THOUGHTS ON CHOOSING A PUPPY/ BREED:

     We all love puppies and one of the problems that arose in my family when choosing a puppy was the cuteness and adorability of that puppy. That kind of decision making for our family was wrong. We chose Chloe because of her long floppy ears. We should have researched her breed to see if she was a great fit for us. When Chloe came into adulthood, all she wanted to do was run away or bolt out the front door and for hours our family and the neighbors did a large search for her to find her and bring her home. This was constant until one day we realized that all breeds are different in their "inherited traits" She is a hunting dog. We don't hunt! She bolted because she wanted to hunt with us. I realized this when she treed a racoon and kept barking and looking at me as I approached her to show me "it's up there"

I was then very saddened as I knew as much as I loved her, that she wouldn't get the hunting life she so desired.  So, when choosing a puppy or resecuring a dog, do some research first. It is wonderful that many of us adopt pets to save them. I feel even though I did save her, she really didn't get the life she wanted or deserved.

American Kennel Club is an amazing web site that lists basically ever dog in the world and everything there is to know about them:

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COMMERCIAL FOOD VS HOMEMADE FOOD:

Chloe came to a point in her life when she was diabetic and needed a food change to help her with her diabetes. She was sluggish and just not acting hereself and we researched the difference between commercial food and homemade food. We created an amazing "meatloaf" made of chicken and veggies and more. We gave her 1/2 of the commercial dog food and the other half meatloaf and in two weeks she was playing and wanting to walk again outside. This really works. 

American Kennel Club also has a great page for this. 

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HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I NEED TO EUTHINIZE MY PET:

No one really knows except you. Veterinarians cannot answer this question as fear of being sued. Many vets have told me the most common question they get at this point in a pet's life is "IF this was your pet, what would you do?" and still they must create a vague answer. I wanted Chloe to live as long as she could, however I could see she was just not doing well. This web site below can really help you decide.

America Humane is a great web site from "How to bond with your pet" to "When is the best time to euthanize" 

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HOW TO DEAL WITH PET LOSS AND GRIEF:

After Chloe's passing, we were left with toys, food, medications, bedding, leashes and so much more. Everything was laying all over the house. (We called our vet and said they would take all we have to give to those that need) that was great for us and helped us know that another pet in need was benefiting from this donation. As hard as it was to see her things go we needed to stay positive.  We chose to not think of the "good times just yet" we needed to focus on why we ethnized her because remembering the "good times" made us question ourselves if we did this way too soon. Thinking of how sick she was, not eating like she was, not showing interest in taking a walk is what we focused on until we could start to remember the "good times", But each family is different in handling the passing of a pet.

America Humane has a great page as well for dealing with the loss and grief.