Had to put this old boy down a few weeks back.
Was going 1,000 mph on Sunday - went down on Monday and couldn't get back up. Took him to the vet and they found a mass in his chest that was compressing his lungs and had spread. Even if they could've stabilized him (and that was a long-shot), there were no happy endings to be had.
Damn dog was so good natured that he'd probably been dying for months and it just never occurred to him to be sad about anything. Was as gregarious and playful as ever until the moment his muscles just couldn't get the oxygen they needed.
Damn he was a good dog. Dumb as a hammer but just the most good natured thing. And yeah - ended up just as pretty as we thought he would; a genuine show caliber lookin' dog. That bone structure and body type made him a damn ox. Even when he was older he'd toss the rotty across the room anytime the rot got playing too rough. And good luck to any person (or 4 people) who tried to trip his nails. Never knew a stranger though - just would NOT express any frustration or anger. Never saw him raise his lips and he only growled once in his life that I ever recalled.
Just loved his kids to death. Baby boy was awfully upset -- MacArthur was his first best buddy. And we took everyone in to see him and say goodbye. Palmer did a great job initially but I'll never forget seeing it hit him just as mom was getting ready to take them back home and I was going to stick around for the end. Hit the poor little guy like a truck all at once and he just melted into a sobbing puddle. Life can be tough at 4 - hard to see a life lesson register like that though.
Can't help but feel I got jobbed a bit on this one. The other labs made it to 14 and 15 respectfully and good ol' Mac didn't even make it to 12. But on the flipside, there's couldn't have been a better end for him really. In great shape until he was just...gone.
I don't really have many pictures of him on my phone; certainly none from his younger days. But I found this one on my computer and it really does capture who he was. Just the most comfortable, happy boy.
Miss ya black dog.