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"ok this is the "special" picture. me and the boy, both of us pups. Mom used to have this resting on my urn. She wants to have it made into a portrait."
"This is Ben, how he was in his life. Notice he has sticks stuck to his fur and he was wet? He loved to swim, he was always a mess but that was him and he was my baby boy! I loved him!!! enjoy the new pics! I am!"
Likes: CAMP. Swimming in the Lake up north. Following my Mommy!! Swimming, FOOD , swimming and walks. and swimming Did I mention swimming????
Pet-Peeves: fireworks,vacuum cleaner,most male dogs,thunder, having to lay in the kitchen until his paws were dry enough to enter the living room.
Favorite Toy: huge rawhide bone, purple squeaky ball, The cat (s) - our cat Ty and we had another one before Ty but I have no scanned pic to do a page up for her YET. Her name was Jessie. She hated Ben, and he thought it was the most fun in the world to bug her.
Favorite Food: Hot dog weiners, Jerky treats,meat leftovers.
Favorite Walk: We used to go walkies all the time and he was happy wherever I was!
Best Tricks: sit! LOL definately NOT roll over!
Arrival Story: My dad's secretary had 2 golden retreivers and they had a litter of pups. Ben hid in my coat when I was deciding on a puppy.
He passed away May 20 2005 due to cancer at the age of 11. And I still miss him. He was my first baby dog and we had one of those weird bonds that you sometimes have with a dog. He would have died for me and he would have followed me anywhere. He was my love, my golden shadow.
Bio: he can also be found at rainbow bridge with our cat Jessie.
It is almost 2 yrs since he has died......and I still miss him. And I always will.
In Feb 2005, I noticed, during a walk ,that he was walking kind of funny. We took him to the vet and we all figured it was arthritis as Benny was 11 yrs old almost. so there we were ignoring his funny walk for another month. In March, he lost control of his back end.. He could not stand up properly and the vet tested him for every possible thing.....I was panicked!!!! Because he had a cancerous lump removed 7 months earlier......we had different drugs to try for various things.......then in April. We sent Ben in for an ultrasound.....(We had to save $ for it) and then it was determined, he had Lymphosarcoma.....cancer all through him. It was everywhere.... The vet told us to take him home for 7 days and then bring him back to be euthanized. We said "NO" and you know what? He lasted for almost 2 months, from diagnosis (April 1,) until his passing (May 20/2005). We had lots of ups and downs, the vet put him on Prednisone and he was able to go for walks and make it up the stairs again and everything but it only lasted for 3 weeks or so, then he got weak again. But when he went downhill...it came fast. On the night before May 20/2005, he could no longer stand up or walk and he peed where he lay and we knew that was it. That night I cried myself to sleep and told myself "If Benny is still laying in the same spot, in the morning, it is time for him to go" it was so hard to let my baby go, he was such a happy boy and smiled through his whole life and also, through his illness and even on his last day, HE WAS STILL SMILING!
Anyway, in the morning.........he was still laying in the same spot and..well, you know the drill...off to the vet for the final goodbye. I must have bawled for weeks after.... I still cry for him now. He was my BABY!
How I miss my Baby boy.
next day.....
we had a black bird sitting in front of our house on our front step. for 4 or 5 days we saw that bird. I said it was a sign. Benny is ok. and he is telling me. I also used to hear his chains jingling. I actually thought I had lost it (my mind). But I heard him jingling around the house, jingling around the yard, jingling behind me on walks....my mother in law was also "nudged" on her leg and turned around to see nothing there....It happens to me still every now and then. Most of this weirdness stopped the week Jake came home. I believe that Ben was waiting to see Jake come, so he knew I would be ok. After Jake came to the family, I didn't hear anymore jingling. But every now and then I get a "nudge". I turn expecting to see Jake or Teddy and nobody is there. It happened to my son once at camp. Camp was Ben's favourite place to be. We had a weird bond. For instance, If I went on vacation, he would not eat. Once my husband and myself were play fighting and he was so worried that he actually climbed on top of me (I was on the couch) and covered me with his body...
Today, I got pictures of him out of our photo album. Good ones, before ge got sick. He looks at least 50 pounds heavier LOL!
I am going to ask someone at work to scan them for me. So my Ben can have a Dogster page as good as his brothers do!!!!!
