The thought of people having to say goodbye to their pets always make us ugly cry. Even more so when you think of how tightly knit our Latin familias are, our puppies become one more member. So when we came across Reddit user Rawtashk's story about how his two dogs reacted to his dog Josef, or Sef for short, being put down, it broke our hearts. The owner shared a photo of his two other dogs, Rhonin and Jaina, gathering around Sef the morning he was due to be put to sleep–and it is so heart-wrenching.
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Rawtashk shared the full story of how Sef came into his life and of the time they spent together, but now he was forced to say goodbye to his furry friend due to a nerve sheath tumor under his right shoulder that had completely paralyzed his leg. The owner shared photos of the sad day, including the one with his two brothers, and of his last moments with Sef after the pup spent 12 long and beautiful years by his side.
"You know you have a good boy when your vet doesn't normally do at-home euthanasia, but she volunteers to come out and do it for Sef. And that's what happened this morning. Somehow Rhonin and Jaina both knew because they kept coming over and giving Sef kisses this morning while we waited for the vet," he wrote. "Sef was able to go peacefully at home, while my wife and I stroked his fur and told him how much we loved him and how much we were going to miss him. Then I took him on one last car ride to the pet memorial place where they will do a private cremation and we'll put his ashes on the shelf next to [another one of our dogs] Drago's."
Their other two dogs gathered around their sick friend to say their goodbyes.
"Our old boy is getting put down today. Somehow our other 2 seem to know, and they've been saying goodbye all morning," the owner titled the post. This is proof for people who think animals don't have emotions. Somehow they could sense that their brother and friend was going away, so they gathered around him in his last moments.
Sef's owner opened up about how painful the experience was, but said it was something that needed to be done.
"It's over. We said our goodbyes and he's getting cremated so we can put his ashes on the mantle next to our first dog. He was the best boy I could have ever asked for, but his health was failing," he shared. "A huge nerve sheath tumor under his right shoulder that had completely paralyzed that leg and was slowing him down. I had to carry him up and down stairs and outside for the last month or so. Sorry, Sef. I would have carried you forever, but it wasn't fair to you."
He also shared a photo of one of the dogs lying next to Sef's body.
"They know. Our other boy usually hangs out on the couch with us, or over on the dog bed by the front door so he can look outside," the owner wrote along with the pic. "But after the vet left he chose to lie down in the middle of the floor, by the body of his friend." Our hearts can't take it.
Sef was able to enjoy one last car ride and his owner paid tribute to him on Reddit.
"You were with me from age 23 all the way through 34. Those were some of the most formative years of my life. Girlfriends, a wife, 2 houses, 3 cars, 2 cats, 4 different jobs, four different dogs and countless foster dogs," he recalled in the post. "All of them with you being rock solid and by my side. Thanks for going on that 11 year journey with me. I loved every minute of it. I hope you had a wonderful time."
He also posted a comic of an imagined interaction between an owner and his dog on its last day.
We're convinced this can make even the toughest of people cry.
His owner would like for people who were moved by this story to help other dogs like Sef.
Sef was adopted from the American Belgian Malinois Rescue (ABMR). If anyone wants to donate in his memory, you can do so here. Rest in peace, Sef.
