Grieving the Death of My Dog
Lucky May 26th, 2008
I have been doing some research about dog death and how it effect’s their owners, because I am still so sad about my dog Magnum’s death. As well, my other dog Sonny, who was Magnum’s son, is depressed and all of a sudden he is having trouble getting up.
What I have found out is that we are perfectly normal in loving our dog who was our best friend for so long. My dog was here for 14 1/2 years. My other dog Sonny has never been alone. Where ever Magnum was, there was Sonny. Sonny was always resting his head on Magnum’s butt. The three of us have been quite a team for quite some time.
I am actually surprised by the depth of the loss that I feel. I know that my friends and family really don’t understand how much I still miss my dog. Some people actually say to me “he was only a dog”. I am totally offended by this, as my Magnum was my best friend. How can anyone say that about my dog. I feel the same amount of grief, or maybe even more, that I would feel if a relative or friend had died.
It is important to me to find wherever possible, all the support and compassion that I can find to feel like I am being comforted. I have found for me that I have a few friends that I can call on. They have had or do have pets. I have had great support from my minister ( who suggested to me to have a funeral for Magnum). I have also found support in some of the dog forums as well.
The most important point I would like to stress to anyone who has another animal, is to support the dog that remains. They are going through their own grief. I wish that Sonny could talk, but as he can’t I hope that he knows, and I am trying to show him how much I love him and care about him.
Source: grieving a pet
- Feelings & Pets
- Comments(3)
We never had children together but after yrs of begging my husband brought home a 4wk old staffie cross his name was Jock. On 13 July we had him euthanised he went to sleep with my husband holding him in his arms. I have been through family deaths yet nothing prepared us for this. I don’t even know how to grasp the reality of it all. I wish someone would tell me how to survive this loss. I’m relying on pure faith now.
I’m so sorry that you had to undergo all this pain. I just had my beloved dog “pioneer” euthanized yesterday. She had chronic kidney failure and and we kept treating her, hoping against hope and praying for a miracle for 3 weeks. She was 10+. However when she kept off food for 3 weeks and then started vomiting and having bloody stools, I could not bear the sight of her suffering like that. She would still hold her head up, and wag her tail at my mother and I. She would still try to run out to throw up or do her jobs, but was like a reed blowing in the wind.
I made the decision to let her go, and I hurt so much to remember how the disease would have hurt her. The vet told me that she had a very strong heart, but since her kidneys were gone her body was filling up with toxic waste and harming her inside. It was horrible last night and even now as we miss her presence under the chair in the lounge room. She was the spunkiest dog I have ever had.
I don’t think my heart will ever heal. I will miss her until my life here ends. I’m a Christian and I believe that God will give all my pets back to me in Heaven one day. This is the only hope that helps me to cope with the grief. I know the reality of life is that we all are mortal and this body will decay and die. But, how it hurts to lose a beloved pet.
You can try reading some of the near death experiences of kids documented by Dr. Melvin Morse. He says that some of the kids have met their former pets while having a NDE.
May Gods’ peace be with you and me too.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.