I am so sorry. I had to put my dog down about 10 years ago and that was the hardest thing for me to do.

People are very attached to their pets. I'm sorry for your loss. I have an 11 year old Cat and I know that day when she will no longer be with me is only a few years away....

You forgot about the time he was doused in corn oil...and survived.

RIP sunshine!

a friend is a friend whether it's feathered, four legged or human. I'm sorry for the loss of your companion

I'm so sorry to hear about Sunshine's passing. One of our dogs passed away suddenly a few months ago and it was really painful. It sounds like Sunshine had a good life though, which is the most important thing (even though it's not easy to realize that at first).

I am so sorry for your loss.

I had a Quaker parakeet named Fred. He sounds EXACTLY like Sunshine, even down to the time he escaped the house for a week. (His weakness, Rice Crispy Treats, lured him back from his perch down the block.)

Fred was a noisy little bugger, but could be quite affectionate. He loved to sit on my chest and have me blow a stream of air across his ear.

I never knew that birds could have so much personality, but they can be a force to be reckoned with. You did the right thing for Sunshine. It sounds as though he had a pretty good life.

really sorry for your loss, Miriam, losing a pet is really tough. My family putting down my two childhood cats a couple years ago was really sad, although they ended up getting two more cats later, and they've brightened up my parents' home immeasurably.

my condolences on you and your family's loss.

Oh, Miriam, what a great post. I'm so sorry about your family pet. May he RIP.

You made me laugh AND you made tears spring to my eyes - the very best kind of writing.

I'm so sorry about your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss. And I hope in the time to come that it will become easier. I know that it won't for awhile, at least if you're anything like me.

My dearest Albert Einstein, my best friend in the world, a tuxedo cat, passed away in March. While I have a new cat, who I also love dearly, there are nights where it still hurts.

So good luck to you, and once again, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for your loss.
I had a turtle that lived for 16 years. I didn't realize how much I loved that crazy pet until I noticed she was sick and completely panicked (try turning to your fiancé to say "does Yoda (the turtle) look lethargic to you? I think she does... I'm calling the vet" and not sound a little looney). She went so fast after that. I miss her.

When I had bought her at the age of 8, I got her from a pet store at the mall and they told me she was a musk turtle, so I bought a little baby musk turtle from a reptile swap without really looking into it (I HIGHLY recommend reptile swaps for high entertainment).

Well, turns out my Yoda was NOT a musk turtle, she was a reeves turtle, which is super sweet and nice. Musk turtles are assholes. So now I have this asshole turtle that hates me (so I imagine) and I have to take care of it forever (life span about 30-40, Yoda had this WHOLE LIFE before me, which i think is crazy- she was estimated about 35 when she passed) because I bought him and he's mine and that's what you do. I will probably cry when I'm in my 60s and he dies.

Aw, I'm so sorry. I have two cockatiels and I'd be heartbroken if something happened to either one of them. They're such great pets, they're like children to me.

I'm really sorry to learn of your loss, Miriam. I have grieved intensely over many animals, including birds. It hurts to lose them and I wish I knew what to say to take away some of that pain. Keep in mind that you did the most selfless, kind thing you could do under the circumstances. Thank you for sharing this with us. Best Regards-- take care of yourself!

I'm so sorry, Miriam.

"...we had to put my 16 year old cockateil Sunshine to sleep..."

Isn't reaching 16 impressive for a cockatiel? That doesn't make losing him hurt any less, of course.

Like nacho_mama said, "...Keep in mind that you did the most selfless, kind thing you could do under the circumstances..."

Also keep in mind that you kept good care of Sunshine all the way through old age. I don't want to just give you my condolences for Sunshine's death, I want to give you credit for Sunshine's well-being in life too!

Kind thoughts for you miriam. I am so sorry for your loss. May he rest in peace and be happy in the front yard of your parents home. Even though he was a pain in your ass you know you still loved him and need to grieve. We are all here and wish you luck in your healing. May peace be with you in this hard time.

