Mourning Our Pets

[TeriM]

So I am looking through the photo challenge thread and was noticing these comments from winston and chico ....

Chico I have Bombers pic as my wallpaper on the computer and I just cant change it...I guess it will be there forever now! I also talk to him everyday and so wish he was still here for nose kisses and fetching the ball like a dog! there will never be another like him for our family!

same with me winston,i will never change that wallpaper,i pet the screen and his pick every time i turn the pc off,i don't think i'll ever stop missing him,he was my soulmate,it's very difficult

and wanted to say ..... me three . I have Lucy's pics on my screen and her ashes are sitting on my desk where I frequently pat them and say hi when I walk by. I know she is where she needs to be but man do I ever miss that dog . I frequently load up the video I made of her pictures which sometimes make me smile and sometimes make me cry.

Don't get me wrong, I am not an absolute wreck but I am mourning her. I actually was thinking to myself the first few weeks that I thought it would be harder but then thinking it was just because we had been preparing for so long. In fact I was thinking that a lot of the stress that I didn't notice at the time was now gone. Of course I would happily live that stress forever if that is what she needed . Reality smacked me in the face a few weeks later when life without her became the new normal .

I have chosen to deal with it by getting back onto a healthy eating and exercise program. I have gained back a bunch of weight the past year (I eat my stress ) and am gonna refocus back to obtaining a Rally obedience title with Riley. I have also decided I am gonna order a beautiful engraved christmas ornament to honor my beautiful Lucy.

So, does anyone else wanna share some of how they are dealing or have dealt with the mourning of their furry family members .

[Shaykeija]

I planted trees in my yard for every pet I have lost. I had name tags made to be on the trees. I have two here that were cremated and I find peace, knowing they are home with me. I have 2 buried at a pet cemetery and I am going up there today to put new flowers on their graves. I still cry every time I go there...I have a memory box with their collars, favorite toy, treat and a clump of their hair. I also have a loves lost wall, where I have pictures of my family members, friends, and furkids that have passed away. Every time I add a new picture, my heart breaks. But in time I can look at that wall and remember the good times, not just the sad ones.

[rjolly1967]

Hey I am in the same darn boat I miss my Angel GSD so much ,I catch my self dropping little food on floor to see when she will come find it, she would sniff it out ,that was funny,I walk by the mantel and kiss the box where she is everyday,I put ice in her water bowl almost everyday still can not get rid of it
I still have her bones everywhere she would hide them ,I found one in my closet yesterday and cried like a baby.and her fav toys are still by the fireplace she would pick her toys up and lay them all togather ,she was a smart dogI will watch videos of her and yes I will lol or sometimes cry ,it will take some time my heart has a big hole in it ,I was holding her in my arms laying on the floor while she passed away and it was so hard to let her go.I am trying hard to get over it but it is so hard.my cat his name is Mr Kitty he will go all over the house looking for her and just meow he misses her to .we will just pray that one day God will give us peace everyone said get another dog ,I will one day but no time soon she was our lives for 14 years and it is hard .Thank you all for understanding I say a grouphug in in order for us all
and we also did plant 2 cherry trees where when she went out she would lay there in the sun

[ScottieDog]

We lost Tipper in September 2008; Mac left us in September 2009. It has been very hard. My husband has Tipper's picture as his computer wallpaper. I just can't let myself forget them. I put spring flowers on their graves and in the fall I put chrysanthemums. I light a memory candle each week. I tell them good night and send a kiss to Heaven every night. I have a memory charm for each hanging in my kitchen window. The charms have a crystal prism pendent and when the sun shines, I have rainbows throughout the room. I've made memory boxes for each (their leash, toys, tags, hair clippings). Although new dogs have entered my home, the ones who have physically left my side will live forever in my heart.

Mac Tipper Love you. Miss you.

[abmacdon]

This is my first time on the site in several months, partly because I lost one of my dogs in July. I was having some landscaping done in my yard and they took a piece out of the fence for access. Grover ran out between my legs, into heavy traffic. The young man who hit him didn't have a chance and we stood and cried together on the side of the road. I still cry when I think about him.

