Cavalier MOMx3; I would LOVE to have your job. I can't think of a better one. Imagine doing what you love every day.

Answer 1

My favorite pet lived to be a little over two years old. It was a blonde male teddybear hamster. He had the best personality you could ever find in an abused animal, he loved and trusted me so fully I could take him everywhere with me and know for a god-given fact that he would never jump off or leave me. I loved that little ball of fuzz. But last month, I went on a 5-day trip. Had someone babysit my fuzzy baby and everything. Came home and he couldn't climb up his tubes. Couldn't walk, couldn't eat, and could not for the life of him open either of his eyes. I took him to the vet that day and he had an upper respitory (sorry had no idea how to spell that) infection. They told me it would be a miracle if he made it thru the night. He didn't, he passed at 10:30 pm in my lap. Peacefully and not alone. : )

Answer 2

My favorite all time dog is still with me. Milo is a boxer/american bull dog mix and is three years old. However, I had a poodle mix that was the product of a door to door salesman. She was to be my mother's birthday present and she came home at about 10 wks old from a neighbor's home. As all pet owners know, the pet picks its human and Tippy picked me. She was my constant companion from the age of three until she I turned 15. So she would have been about 12. She had some form of cancer and would not even come out from under my dresser unless I picked her up and carried her outside to do her daily business. My dad asked me what I wanted to do about her condition and he ended up taking her to the vet for me to euthanize her. It was a long time before I had another pet. She was my baby and my sister and my friend. I am 36 and still talk about her. She was awesome.

Answer 3

I have 2 favorites that passed within 9 months of each other. The first one he was 15 years. He was an American Bulldog named "Dreyfuss" that we rescued from the pound when he was 8 months old. He was the smartest dog almost human. He would go to work with me just about everyday when i worked at a cage free dog resort. He loved that place. He actually had a job there as well. All the dogs that stayed there had to be pre screened and Dreyfuss was used to test the dogs. If a dog would attempt to attack him he would give me a look like geese this dog is nuts! He would then run away from the dog and jump in the pool to get away from it. Then we would fail the dog because Dreyfuss had such an easy going personality that if a dog showed aggression that dog would defiantly not get along with any other dog staying with us. Dreyfuss was the perfect dog.
At this link you can read about his death and how he passed. And see pictures of him. This is his memorial page....
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/266751

My other dog that passed was a Boxer named Kayla. I got her when she was 12 weeks old from a pet store. It was love at first sight. She was my 65 lb lap dog. When she died she was 6 months shy of her 11th birthday. She wasn't aloud to go to the dog resort with me because she was dog aggressive. But towards her later years she learned to get along with other dogs and went to work with me a couple of times. She was such a goof ball she was always making me laugh.
At this link you can read about Kayla and about how she passed. This is her memorial page...
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/266700

Its been over 2 years since Dreyfuss lost his battle to cancer and over one year since Kayla passed and not a day goes by that i don't think about them. When they died it was truley like loosing a child. I don't think i'll ever get over it. Then today a customer calls and tells me that her dog passed away peacefully this morning and i felt so bad for her because i know exactly how she feels. Her dogs are everything to her. I knew her dog Charlie and it is so sad.

Answer 4

Well, my current favorite pet will be 9 months old tomorrow; Amos is a long-haired doxie and I hope to have many happy years with him. His predecesor (a short-haired doxie) sadly didn't make it to see his 10th birthday. He was a sweet, funny, social, brave and loyal little guy and I nursed him through two major bouts of autoimmune disease. He came through them like a champ and was doing great when he started coughing one day; the vet wasn't concerned enough to want to see him, but I insisted. It turned out he had lung cancer and I only had about three weeks with him before I knew I had to let him go. My vet came out to the house to put him down and he died in my arms. It was the worst thing I've ever been through, but his spirit is still with me and I will never forget him.

Answer 5

I have had 2 Labradors that both lived to be 13. That is a nice old age for a large dog. It sounds as if your Sadie had a wonderful life. Lucky to have had you and your husband and your father in law.
Godspeed -

Answer 6

My apple head Chihuahua lived with me for 15 years.Her name was Chula,she weighed 1.5 pounds and was a vicious protector.I loved when she got her hair up on her back and was ready to kill.She was an ankle biter,as people left the house,they never knew she was biting them.We had plenty of good times with her.Like once we went camping,the mosquitoes came out,but she wanted out,so I let her.About 10 mins later,she comes back in with a huge horn looking knot on her forehead.A mosquito bit her dead between the eyes.No one but her could get that bite like that.Memories are great....

Answer 7

I'm the proud owner of several pets, and they're all my favorite!
The last three I lost were a German Shepherd, 16 years old, a Chihuahua, 18 years old, and a Pomeranian, 17 years old. They were all rescued dogs, and I still miss them terribly.

Answer 8

Our first dog lived to be 17 (we got her when she was a puppy), my cat was 16 and a half when we had to euthanize her (we got her when she was a kitten).

The last dog we had was 13 when she lost her life to liver problems (she was 12 when we rescued her from the shelter). Our current dog is 13 and a half (she was 11 when we adopted her from a family who could no longer keep her).

Answer 9

they were all my favorite
Martini, a collie mix, She was given away at about 10 because we moved.
Pepsi, Died while I was traveling and I found out while I was home for a short time to get a visa she was about 14.
Megan was a lab mix and and also Maggies friend and died at my parents houes after the moved to Florida. she was almost 15.
Maggie , My dog ,a lab mix died one night after I came home from work and she did all her normal things when I got home and went up to my bed and died. she was 13..
Now I have Oscar a male pit bull I inherited from my son he is a year and going on dead..lol
I love and cherrish all my pets and still think of them and cried like hell when they passed.
You can see them all at the link below

Answer 10

most of my dogs only lived to b around 12 years old.
my favorite dog, Shianne, a brindle boxer, lived to be 12. She didnt pass by herself, we had to put her down bcuz she was in such bad shape. My mom was pregnant with me and always had pictures of Shianne laying by her side (as a puppy). They gave her to my cousin Jamie, but his wife had a Bulldog that didnt like her. The Bulldog would always hurt Shianne, so they gave her back to us. I remember when my dad brought her home.
I seen my dad pull in the driveway and me and my cousins were playing. I heard the door open and Shianne came running in, her little tail would always be shaking so fast. She was so excited she peed on the floor. Shianne was a nice, kind-hearted dog who loved to cuddle.

She wasnt doing real well for a while. Always vomiting and moping around. She would get her little energetic moments every now and then. But her last couple weeks, she just wasnt the same. I loved her to death and i even gave her this baby blanket that she would drag around the house. She even pulled it up on the couch and layed on it. I still have it too.


One day (2005) I got home from school, feeling like it was just a normal day. I was really happy to get home. I went in the house while my brother and dad were outside (my mom was at work). I was happy, and wanted to see my Shi Shi. I started shouting her name. After 2-3 times i noticed she didnt come. I went all over the house looking for her, when i realized that she just wasnt there. I ran into the bathroom and started crying. My dad came in the back door, he called me, i told him i was in the bathroom. When i got out, he told me that my mom put her down on her way to work. And that it was bcuz she couldnt even get off the couch barely.
I cried for months, it still hurts a little, bcuz i never got to say goodbye.