Forums Motto: My golden shadow, My love
The Groups I'm In: "Canadian Golden Retrievers" who want to be Friends with other Goldens..., ♥ Golden Angelz ♥, ♥Dogster's Next Top Model, ♥A TEAM♥, ~*Dog Park PlayGround and Pawty Place*~, Absolutely GOLDEN, Administrators of Catster & Dogster Groups, Disney Fan Club, Dogs for the Environment, dogs of White Spruce and buddies, Dogster's Angels, Dyson Dogster/Catster, Golden Hearts, Golden Puppies, Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever Lovers, Golden Retriever FunHouse, Goldens and Friends, Goldens Birthday/Anniversary Picture Album, Greatest American Dog Fan Club!, Hockey Fans, Just Goldens, Labrador Retrievers Fun House, LIVING with cancer, Major League Baseball Fan Club, PAWS Angels WAGS for Kindness, Pawsome Awesome Goldens, The Big Dog Lounge, The Disney Group, The Dog Park ;), The Rainbow Bridge, Volume 2 Goldens Birthday/Anniversary Picture Album, Volume 3 Goldens Birthday/Anniversary Picture Album
The Last Forum I Posted In: Euthanization
My mommy sent my Dogster friend Geena this pmail about me because she said more could be told about me. So she typed a little bit about me and then re read this and thinks this is a nice dedication for me.
BEN - AND HOW HE WAS IN LIFE- by My Mommy.
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Ben was a strong boy....did not ever seem to feel pain. Never whimpered with pain except for one time when he had a bad belly. He was brave. Very brave. and the only time he freaked out was at the vet because he could not be with me. Used to get liquid runs when he had to stay overnight for anything at the vet. We had a weird bond. He protected me fiercely. For a Golden he was a wonderful watchdog. Barked at the door, and snarled at strangers. He didn't eat much and yet was fat. He was obssessed with swimming.
And like what I try to get across to my Dogster friends...he was FUNNY!
If he were human he would be exactly the dog in our family who would wear that chicken hat that he so proudly wears from time to time.
oh and he had this huge rawhide bone that we got him for Christmas that for some reason he decided to keep for his prized possession and did not ever eat. He walked around with this bone in his mouth for 2 years, never eating it even though in past years, he had eaten all the other ones he had got.
We never had a dog so brave...he smiled through his illness, even on his last day. He smiled. We never knew when to end it for him because he never showed pain or sadness.
There....now you can know Ben. :):) It was nice remembering him.
My Tail of Devotion for Ben -(In Loving Memory)
September 25th 2006 7:18 pm [link to this entry]
ok, seems I already HAD a tail of devotion done for Benny! It was dated Sept 25th. I remember it yes, but didn't realize at the time, that it was a tail of devotion.
anyway I copied it for you to see. I am kind of glad I didnt have to do a new one tonight. I am still raw from the Page update a few nights ago. It is still sooo hard to talk about Benny without guilt...... anyway, here it is.
My Golden Shadow
Benny boy, my love, you were the best dog, friend,companion,devoted dog I have ever had in my entire life. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without you. 11 years were not long enough, I wanted to have you forever. I never knew a human/dog relationship could be so strong. But I loved you with all my heart. From the first day I ever saw you when you picked me, by hiding in the back of my coat until your last day, I want you to know that you were the love of my life. (But I think you know that already). Thank you for fiercly protecting me from everything from a male toy poodle to the mailman. (I understood). I will never say goodbye to you. I will only say "see you soon baby." Losing you was the worst day of my life. I hope you are having fun swimming up there in the big lake.
And I know that you are waiting for me at Rainbow Bridge.
To follow me around for an eternity! (I will love it)
Benny, we had to change your song because it stopped playing and I cant find it. so now I have a sad one but It will be ok.....i suppose you saw me bawling last night! Don't be mad at me...I was updating your story and could not handle it...I still feel so guilty about not being in the room with you when the vet put you to sleep. I KNOW you didnt mind, you were so loving. But BOY do I feel guilt! Anyway, just to tell you that I am going to get pictures of you when you were healthy and BIG scanned and I am going to post them on Dogster for all to see. There is one pic of you with the boy when he was 3. There you were you and the boy...both pups. That is the special picture.
you know the one.
Hope I can get it up soon.
Today is April fools day and April fools day 2005 is the day the vet told me you were going to die...remember Ben? He said you should "go" next week and I said no he wont....and you didn't.
You lasted until May 20th....you were so strong and brave and funny....remember when you "Got Stuck in the garden" at 1am? And the neighbour was wondering what I was doing out there? You had lost control of your legs again and ended up in the flower garder making wooing sounds at me and waggin' your tail. So I went out in my nightie and bare feet in the flowers....and helped you get your footing. Then you barked and wooed soo loudly at the night when you got back in the house after I helped you get up! It was like you were saying "In your face! I Made IT!"
You were my funny, strong boy!
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