Man and his dog- the bond is so great! Good-bye Randolph~~~

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Paul Zweben



I am not really sure where to start.
We had an amazing Golden named Stoli that had a happy, healthy life until he turned 10 years old.
Within a few weeks, he went from bad to worse and the decision finally came that we had to put him down. That was November 2009.
Just the thought of him leaving us brings tears to my eyes.A few weeks past and my lovely wife began searching for a new dog on line.
We found some amazing breeders in Pennsylvania and they told us that a new litter would be ready in March of 2010.
We headed up and quickly fell in love with the runt of the litter. We loved him instantly and named him Randolph.
He was our angel.
He was one of the prettiest Goldens I had ever seen and we just loved him.
After about 3 months, he began to develop some serious health issues and for the next year and a half, Randolph was always in pain, always going to the vet and never enjoying his puppy-hood. He never liked to walk and when he ran, he was always in pain. He was so sweet with the children in the neighborhood and was never aggressive with anyone. He was precious.

This is what my wife wrote to many of our friends, which sums it all up.

Hi Guys, we wanted to share with you that our sweet Randolph had a turn for the worse, his doggy “meningitis” had still not gone into remission yet but after 8 weeks of strong steroid/azathioprine therapy his intestines were shot, he got diarrhea and constant vomiting about 17 days ago which they managed to control with meds on and off but as soon as meds stopped it started again. Ultra sound a week ago showed nothing and then an x ray midweek revealed an obstruction in his intestine as well as deterioration..another surgery after 8 weeks of immune suppression had its very serious consequences and with the meningitis still lurking, not to mention how weak and frail/sad he looked we just felt we couldn’t put him through anymore..his year and 8 month life was riddled with tramadol, metacam, prednisone, azathioprine and the new ones from past two weeks which I can’t even remember, plus paw aches, joint and spinal pain. It was really hard because after so long and so much invested in his getting better we truly just didn’t want to give up on him…he was our baby, my angel and Paul’s monkey.  He went peacefully in my arms last week. We are devastated and heartbroken the house feels so incredibly empty and cold, we just hope our last golden Stoli, was waiting for him on the other side to play.

We will always have a special place in our hearts for you, dear Randolph!
Man and his dog, Mommy and her dog…….the bond is so strong in good or bad!

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  • Anonymous

    I am so sorry, Randolph is beautiful and I loved hearing about the country visits and how excited you both were to get him. The pictures you shared, and the stories. I have tears as I read this, Carolyn wrote it beautifully Paul. My condolences to you both… I am sure the sounds of a new puppy will once again reverberate through the house and I am sure Stoli was on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. You had great courage, strength and humanity to care so deeply for that little monkey. 
    V’yit gadel…

  • Paul Zweben

    Thanks so much Maya- he was such a sweet little boy with so many health issues. We just din’t know what else to do. I really appreciate your kind words.
    xoxxoxo