Grieving Over A Pet

[Janice]

Have you ever had a pet that you loved so much and suddenly it died and was gone? You thought you could never get another pet, but once you did, you found you can love another pet as much.

We just have to have these loving animals around us...

[Cookiely]

After my dachshund "Pepper" died, I decided on no more pets.

[Stormsfury]

Have you ever had a pet that you loved so much and suddenly it died and was gone? You thought you could never get another pet, but once you did, you found you can love another pet as much.

We just have to have these loving animals around us...

Pets aren't just animals Janice. They become a family member, despite the moniker of being just an animal, treasured and cherished just like one would with a family member. I've lost many pets and it hurt deep down like it would since in my eyes, I lost a part of the family makeup on those days.

SF

[coriolis]

Sigh. Yes. Back in january our dogs got out and one of them got hit by a car. It was very sad and I felt that way.

We got another puppy a couple weeks ago. He's catching on around here.

[Janice]

Yes, Stormfury, I agree with you 100%. We have lost our dear pets and it takes a long time to get over it.

Thank God for putting these little creatures here to make our lives so much happier.

[cajungal]

Yes, I grieved heavily when my yorkie Lacey died of kidney failure on June 30th last year. She was 13 and half when she died and I got her at 6 weeks old. She used to sleep with me every night. I fell in love with yorkies and the house felt so empty with a dog. I wanted another yorkie so bad. Unfortunatly, they don't come cheap. They were going for $700 and up. And we looked for months and could not find any close to our town. Finally, I looked on the internet under Louisiana Classifieds and they had an ad saying yorkies due in December. The lady lived in Thibodaux which is only 5 miles from me! I called her up but her prices for females was $900. My mom wanted another yorkie, too, but said she was paying no more than $650 for one. But, the lady still put my name on the list in case we changed our minds. I convinced my mom to at least go ride to the breeders home to see her yorkies. (We only got to see the yorkie mama since the daddy belonged to another lady that lived almost 45 minutes away) We only had a very slim change on getting a female which is what we wanted. Her daughter was getting pick of the litter and she wanted a female. And the lady who owned the daddy was getting 2nd pick and she also wanted a female. So, we were 3rd on the list and she would have to produce 3 females in order for us to get one.
On December 28th, the breeder e-mailed me to tell me the puppies were born. She only had 3. 2 females and 1 male. And all were accounted for. I cried for nearly a half hour and went back to my search for a yorkie. About 2 weeks after the puppies were born, the breeder called me. She said the other lady backed out on buying the other female due to hurricane damage to her home. So, the other female was ours if we wanted her. My mom finally agreed to pay the $950 because she really wanted her too. So, that is how we got our yorkie Chloe Cheyenne. She is 5 months old and really looks a lot like the yorkie Lacey that we lost. I love her with all my heart and I don't feel the pain as I once did.

[Sean in New Orleans]

There is nothing like a pet..esp. a dog. Only the owner and the dog understand the real love between the two..it's all in the eyes..your eyes and the dog's eyes and the way you look at each other every day. I understand your' grieving. The most awesome things, to me, with pets, is the pictures you have of your great memories. And they belong on a refrigerator, IMO. My heart is with you!

[Vandora]

I've lost many pets, and I never get over any of them. Just like when a human I love dies, I get past the death, but the pain is always there. It's the same with animals. In some cases, even deeper, because I relate better to animals then people. So when that deep bond between me and my "furry kid" is broken by death, it's not something I can ever really get over.

But it has happened that I didn't think another animal could be in the same position as the one that's passed. I've been wrong every time. Amazing how the heart grows.

[Audrey2Katrina]

I've lost MANY pets, and having been a bigtime dog lover all my life, the last was the hardest. I called her JuJu... this little beagle pup I found wandering aimlessly in a playground park. No owners could be found, so I took her home. After a few weeks, I noticed a little speck on her forehead, and the vet to whom I took her said it was red mange; and that putting her down was a possibility.... not on your life! I spent a small fortune; but she cleared up with treatments, ... about two years later, she somehow or other got out of my door, and ran onto a busy street while I didn't even know she had gotten out. The next thing I hear is this whimpering outside my door.. the poor thing knew where her house was, and when I saw the gash in her side I thought someone attacked her with a knife. Woke up my vet... rushed her into the hospital, and paid another fortune but I wasn't gonna give up hope... it was a rough 2 days after that; but she pulled through. I loved that dog to no end. The kids had grown up by now and flown the nest, so this was my sole (not soul) companion, and I'd have done anything for her as I know she'd have for me. She was an unusal breed (someone told me a "walker, or walkman" beagle... longer legs, and had beautiful markings. She couldn't breed because she might've passed the mange she still carried to her pups; but she and I had many wonderful days together. In 2002, after being my most loyal friend for over sixteen years, the poor thing simply couldn't move. I can't tell you how much that affected me. Living in an apartment, the only options after she passed away (gratefully without a long bout of suffering) some of my former students chipped in because they knew I wasn't about to leave her at he vet's office (too many stories about what they do with the dead animals) and yet I couldn't bury her anywhere here--so they paid to have her cremated, and I still have my little Ju-Ju here. Perhaps morbid to some of you--outright insane to others; but you just don't know what that unconditional love they give you can come to mean. I'm sure many of you have seen this site before; but for those of you who haven't it's a great catharsis for those grieving over a lost and much beloved pet:

