From a brother to a brother.

[Russ Merritt]

Lots of you guys know Donnie Short, super nice guy from Kentucky, helps everyone out with their Maf T Pro's. One of the best guys you will ever meet. He lost his dog last night to plant seed poisoning. Got into it Monday night, died last night. He, his wife and son are taking it really hard as to be expected.


Wanted to let him know we are thinkin bout him and I know words can't help much but your not alone dude......


Hang in there......

 

[stickybones]

I've dealt with Donnie once on a Mease downpipe purchase. Seemed like a nice guy.

I feel his pain. About 20 years ago or so when I was a teenager, I was taking the family dog out to play. It was winter and there was snow/ice on the ground. Shadow was crazy; a little ball of energy. When I cracked the gate open she bolted down the driveway. When she got to the bottom, she slammed on the brakes but slid on the snow into the street anyway where she got hit by a car. She died in my arms. I was heartbroken.

Alot of people will say "It's just a dog". Unless you've had one...and lost one...you'll never understand.

Hang in there. My condolences to the Short family.

Mike

 

[Grumpy]

wow ...so sad :redface: ... lots of us really get attached to our animals .. they are more like kids but mind better (sometimes) ... take care Donnie .. we can all relate

 

[6APPEAL]

I can definetly relate. Had to put down our 13 year old Siberian Husky due to complications of his seizures. The meds basically burned up his liver. Just about killed us to have to do it. My wife and I were upset for days. Not long after that someone stole our solid white Siberian Husky. What was the most heart breaking about that was our 1 year old daughter (at the time) kept calling and looking for him.

They have my condolences .......

John

 

[Bob Avellar]

We know what that feels like around our house. We've lost 6 dogs over the last 35 yrs or so -an 18 wheeler, a car , and the others due to old age and medical problems. (We've had as many as 4 at a time). I now have 3 cocker spaniels -all inside lap dogs-and 1 had to have emergency surgery this afternoon due to a life threatening infection to her uterus. I slept with her the last 2 nights-well I didn't really sleep much. My regular vet was on vacation so it took me another day to decide where to bring her. She will have to stay there tonight but about an hour ago he said the surgery went very well and we will get her home tomorrow a.m. Needless to say,it was scary. Not out of the woods yet but it is looking much better. I'm so sorry Donnie's dog didn't make it. Maybe I'm nuts but the death of any of my dogs has always upset me more than the death of most of my relatives except for my grandfather. I feel so responsible for them. Time may not heal all wounds but it will get easier. Our best wishes to the whole family. Hopefully , she is in a better place.

 

[GNguy]

Im sorry to hear about his loss, Its always hardto lose a family member.

 

[Mike Licht]

a dog is a member of the family and when you lose one it hurts just the same. Donnie, you know where to find me if you need anything
Mike

 

[DonnieShort]

Guys you don't know how much your support means to me and my family. We are just totally heartbroken. My son Jordan is 5 years old and he's taking it really hard, at that age it's hard for them to understand. And equally hard to try to explain it to him. Kailey was a member of the family and is going to be dearly missed. She was a full blooded Border Collie and was absolutey beautiful and so smart. Everybody that saw her couldn't get over how beautiful she was. So full of life and so loving, we are just devestated.
Russ, you are a true friend With the Nats coming up, it'll be good to just get away and take my mind off this, we're gonna have a great time. Mike I really appreciate you and everything you've done for me. Thanks alot guys, everyone of you are great and your support really means so much to me. Thanks

 

[Gary Wells]

Donnie:
I am sorry for you and your family's loss. Few things are more devastating than the loss of a family member. I hope that it won't be long before you and your family's loss is replaced by the fond memories of the fun times spent together before this saddening event.
Regards:
Gary Wells

 

[CHANCE]

man donnie im really sorry to hear about your famliy member you got my number if you need anything
josh

 

[BandAid]

As a dog lover/owner I can relate...I think I prepare myself for this every day,I always think somthingm will happen and get some tears ( like now) sorry to hear of your loss...
when the time permits can you eloaborate on what happened , since the last eppisode with one of the memebers dog drinking antifreeze,I am always on the look out for that now...but want to know what else is a danger... :frown:

 

[SloGN]

Donnie Sorry to hear about your losses. I understand what it's like to lose your best friend.


Our Mascot at the Randleman Fire dept was let outside one morning and we got to looking for him he had went to the far corner of the lot and layed down and died. He was a 8 yr old great dane.

