Sad Morning....Please Help!

[kokopelli2]

kevin, she was a beutiful dog. she was obviously loved by the family and well taken care of.

as for the children i would let them se her, but let it be their choice. as for burial we dug a nice big home for shadow, its about 10x10 and 12 foot down, she has all of her stuff. her fav. blanket, she is on her bed, and all of her toys. we didnt want her to be uncomfortable or lonely.

 

[PhilNH5]

Kevin,
Sorry to hear of your loss. I agree with the others that the kids should get to see Belle one last time.

Regarding burying. I have two beloved dogs in the ground in our yard. Dig a 4 foot deep hole long enough to hold her. Don't wrap her in a blanket or anything. I then liberally sprinkled ground cayenne pepper over the body and as I covered them up. I think the pepper masks the scent and it will keep the coons or other dogs from digging at the grave.

Lastly I marked both sites. One has a burning bush we planted and the other has a small statue that bore a striking resemblence to Lady.

Again I am sorry to hear of your loss. It never gets easier.

Phil

 

[TimSullivan]

This is the day that all dog owners dread. That is especially true if there are children involved. I would just add that you should let the school know so they will be able to help if need be.

Some children take the lose of a pet very hard and it helps if the school knows what is happen.

I am so sorry about your loss.

 

[Old_Hickory]

The best thing to do (In my opinion) is bring a new puppy home soon.

 

[jfh230]

I am very sorry to hear about Belle's passing. You obviously gave her a loving home and did everything you could and that's all anyone could ask for in life.

Definitly let you childrens teachers know. When our kuvasz passed on suddenly a few years ago my daughters teacher took her to the schools counselor that morning and let them talk about it. It helped her immensely. Also go thru old photos of the family and Belle and talk about all the good times that were had. Belle will always be with you deep inside.

I hope the following is true, because I've got quite a few friends waiting for me over the rainbow bridge.

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 begins to quiver.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group, faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend 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……

Jack

 

[Junkman]

My heartfelt condolences to you. I have also lost pets in the past and all too well how sad that the entire family is feeling...
I would definitely ask the children if they would like to see the dog one last time and also if they would like to be part of the preparation of her burial. It is an experience that they will always remember and it will also help them in dealing with future losses, because at some time in our lives, others that we are close to will also die and they will have to learn to deal with that. As for burial, I have always wrapped my pets in their favorite blankets and place some of their favorite toys along with them. As long as you get down about 4 - 5 feet, there is no problem with other animals trying to dig at the grave. I won't go into the details of this now, but you can rest assured that it isn't a problem. I would also suggest that you take a tape measure and cross measure the grave site from to permanent locations for future reference. Pile some stones on the top of the dirt after filling it in and mound the dirt to a small degree. It will settle....... If you are able to find some tulip or daffodil bulbs, you could plant them on top of the grave now..
My best to you and the family....

 

[dmccarty]

kevin,

I'm very sorry for your loss. When we lost Chase last year our
oldest was only two. She still remembers Chase. When our
daughter was aobu 18 months old she found a "puppy" in the
toy store named Chase. She latched on to that stuffed animal
and Grandpa bought it for her.

We are getting close to the day that the real Chase's died. I
don't know how our daughter can remember the time, but for
the last week or so she has been holding and plyaing with the
toy Chase. And she MUST have it to go to sleep at night. She
woke up last night in a tissy when she could not find Chase.

We had Chase and Thorpe who had died in 2000 cremated. We
have the ashes so they can go with us when we move. If you
don't think you will move again then burial is ok but its nice for
us to be able to take Chase and Thorpe with us. I wish I had
my last dog but he is buried at a house my parents used to
own....

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[MossRoad]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

When our dogs passed away, we let the kids see them(First dog, we only had one child, about age 4. Second dog we had two children about ages 2 and 7). We took their collars off and kept them. The whole family went to the farm and dug a nice hole. We opened the bag that the dogs were in, gave them a nice pat, closed the bags and set them in the hole. Then we all pushed the dirt back in the hole. We keep the area marked and have three dogs and the kids' fish all buried there. When we move there, we will keep it mowed and planted with grass and flowers. The animals are part of the family and are treated as such. The kids seem fine with this. We currently have a 16 year old diabetic cat that seems to be getting along fine, but the kids know he is old and could go any time. They know exactly where we are going to bury him when his time comes.

As for burying an animal. We always dig the hole as deep as we can, usually about 4-5 feet, but deeper is better(just don't get in the hole and watch out for cave ins). We wrap the animal in a blanket and seal it in several heavy plastic bags so that the scent won't get out. Try to squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing. We lay the bag in the hole and slowly backfill, stopping half way to tamp the ground a little. Then we mound the dirt up about as high as the bag was tall to allow for settling. In a few months, the ground is down to level. Plant some nice grass and maybe a tree or two and have the children help you do this. It will help them deal with the loss and also make them think fondly of the pet and you when they see the trees.

Again, sorry for your loss.

 

[kensfarm]

I just wanted to say I'm sorry you lost your friend.. Belle looks so happy in that picture! We've lost two pets this year.. Pepper and Buffy.

I def. would let the kids pet on Belle and say goodbye.. children get even more attached to pets than adults.. God bless you & your family!

 

[kevincook]

Well, it has been a rough morning. The kids both wanted to spend some time with Belle, so they have. They also want to bury her in the backyard.

I'm heading out back to prepare the spot right now. It's 38° and raining now so it is going to be a little tough digging. I hope the rain stops later this afternoon for the burial ceremony.

I just got back from talking with the vet., he is taking it even tougher than I am. He's blaming himself for not sending us down to Cornell last night, but there was no indication that it was anything that serious. I have no regrets about how the case was handled....other than Belle didn't survive. He recommended burying Belle about four feet deep with nothing in the hole. I just can't do that so I've decided I'll put her on her bed and then cover her with a blanket.

Belle was sleeping on our bed last night by my wife's feet (used to drive me crazy) and then at 5:30am she started panting a little and then started breathing normally again. She lifted her head and looked at my wife for a few seconds and then laid back down. My wife got me up right away and said Belle doesn't look right. Her body was pretty limp and wasn't really breathing right. I tried to get her attention by rubbing her belly but then she stopped breathing. I could feel her heart still beating so I started trying to breath for her. I could feel her heartbeat for about five minutes while I was breathing for her but then her heart stopped also. I tried doing chest compressions also for a little while but then realized I didn't know what I was doing and it was too late.

It's funny, if you asked me to put my mouth over the dogs nose any other day I would have told you to take a hike but this morning it seemed like the right thing to do.