Pet bereavement

[Ilovemyweedog]

Hi

This is a melancholic subject for an upbeat and interesting forum, so I apologise for this in advance. However we had to make the decision to have our very ill and ageing retriever put to sleep this week, and I am experience such feelings of grief and loss. I know I am not alone, and am probably going on a bit, but I feel so lost without him.

 

[murphyrules]

Hi I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, everyone here knows how you feel and we all know its a horrid time,

I know of a very good website with a forum on it which is run by a pet bereavement expert in scotland called Dawn Murray, its called living with pet bereavement, I know of her as she used to run the pet undertaker business (unfortunately she had to give this up due to injury) she arranged the cremation of my beagle Babycakes with the same service as I think people get, nearly 2 years ago and she is a fantastic person who can offer you loads of tips and advice at this sad time,

I hope between that and this forum we can offer you support. :huggles:

 

[banana]

Welcome to Dog Forum - I am Anna...

Sorry to hear about your Goldie... x

 

[lurcherman]

you have no need to say sorry, when i lost my last lurcher and being a man i felt a great loss and cried like a whimp, sorry for your loss, remember to good times and dont let it put you off getting another dog in time when you are ready.

 

[leethomas1988]

my very first dog as a child was a black lab x rotty. He was my best friend and i thought the world of him. he followed me every were and never left my side. He was very popular with alot of people and even saved a lady from being mugged and pulled my friend from out of the river don once. he once went missing for 3days and found me over 3 miles away. to this day i will never l know how hell he found me. But when he passed away i went into shock bearing in mind i was only 8 when he passed and im now 24 i still dream about him coming back to see and leaving again i wake in tears. my heart was broken but i got stronger as i got older and time is a great healer trust me.. i still think about alot but i had great memorys of him and they belong to me forever. even though your dog as passed he will still be with you i know because i bought a new camera and took pictures in the dark once and got a pic of him coming towards me

so i know he still around.

 

[Oreo]

Sorry to hear about your situation. Such a hard thing to go through.

It is something that I worry about too much in truth. I dread the day that I have to let Oreo go. I cannot believe in such a short space of time that a dog could have so much affect on me.

Finding out she is older than I thought has also brought this home a little too.

I am a worrier (you can probably tell lol) and I dread the day that Oreo goes.

I am also sick of hearing from people, 'it's only a pet' as this just gets me more angry.

I hope time helps in your situation and one day you can share your home with another dog in way of tribute/memory to your lost dog.

 

[eingana]

There's no need at all to apologise for grieving for your furry family members. You are on a forum full of people who will understand that one.

Anybody who says 'it's just a pet' really doesn't understand quite how big the paw prints left on your heart by a furry soul mate can be. You have had a smiling, wagging, furry shadow for a long time if your boy was elderly when you lost him, and that space being empty is not easy.

You have a relationship with all of your animals and ending that relationship means that you have to mourn it. It's as simple as that. Grieving is such a personal thing that it's not anybody's place to tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing- do what is natural.

Feel sad, have a good sob, share memories with people who understand and who will join in the sobbing with you, and in time things won't be so hard.

(Just typing this has made me start to cry BTW, and I haven't lost any of my mob for well over a year)

I will wish you what I wish everybody in these circumstances, which is that you can remember your lad with love but without pain soon.

 

[Rocky Rescue]

A short explanation about Rainbow Bridge.......

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

 

[chelynnah]

Everyone grieves differently, and for different lengths of time. We lost Chelsea, our heart dog, 6.5 months ago. It's not as bad an ache as it was, but I still have a few minutes almost every day where it hits me hard and I tear up or cry. For the first couple of weeks I couldn't breathe - like I was drowning. It was like living a nightmare. Slowly the amount of time these episodes lasted became shorter, but I still have them sometimes. I will always miss her. I still can't imagine how I'm managing to live without her.

Hubby (who I thought would be worse than me and I thought I'd handle it better) grieved a lot the first few days, but he handles it by having lots of pictures around (I do to), and remembering her and reliving the good memories and smiling (I smile, then I cry again LOL). She was his first dog ever. I'd lost dogs before. You can never know how it will affect you, but I feel like I lost a huge part of myself when she left and much as I love seeing her picture and remembering her it hurts like hell that I'll never feel her in my arms again. And that's after 6 months.

So it takes how long it takes, and it is what it is, and don't ever let anyone tell you to 'get over it'. A good online friend said you never get over it, you get through it. And how right she is.