This may sound funny too some but we flew the flag @ half staff for a week for AXE.

not only did it affect us fireman it affected the community too. Axe was a big part of our Fire prevention week with the kids at the schools and day cares.

he would Stop Drop and Roll for the kids. and do various little tricks.

 

[no-nos]

dam ... my condolences , as a guy who has only owned one dog which was also a border collie, my heart goes out to you and your family, when i lost ALI it was as if nothing else mattered he wa s my best friend, i felt such a loss that i refuse to have another dog, because as they say it may have started out as a pet but it becomes one of the most important family members a kid could have ...............may you find peace and confort in times of trouble.


Carlos :frown:

 

[Buicksx2]

Donnie & Family,

Sorry to hear of your loss, it's never easy with a pet. We lost our Old English Mastiff 2 years ago next month and it still hurts at times. Time helps but remember the good times with your pup.

 

[Pronto]

Yes, it's very surprising how attached you become to those eyes looking at you wanting to be petted. Found out in January my dog has a heart condition. The vet made it sound like she needed a pacemaker immediately or she would die. We were upset for days worrying about her. Fooled us, she's still kicking .When she does go it still be hard to bear. My condolences to you and your family.

 

[WE4]

You have our condolences

Sorry to hear of losing your best friend. Unconditional love. Whether you are in a good mood or bad, they always seem to make you smile. Sorry for your loss and can definitely relate to how you feel.

Again, from the Toelle family and the TB.com family, you have our condolences.
:frown:

Bruce
WE4

 

[rhunt]

Donnie

Just had to put my kitty down and it was the hardest thing I've done in a long time I know what you are going thru It will get easier as time goes on. It's not your fault.

Roger

 

[DonnieShort]

Here's what happened

I can't belive that it's been a week already.
For everyone with a pet or children, listen up.
My wife had an envelope of seeds she had gotten from her mother. She was going to plant them but started playing with Jordan and laid the envelope on the garage steps. After it got dark we all came inside to get ready for bed. Got up the next morning and Kailey had thrown up and had severe diareah (sp). What a mess! I noticed when cleaning it up that her throw up had dark specs in it. I went out to the garage to get some more cleaning stuff and I saw that the envelope was laying in the floor and the seeds scattered about. I knew right then that was what made her sick. So I clean the seeds up and tossed them in the trash. Right away I could tell that Kailey was not herself. Did some research on what seeds they were and when I found out my heart sank to my stomach. The seeds were Castor Bean seeds also known as Mole Beans or Tick plant. Have you ever heard of the poison Ricin? Yeah that one, it's the poison that the government is really worried that the terrorists will try something with. This stuff is deadly and not just in small amounts either. Well, this plant is were you get Ricin from. It's from the seeds. To handle the seeds is no big deal. The problem is when the seed gets broke open or chewed up. The Ricin is so heavily concentrated in the seeds that only one chewed up seed is lethal to a medium sized dog or a small child. Two seeds chewed up is lethal enough to kill an average size adult. Kailey had eaten about 12 seeds She eat the seeds on Monday evening and died Thursday night. From the research I did I found out that after ingesting the seeds a person or animal has 3 to 5 days to live depending on the amount ingested. If still alive after 5 days there is a good chance of recovery but it all depends on how much of the poison is ingested. Also let it be known that there is NO antidote for Ricin. I would encourage everyone that has pets or children to educate themselves of the dangers that's out there that you didn't even know existed. Here are some sites that you can read to arm yourself with knowledge so no one has to go through this useless tragedy. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened had my son got into these seeds instead of the dog, just can't imagine.

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/comlist.html


http://www.aspca.org/site/FrameSet?style=User&url=http://www.aspca.org/toxicplants/M01844.htm

http://www.cybercanine.com/toxicplants.htm

 

[klrv6]

Sorry for your loss

Donnie,

I truely am sorry for your loss!

I feel that our pets are a gift from God. They love you freely and ask for nothing in return. They can fix a bad day you had or just make you laugh for doing funny and yes stupid things (Like when my lab took a leak on the deck and urine rained down on the GN that was parked below). The other thing you must think about is how great was it for this dog to be in such a loving home. Many animals get abused or have to fight for food, so it should at least make you feel good that your family was so kind to this animal.


When your family is ready, take your son out and let him choose his new friend. If you want a purebread, pay a visit to Salt River Kennels in Lawrenceburg, KY (Not sure if they are still around). We purchased both of our labs there, very clean and one of the dogs came with a better warranty than most new cars.



I really am sorry for your loss!