Your pup was lucky to have you!

The benefits your family got were priceless, too. I'm sorry you lost your buddy.

...so sad when we lose those we love. He was certainly loved, and gave that love back 10x.

It is always so hard to do this, it's good that your family got to be there with you.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like Spencer had a wonderful, loving life with you.

Peace and healing you and all of Spencer's family and friends.

I know what it's like to lose a beloved pet/family member. My heart is with you all. It's beautiful how you all had a chance to say your goodbyes. That matters.

You know, I really understand what you are feeling and what you have to deal with. I had the most beautiful and loving collie who was such a part of my life. She sensed, and knew my feelings and she was always there to comfort me ..... and I her. It's so hard to say goodbye, and I ache for you as grieve for this baby. It doesn't matter in the final analysis..... a pedigreed or a mutt, they are your babies and you love them and they love you. He will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge, you can be certain of that!

to our little furry family members is one of the most difficult things to do for pet lovers, but the joy they fill their homes with stays with us forever.

I'm sorry for your pain, Gothmog.

It sounds like Spencer had a good life.

Our beardie,Watson, turned 15 in December, and I know we will soon be facing what you are going through.

Good luck with your beardie. The average age seems to be 13 to 14 according to some websites.

There is a herding competition here every summer at our little county fair. Large fields and plenty of room for everyone to watch. I am so worn out from doing the flower show competition that I haven't felt like sticking around and watching the herding, but I will this year, as I'm not able to do the flower show anymore. And when I do, I will look for the bearded collies and think of Winston.

it's hard when we lose our furry kids -- it sounds like Spencer knew he was well-loved until the very end.....

And it is our solemn promise to help them at the end of their lives.
You all are the best companions and family to your friend.
He loves you all, and you love him.
You had great lives, he is a good boy.

I know some of what you are going through. I lost my beloved cat (the best per I have ever had) in January.

It is the hardest thing to do...I wish there was a way to have these wonderful animals and to never have to go through that.

You just encouraged me to watch a youtube of a bearded collie herding sheep and I am so glad I did it. They are wonderful. I have an English Shepherd who tries to herd my goats all the time, but I don't know how to train him. It is amazing to watch how much they love it. I wish I knew someone in the area who could help me. He would be so good at it.

I've never seen a bearded collie before. They are adorable. He will be a cherished memory stored in your heart forever.

I'm sorry for your loss, but grateful that you had the opportunity to know such an exceptional dog. To Spencer

Glad your Beardie was with you for such a long life.

Take care of yourself. We forget that pets are such deep parts of our souls, and we often don't give ourselves the chance to properly grieve.

I still miss my Beardie. And her death was over thirty years back.

but as many have said, it sounds like your dog had a wonderful life among people who loved him dearly.

Dogs are part of the family. My big boy border is looking at me right now. Herding dogs are great.

Take Care.

Speaking of collies: When I was a kid, we had a stray wander into our garage that was just gorgeous. She was a rough collie, the kind bred with Russian wolfhounds, so they have big barrel chests, pointy noses, flat rears, and tails that curl a bit. Her coloring was the blond with the white ruff.

We think she got out of a cage at Hobby Airport & walked to our house. She was obviously a show dog because when you put her on a leash, she pranced like they do at dog shows. My parents had to put her down in January 1979 from old age, and I still can't put the dog's studio portrait, up on my wall, after all these years. She looked like a movie star. The neighborhood kids always wanted to see "Lassie" but she was prettier than Lassie.

We always joked that our dog had a better pedigree than we did!!

Pets become part of the family and it's heartbreaking to see them go. It sounds like Spencer had a wonderful life with you and your family. A life well lived.

with lots of love. I'm so sorry.

25 was to put down our family cat who was 22 years old. I did not grieve as much for my grandmother as I did for that cat. Of course I knew the cat much better than I did my grandmother. He was almost like a sibling. Of course as an adult many years later I realize he was just a cat, but at the time I was devastated.

That may not be a good reflection on my ability as a parent.

One of my law partners told me that I was crazy to fly my middle child home to say goodbye. I felt that it was the right thing to do

The differences in how their families handled it were polar opposites. I have a nephew who was visiting my father in Arizona when their dog died. We were told not to share the news because they wanted to tell my 20 year old nephew in person upon his return. The other family was not so sentimental. My SIL was waiting for her sister to help her bring the family dog to the vet to have him put down. The dog expired before she could do it however. The dog was on his cedar shavings bed near the front door. When their 8 year old boy came home from school, he shouted to his mother upstairs, "what's wrong with Fido, it looks like he's dead". His mother replied "that's because he is". The boy was not emotionally harmed in any way, that's just how they handle things.

I am so sorry for you and your family's loss. Sounds like Spencer was pretty magnificent.

Sam

I lost my beloved dog of 16 years about a month ago. It still hurts.

It is going to be a while before I stop feeling the loss

I'm sorry for your loss.

My dogs are like my kids.

It's wonderful that your family cared enough to be with him at the end.

No well loved animal is just a cat or just a dog, they can be more important to us than many humans would.

his useful life supervising your daughter.

I am glad he was active to the end. Watching a family member suffer is hard. You (and he) were spared that.

What a beautiful, loving eulogy you wrote.

Beardies are BEAUTIFUL and sweet dogs. I love watching them run agility at the trials I take my dog to. They have such JOY in whatever job they do. You must have been a great breeder to have such wonderful dogs. Herding dogs are the best; smart, sweet, willing to please.

I am glad though that you had this wonderful dog for 15 years and that his life was great to the end. What wonderful memories.

the pain so deep.

for the loss of your beloved Spencer. What a great dog he must have been to have around! Now you have made me very curious about this breed. (((HUGS)))

Spencer could take apart and escape from heavy duty dog crates if he was bored. He destroyed and escaped from several crates. These dogs are very intelligent and love children.

We had several beardies in my house at one time when Spencer was younger and they had a game of "sheep" where one of the dogs would end up being herded by the other beardies. They would also try to heard a PBGV that we had which was funny because the PBGV resented being treated as a sheep.

The downside is that you have to either shave them down or spend some time grooming and combing their hair to prevent mats and tangles.

furry family member. I know how you feel.

This call really him me hard. I am not sure why but it does.

One of my daughters was in town for Spring Break with her beardie. I picked her and her dog up at the airport and took her to my house to pick up a spare car. Her dog looked all through my house for Spencer and it was obvious that she missed him.

I have my Texas Democratic Party senate district meeting on Saturday and the vet's office is near the location of this meeting. I will probably wait to pick up the ashes until after this meeting.