You and Ruger have blessed each others's lives for 13 years. I wish it could be more and I am sorry for the difficult time you are suffering through together. Ruger looks just like he could have been a littermate to our Brandy, which we lost to cancer at age 5. It's tough. Prayers for comfort.

Hang in there, Randy.

Sorry for your pain and what your going thru.yes sometimes we become more attached to our 4 legged friends then the 2 legged ones.ive put alot of dogs down over the years but it's always the good ones that leave us to soon.

Sorry to read about your best friend. Yes, I believe dogs can be connected to the spirit world. My 14 yr.old beagle i firmly believe sent me messages that he was free and no more pain. Had him put down at a vets. I held his paw and floppy eared head as the vet did his work.I broke down like a 5 year old kid when he went limp.So much for being strong in the face of adversity.
That was 35 yrs ago and my eyes are tearing up as I write this, such is the strong bond a pet can have with its
.owner. Be glad for the time you had and keep a lookout for those subliminal messages. Best wishes Randy.

The pic of Ruger and Olivia sleeping was the day we brought him home. For nearly his first year everyone freaked out on the size of his paws and his chest. It was easy to see that he was going to grow up to be a stud. He maintained that massive chest and grew into those paws. Unfortunately he's lost a lot of muscle tone in the last year.

My favorite .

That's always so hard , Randy. Hate it for you.

Oh man, you and Ruger have an amazing bond.

We've had 6 labs and each one was special in it's own way. Casey was my dog from the start till the end. She flat out loved hunting, Any kind especially dove hunting. She would see them before I would. I carried in the house on her last night. We ate dinner and I was sitting in my chair reading and saw her trying to crawl across the floor towards me. I got up then layed down next to her and put my arm around her. Feel asleep that way. when I woke up she was gone. That was the hardest hole I ever had to dig. My wife left me alone till I filled the grave in then came out and we both cried. I know she's up there running around with the other 5 just waiting for me and my wife.

Unfortunately, good dogs never live long enough. I feel your pain and really don't have the words to say it any better.

Its hard nothing I could say will help. Your not alone I and many others have been there.It sucks.