I'm so sorry to say that last night I had to put my big berner boy, Gunner, down. He and Mattie are now together. It all happened so fast and, of course, my husband is out of town too.
The day before I could tell Gunner didn't feel that well. He sometimes had days where he just wasn't 100%. I'd give him a Rimadyl and he'd pop out of it quickly. Yesterday morning was one of those days. I assume as usual when I got home from work he'd be his old self happy to see me and run out in the backyard to let everyone know he was there and play with Greta. But when I got home he had a look I had not seen before. It just said "help me". He looked like he didn't feel at all well. I immediately called my vet and they said bring him now. It was time for them to close soon but they started checking as much out as possible. They took blood and tested it there, they brought the ultra sound machine over to him and looked at his abdomen. They just wanted to rule out what they could. His gums were very white. The vet thought he saw something in his spleen. He took blood from his abdomen to see if it clot. He thought a tumor of some kind burst. He said he wanted to go in right now. He knew there was something going on with his spleen and said he thought it needed to be removed. He thought there could be other tumors too or but maybe there were none. I'm only 4 or 5 minutes away and he told me to go home and he would call me when they opened him up and let know before they do anything. I knew if he called back soon it was bad. I had decided if it was just his spleen I wanted him to remove it and let him heal, but if there was stuff all over I would no make him live with it. I was getting ready to call my husband in San Diego on business when the vet called. It was bad. He said there was a football size tumor throughout his abdomen and attached to his back. He said he couldn't find one of Gunner's kidneys. He thinks the tumor was in his kidney and eventually ruptured. I wanted to be there when they euthanized him so I ran back to the vet with Greta. I wanted her to know. I didn't want her to see Gunner walk out of the house and not come back. I wanted her to know Gunner was gone. I cut some of his fur and they did it. My sweet Gunner is gone. He was not the perfect Berner but he was so loved by us. His temperament was not the greatest, he stressed easily. He hated new experiences but loved routine. After taking him to classes for years and exposing him to new things all the time I decided he was they way he was and I wasn't going to change him. Instead we did all we could to make his life as stressfree as possible. Gunner was a happy dog, he loved us and was incredibly loyal to us, probably to a fault. He was a big beautiful typey boy. He had a great head and face that was so sweet. He was very sensitive and worried about me and Greta. He was the caretaker and watchdog of the house. He loved to clean Greta's ears and face and she loved him doing it. He loved to go for rides and I took him on one everyday. He had no interest in meeting new people but loved to be with us. He wasn't the perfect Berner but I wouldn't have given him up for anything. He was funny without trying to be. He thought he was a tough guy but when he'd bark a muffled bark at the dog behind us with his stuffed pink flamingo still in his mouth, he just didn't seem so tough. A couple years ago when we had work done on our house there were some workmen on a ladder that Gunner saw through the window. When he barked it scared the guy so much he almost fell off the ladder. Gunner's bark was loud and very deep, people wondered what we had, they said it sounded like we had a bear. The workmen wanted to see him, but not up close. I brought the tough dog Gunner out for them and Gunner stood behind me and would peek around my legs. He definitely wasn't as tough as his bark. Rob and I accepted his faults and just dealt with it, I didn't care what anyone else thought. I'm staying home with Greta today and as I think about it I'm glad Gunner's not in anymore pain. The weird thing is he would have off days but didn't seem to be in a lot of pain. I just hope to God he wasn't so stoic that he didn't want to show how much pain he was in. Two days ago he was in the back running around and talking to the yellow lab next door like he so often did. I wish we knew more of what was in their heads to know what to do for them. Gunner always brought me something when I came home, he always had done this and I'd thank him profusely. It was usually a toy, but could be a shoe laying around or anything he could pick up. One time when he was young he scrambled all over to find me something but couldn't. He went outside and brought me a leaf. I couldn't believe it and I will never forget that about him. I regret so much not keeping that leaf. Gunner was so loved by us and will be so missed. I'm glad he's with Mattie who he truly loved. I'm also glad I have Greta who keeps me very busy. She's been quiet today and just stares at me. I don't know if she understands or not. She has gotten to where she hugs me a lot and has hugged me several times today. She's gone in and out several times, I think she's looking for Gunner. Gunner was 6 1/2 years old. I so wanted him to be in the seniors Alpenhorn. Berners are a heartbreak breed but I'd do it all over again. The happiness and love they bring is still worth it to me. Kathy Schmitz, Woodstock, Georgia Brighteye Meine Liebe "Greta" CGC "Mattie" Matterhorn Princess CD, NA, CGC and Gunner (in loving memory and now together at the Rainbow Bridge)
