When You Lose A Pet...

It's truly sad. When your pet isn't 'just there' but lives in your house and shares so much with you, when they're gone it's the same as losing a family member. And the longer they live, the harder it becomes to say goodbye.
I had a Maltese Poodle who lived 16 years & 3 months.

 

Laura I do understand your heartache having gone through it before also. A pet is part of the family and we grieve when they are gone and Oscar will grieve also. I am truly sorry for your loss.

 

Losing a pet isn't like losing a family member. It is a loss of a family member.

They tend to be the happiest, most openly affectionate, and by far the most forgiving members of the families they join. And we cry when they leave us.

I'm so sorry Laura.

 

Dear Laura,as a very experienced dog rescuer/animal activist for over 50+years, I can empathize on your loss.John and I extend our sincere sympathy and Blessings for giving your furbaby a warm,loving home.You can tell by the pictures what unrequited love is.We invite you to please go to our Facebook page "jonnybeez".Friend us(we do run 5000 friends give or take) or just post there.You will have MANY friends to comfort you.Look for the black dog on the left: a rescued coonhound 'Riki' on our homepage.We never edit. We lost count,but never forget,the many that have found forever home with us.It is hard.But,you will never forget the love you shared.With Peace,Barbara and John

 

Thoughts and prayers to you Laura. To tell the vet to do that, well, it hurts your soul, even when you know it is the right thing to do.

From the little I know from you here, your dog had a much better life than most. Feel your pain, you did the right thing.

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....

Author unknown.

 

This may not help right now... but it may, later on... So here goes: Laura, Olive's pain is over, because you made that possible.

It's the most difficult decision we can ever make as pet owners. Because we want to end their pain, while selfishly we want them to stay with us. It takes a lot to make the right decision.

Fred is right. Olive was very lucky that she lived with humans who put her needs first, and who were able to make the most merciful decision for her, no matter how much it pained them to do it. Your Olive had a much better life than a lot of dogs ever dream of.

 

Hey Laura all my best wishes at this sad time. We had to make the same decision for our previous ridgeback Ruby as she had cancer and had already had two major operations (total mastectomy) and the cancer came back after two years. It is gut wrenching to make the choice and even harder to tell the kids. I really feel for you and kudos to you for making the unselfish choice and putting Olive's quality of life first. If it is any consolation our vet gave me this advice "At least ending Ruby's suffering sooner rather than having her debilitated and kept alive on medication, you will remember her for what she was and not the sick dog she became." Dr Gary was a kind, gentle man who was passionate about animals and his words were comforting.

Here are some flowers to cheer you up a bit.
https://www.carithers.com/images/item/zoom_FairytaleFragrance120408112931.jpg
Deepest condolences to you and your family. Olive will be missed but know she is in a better place and out of pain.
Kind regards
joffa

 

I'm sorry for your loss, Laura. Pets are indeed part of the family, and they leave a hollow spot in our lives when they pass. Tiny things they used to do while interacting with us flood our memories, and the pain of loss is as real as any other emotional pain.


January of this year a cat we'd had for 18 years passed. She just sort of showed up as a "teenager" cat in 1998 and decided we were her family, lol. The boys named her BC (for black cat). When the kids grew and moved out, BC stayed with us. That cat never failed, not even once, to meet me at the door. I didn't realize how much I'd miss that cat. I had never really liked cats . . . but acquired them through marriage and kids. I hadn't had a dog for a long time . . . got a husky when I was 6, and he passed when I was 23 (he's the one that came to see me the night he passed), and I thought no other pet could ever capture my heart like Snooper. I still miss him, and always will.


But BC did, and I will miss her always like I still miss Snooper even all these years later. There will be other pets, too. They don't replace what we lost, they just add to the tapestry of our existence.


The pain does fade, and is replaced with a soft sadness, mitigated by fond memories. I know how hard it is.

 

We left it two years between our ridgebacks Ruby and Shiloh and in hindsight I think we should have got Shiloh much sooner. I thought that Ruby was such a good dog that we would always be comparing Shiloh to her but with hindsight this is not true. Sure we fondly remember Ruby but Shiloh is a different dog with different qualities that we cherish. Shiloh is much more boisterous and playful than Ruby and she is also much more adventurous whereas Ruby was much more gentle and very precise how she wagged her tail (eg. not wiping glasses or cups off the coffee table) and Ruby was also more obedient and as well as less stubborn.
The one constant between the two dogs is the same unconditional love and absolute loyalty to everyone in our family.
My 2 cents Laura is go get another pup sooner as it will distract you from the grief and will also give Oscar someone with which to become friends
Best wishes Laura and I hope it all works out OK
I don't know if this means much but if we didn't get another ridgeback our second choice was going to be a German shorthaired pointer and our third choice was a boxer.
Cheers
joffa