Lost a beloved pet today

[TomSeller]

My contention is that the appreciation and respect comes in LIFE.
Seems to me you have that covered very well.

The dog is gone, having full filled it's life's mission.

How will you best heal?

I would get another, if the pain of loss allowed.

To reiterate the comments of another.

"We lost a young dog a year ago (hit by car). First feeling was we never want to go through that again but within about a month we gave a caring home to an abandoned dog. She's sleeping in here bed this morning and helps us to move on. "

"Move on" was what I wrote.

Thank you for clarifying. The original wording may have been taken differently than your intentions. Some people need a grieving period, some do not. As long as we as humans respect and honor and respect our pet's lives, both lives are enriched.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My contention is that the appreciation and respect comes in LIFE.
Seems to me you have that covered very well.

The dog is gone, having full filled it's life's mission.

How will you best heal?

I would get another, if the pain of loss allowed.

To reiterate the comments of another.

"We lost a young dog a year ago (hit by car). First feeling was we never want to go through that again but within about a month we gave a caring home to an abandoned dog. She's sleeping in here bed this morning and helps us to move on. "

"Move on" was what I wrote.

Can't just replace a great dog. Move on is poor choice of words. Life's mission? They are not tools that you just throw away when the threads are stripped. You and I don't think the same.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

KK, here's a link to my thread long ago about losing my Golden male.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...my-little-golden-buddy-passed.html?highlight=

 

[KiotiKowboy]

My contention is that the appreciation and respect comes in LIFE.
Seems to me you have that covered very well.

Thank you. I hope so.

My wife and I try our best to show all our animals love. It's important to both of us that our pets feel that love, and know they are valued and safe. We believe God shares His beautiful Creation with us through these wonderful animals.

Here are our 3 Goldens. Maggie, Cynthia & Ginger. They were very stressed



This is Hope. She was one of our recent rescues that we fostered through recovery. When she left us for her new family, she was a very happy picture of health!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Thank you. I hope so.

My wife and I try our best to show all our animals love. It's important to both of us that our pets feel that love, and know they are valued and safe. We believe God shares His beautiful Creation with us through these wonderful animals.

Here are our 3 Goldens. Maggie, Cynthia & Ginger. They were very stressed

View attachment 422139

This is Hope. She was one of our recent rescues that we fostered through recovery. When she left us for her new family, she was a very happy picture of health!

View attachment 422140

Wow, what had happened to Hope? sure would like to see an "after" pic so I might get some sleep tonight.

 

[CalG]

Can't just replace a great dog. Move on is poor choice of words. Life's mission? They are not tools that you just throw away when the threads are stripped. You and I don't think the same.

When I read your words, I get the impression that there is a sentiment that one's own feelings, values and expectations can somehow rise above "THE BIG PLAN".
I have learned that that is never the case, no matter how filled with our own human qualities we may be.

Life's mission, as a "tool"??? Your words, not mine. That to me, is missing by a mile. The dog gave and received in life. Even in death it brings lessons. More, it brings memories.
If that is not "full filled", I'm not sure if anything can be.

And if the dog were not so great, what should be our human response? What would be the proper mourning of passing? "Standards" and expectation get so confusing......

Bottom line for me. I don't control how a family pet comes INTO our lives, I'm not in control of how they may leave.
I try to look at both events as gifts.


Acceptance is the key

 

[KiotiKowboy]

OK .. This is Hope working her way through recovery. I don't have one any later in her progress. I am told that she now has a very thick and bushy coat.
She suffered from dermodectic mange. She was found at a dump site - starving. I guess some really fine folks didn't want to spend the time or money to help her.

 

[roadhunter]

Sitting here at Day #2 without my wife's Aussie/heeler mix that was 10. I got it for her when we got back together after some time apart and before we got married had our daughter. Had a heart attack last week and ended with her being put down. My wife is taking it tough, honestly as bad as when her dad died. My dog, 12 years old, is sitting here in my lap. He doesn't know what to think. We certainly share the pan of all the stories in this thread and it helps to hear other stories of people who love their pets dearly. My wife is saying she never wants another one but I think if a homeless dog finds us that might change and help the situation.

 

[TomSeller]

OK .. This is Hope working her way through recovery. I don't have one any later in her progress. I am told that she now has a very thick and bushy coat.
She suffered from dermodectic mange. She was found at a dump site - starving. I guess some really fine folks didn't want to spend the time or money to help her.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/rural-living/422141-lost-beloved-pet-today-20140902_175608-1-jpg"/>

Looking much better! Very nice!

Mange is tough, but it can be beat as you mention. I have beaten it with one of my current dogs. Very healthy now.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

It's been a hard day. I had to let one of my beloved pets, Maggie, a Golden Retriever, go today.

She was only 8 years old, full of love and full of life. Sadly, she developed a tumor in her sinus that was making it almost impossible to breath. I would have done anything to save her but doctors gave us no chance whatsoever of effective treatment. Surgery was not possible due to proximity of the brain. Chemo and radiation were ruled out by 3 specialists and 5 pathologists. There was nothing but trying to give her quality of life these last few months.

I've had dogs my entire life, so losing them is not something new to me. This time, i am struggling to find peace. She was a precious creation of God and a huge part of our family. I held her as she passed from this life and my wife and I buried her this afternoon in one of our beautiful pastures. I've shed more tears these last few days than I would have imagined possible.

Maybe I'm just a silly old man, but I loved her dearly. My faith tells me that, in the end, God makes all things work for the good. We live, however, in a fallen world, so pain and suffering will be our lot until Christ returns. Still, these wonderful members of our families, our pets, are not responsible for that fall. They are examples of God's love - always loving, always forgiving. I pray He opened the gates of His Kingdom this afternoon and welcomed a very special girl into her new home.

View attachment 421759

It's a problem with these wonderful guys: they just don't live long enough.

I've thought the best way to honor a dogs memory is to run out and get another and my current strategy is to get a young dog or pup when the older dog hits middle age. In this way I hope to never be dog-less again this side of the Resurrection.