http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

If you're a real pet lover, you might just want a Kleenex nearby.

A2K

[Janice]

Everyone knows that I have had a ton of cats. They come in our yard as kittens and I feed them and take them on. I only have four in the house, my limit. I take lots of pictures and put them in collages. I have a cute picture of every cat that I have had, inside and out. Every one of them was precious in its own way, different personalities. Yes, the more I get to know people, the more I love my cats.....

[Janice]

Audrey, that was just beautiful, thanks..... Janice

[Janice]

Audrey's link above is great, everyone should read it...

[Kim_in_MN]

Yes, just six days ago we had to have our 12 year old golden retriever put to sleep. Making that decision was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but in two days she had gone from chasing a ball to laying on the floor almost unresponsive.

The wierd part is, I have already had three or four people offer me a puppy. I think my kids (and I) need time to grieve - we will never be able to replace her, but maybe in a few months we will be ready to adopt a new family member.

Kim

[Audrey2Katrina]

The wierd part is, I have already had three or four people offer me a puppy. I think my kids (and I) need time to grieve - we will never be able to replace her, but maybe in a few months we will be ready to adopt a new family member.

Kim

Went through the same process when I lost JuJu, Kim. Didn't know if I could look at another dog. (BTW, if you do click the link above, you'll see a pretty Golden Retriever in there--just FYI, I found it a big help in getting past the grieving stage.) And about two months later, my sis took me to a Pet Smart where a nearby shelter was giving away dogs to owners who could prove reliable. And as I passed this one little cage this black pup with a white underbelly, and four socks on each paw (think she had some border collie in her), rather picked me out. Once I had taken her from the cage and held her, and she lay her head on my shoulders, well, there was no putting her back in that cage at any price.

But I do know it takes a while sometimes. Yet, I needed that unconditional companionship.

A2K

[Lindaloo]

I think about me beloved Pomeranian "Roxie" everyday. I sure miss that ole' girl. I have another Pom named "Maxie" and it took me a while to love her. But, she is not "The Rox" she is "The Goose"

[Audrey2Katrina]

she is not "The Rox" she is "The Goose"

LOL, Linda! Ya know it's true tho'. Each dog I've had has their own little niche in my heart. When my parents brought me home from the orphanage at age 8, and I saw that little black toy fox (small terrier breed), it was love at first sight. I could name every dog I've had since that one, Miki. And of course when the kids came along I had one who loved the cats, so we wound up with this litte kitten who so resembled that little thing in "Gremlins" that we named her Gizmo. She was a calico and quite loving. I guess that's what I like most about the pets I've had, in that through thick and thin, they'll NEVER forget the one who gave them a home.

A2K

[TexasStooge]

I know what it's like to grieve over a lost pet.

[HurricaneGirl]

Rattboy is my only child and i love him THAT much.

My brother loves Kitty Kirk just as much.. it's sad she's getting old and i know it will kill him when she passes. I honestly don't know how he's going to handle that.

[x-y-no]

Well, it wasn't sudden, but when my cat Sarah died at 18 I couldn't even think of having another one. For years people were trying to get me to take a kitten, since they all knew what a cat person I was.

Finally last year a kitten turned up in the parking lot of my office, and she's the spitting image of Sarah. The resemblance is just incredible. So obviously, it was fate.


Happily, Willow is far sweeter than Sarah ever was. Sarah was one angry cat ...

[HurricaneGirl]

Well, it wasn't sudden, but when my cat Sarah died at 18 I couldn't even think of having another one. For years people were trying to get me to take a kitten, since they all knew what a cat person I was.

Finally last year a kitten turned up in the parking lot of my office, and she's the spitting image of Sarah. The resemblance is just incredible. So obviously, it was fate.


Happily, Willow is far sweeter than Sarah ever was. Sarah was one angry cat ...

Sorry about Sarah but that's really neat how Willow came into your life
It was just meant to be.