On Sunday February 6, 2022 at 1:15pm we said goodbye to our beloved 9 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, Hobie. Dr. Mindy came to our home and was the most compassionate person that has the responsibility of easing pain for pets with the utmost care. Hobie was our first baby before we had our first human child. He was our rock! He loved us so damn much and when we found out he had lymphoma, it crushed us. When you make the decision to put down your family pet, it is the hardest decision you ever have to make. The worst part is when dogs are going thru it with lymphoma, there is no pain but you see their sparkle go away. I wanted to cancel the appointment for euthanasia all day prior to Dr. Mindy to arriving at our home because Hobie was having one of those “good days” and he was his normal self with puppy energy. When Dr. Mindy saw him, he greeted her with some kisses and tail wags. When she pet his neck and felt the lymph nodes swollen to the size of a baseball, she knew right away that it was time. She eased my doubts if we were doing the right thing because she said that him going out on his terms with dignity is the best way as opposed to suffocating slowly to keep him around for us selfishly while he suffers. When it was time for the procedure Dr. Mindy was very informative as to what was about to happen but with the most sincere compassion. She knew that we were experiencing our worst day but was never robotic, she felt as if she was a family friend the whole time. One thing I did want to share before I finish here, when we had Hobie on the stretcher ready to load his body in the car, something really interesting happened. We have an AeroGarden that we grow herbs in. It has an automatic timer and the light is on for 16 hours a day constantly. As we lifted Hobie up to carry him out, the light on the AeroGarden went out. It has never done this before. It came back on a few seconds later. We like to think it was Hobie saying goodbye to us in his own way.
So in conclusion, I was referred to Caring Pathways from a colleague and I am so glad we chose them. The detail, the compassion and the professionalism is outstanding. The ability to be able to be with your pet at home during such an emotional and painful moment as opposed to a cold vet’s office’s table, is something I can’t appreciate enough. The grieving packet they provide for you is also so informative and reassuring. Our cat is grieving too and the packet prepared us for what to expect for him. I recommend this company highly if you ever have to make this tough decision. They make the worst decision you have to make easier with the amount of compassion and sincerity. Thank you Caring Pathways and Dr. Mindy!
