Your Pet Loss Stories

by Anna
(Ohio, USA)

My aunt, uncle, and cousin bought a cute, 2.5-pound yorkie from a pet store four years ago. We visit them often, so they and their pets are like family. I loved the dog (named Buckeye) so much.

Recently, they had to move to a new house. They couldn't keep Buckeye and tried to find a better home for him to enjoy the rest of his life in. An elderly lady, looking for a small companion, took him in.

A few days after she brought him home, she took him to her vet to get a check up. The vet asked, "How old is this dog?" "Four years", she replied. The vet paused. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say he's fourteen. And it looks like he has several health issues. Too many, probably." "What?" The lady said. She called my aunt, and she brought the paperwork to the vet immediately. He looked it over. "They did say he should be four. But he's not, definately. And I would say he'd been in a puppy mill. It looks like he's been bred so many times."

My aunt, uncle, cousin, and my family were shocked. My aunt's vet never said anything, but he was associated with the pet store she got Buckeye from, and probably didn't want to say anything. It was terrible news. Buckeye did have behavior issues, but now we understood why.

The vet said the best option would be to put him down. He was very old and had several health problems. He lived a good life when he was with us, and I only wish I knew what he had been through earlier, so we could have understood.

RIP Buckeye, we will always love you :)