I'm so sorry, Miriam. I have a pet cockatiel. He's not very nice -- he literally bites the hand that feeds him! But I love the little guy.

I've experienced the losses of two pet dogs and I know it hurts like hell. It sounds like you gave your bird a good life, and I hope that gives you some comfort. Take care.

So sorry. I've had birds all my life and they are just amazing creatures. Hope you are able to grieve properly.

My family and I lost our hamster Snuffy in February and it was really sad, so I can relate. I'm sorry to hear about Sunshine, he sounds like he was a nice bird. Oh and I like the pic of you two :)

I'm so sorry - I know that losing a pet is terribly hard. Take care of yourself.

***hugs*** losing a furry or feathered friend is so hard. i still think of my nico (persian/maine coon mix) all the time, and i had her put down almost two years ago now. hang in there. i'm sending you good vibes.

Woah...

I started reading you post, finding it strange that I also had to put a pet down today. But as I kept reading I realized our stories are much more alike than I could ever imagine.

My dog of 16 years (yeah, 16 too) has been having trouble breathing from tumors in his body. We had to put him down today so he wouldn't suffer any longer. It was so difficult, as I know you know. Strange how our stories are so alike, but I'm sending you hugs and sympathy, because I do know how hard it is.

Take care,

Liz

I've had two birds pass on. One had escaped it's cage while everyone was out of the house. It had a run in with a ceiling fan in another part of the house, and didn't make it. We only had her for a few weeks, but I wish I had had more time with my little pet.

The other one lived to be 6. He was ill on and off the entire time we had him. He was my buddy from the first day he came home. Very sweet bird, but he was always underweight and would often stop eating, so we would feed him baby bird formula to keep him going. For a few months he was doing really well. His weight went up and he was eating on his own. And during that good time, we found him laying on the bottom of his cage one morning.

We were devistated, especially since for once, we had let our guard down and thought that he was out of the woods. We took his body to a vet to see what had happened. It turns out the poor little guy had always had a hole in his heart that connected the area of the oxygenated blood to the carbon-dioxide rich blood. He passed on four years ago now.

I still miss him very much, but it gets easier, and later you'll be able to laugh at all of the silly things your bird used to do without feeling sad. It'll just be remembering and old friend.

:( sorry about your bird xo

It is unbelievably hard to lose a pet, to a degree that, I think, people who haven't owned pets will never know. They are family. They love us and don't judge us and are there for us. We lost our first cat about five years ago, when I was 20; we've had him since I was three, my entire living memory. It was something we avoided for months, watching him slowly get worse and worse, and not wanting to accept what we had to do, until it was clear that letting him go was the only way we could truly act with love for him. I cried for days. Our second cat passed away in April, and with her it was fast; one day we noticed her nose was running and within about 10 days it came out that she was very quickly deteriorating from either a brain infection or a brain tumour. We had no choice but to put her down too. Again I cried for days, even before I knew what I had to do, because just seeing her in pain was way too hard. Months later, I'm sitting here remembering her and getting choked up again. I loved her so much.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you take the time you need to mourn your loved one. *hugs* Remember how special Sunshine was to you, and all I can say is that whatever affection you felt for him was deeply personal and however you choose to mourn him is entirely up to you.

i had a similar experience with a cat during college. she was never my favorite cat, and i wasn't her favorite human, but she'd been around a long time and i did love her. putting her down was one of the hardest things i've had to do in my life. hugs and love to you, miriam.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your pet, Miriam. Having to make the decision to put a pet to sleep, even if the pet is old or ill, is one of the hardest things any of us will have to do. But it's a brave thing to do, knowing that it's time to let your beloved pet rest and be out of pain. (And now I've made myself cry!) Anyway, a friend is a friend, whether furred or feathered. Here's to Sunshine! He had a long and happy life.