Five weeks later we got a new dog because we really needed to fill the void. We now have Puck, a beautiful little Lhasa Apso type dog, a rescue from Los Angeles. While I still think about Grover almost daily, Puck has brought a new joy to our little family.

My sympathy and best wishes to all of you who have lost a dog. It hurts like hell.

[marko]

Wow your techniques seem far more productive than mine.
I'm trying not to think about it and have stopped looking at pix for a while. I also don't talk about it much at all. Not sure if I get that from my dad or if it's a guy thing or maybe a mix.

[Shaykeija]

I forgot to add, I planted a burning bush for Beauty. He was that old soul that was pts this summer at the pound.

[chico2]

you know,life is easier now without rocky,no cat is spraying,vomiting..we could go on a vacation,without worrying about rockys meds.
it used to take me 45min 3 times daily,to get him to eat and spoonfeed his medicin...i should feel good about all that..but i don't,i would nurse him forever,if he could only be here with me.
the only thing i feel good about,is that he's now at peace,no more pain,but i'll miss him and love him forever,my very special tabby-boy..

[Dee-O-Gee]

Wonderful thoughts everyone and thank you TeriM for opening this up.

When our Golden Bailey passed away, we bought a picture frame that holds 6, 4x6 pictures under matting. We found 6 stunning pictures including one of her lying in her usual spot. Together with my husband and 2 daughters, we wrote our own personal memories of her on the mat board.

Hubby then took this precious keepsake and hung it in the hallway just above the spot where she alway's laid. The title of the picture frame is "Bailey's Spot." It's still mounted in that very spot and everynight, I pass by it and admire her beauty.

[AmberP]

I've also got my pets pictures up. I have a changing background through all of my pets, and there are two that are captioned. RIP Po, and RIP Boo. They'll be forever missed.

Soon enough, we'll get them out of the freezer and cremated, and they'll also be in ceramic urns. We just can't let these guys go.

[Winston]

Not sure what to say just yet other than a great big thank you for opening this and sharing your thoughts with us. I struggle with the loss every day. Although I feel like I maintain composure I feel broken hearted. Someone is missing.

[chico2]

winston,i know what you mean,my house is not like it used to be,someone is missing

[marko]

me too. EVERY time I come home I feel sad because a 17 year old greeting ritual is now broken. It's making me go out less....sigh. I know it will get better for everyone with time.

[TeriM]

Originally Posted by Shaykeija

I planted trees in my yard for every pet I have lost. I had name tags made to be on the trees. I have two here that were cremated and I find peace, knowing they are home with me. I have 2 buried at a pet cemetery and I am going up there today to put new flowers on their graves. I still cry every time I go there...I have a memory box with their collars, favorite toy, treat and a clump of their hair. I also have a loves lost wall, where I have pictures of my family members, friends, and furkids that have passed away. Every time I add a new picture, my heart breaks. But in time I can look at that wall and remember the good times, not just the sad ones.

Shay, those are lovely thoughts. I did think about planting a tree and burying her ashes there but this will not be our forever home so I wouldn't want to leave her. When we are ready we plan to take her ashes and those of her best doggy friend and release them together into the ocean at Tofino. The beach was a favourite place for all of us .

Originally Posted by abmacdon

Five weeks later we got a new dog because we really needed to fill the void. We now have Puck, a beautiful little Lhasa Apso type dog, a rescue from Los Angeles. While I still think about Grover almost daily, Puck has brought a new joy to our little family.

Originally Posted by marko

me too. EVERY time I come home I feel sad because a 17 year old greeting ritual is now broken. It's making me go out less....sigh. I know it will get better for everyone with time.

I can't even imagine how much worse the pain would be without Riley and the cats here . When we said goodbye to my cat Bud years ago I planned to wait quite a while before having another cat. We only lasted about three weeks before I couldn't bear not having a cat in my home . They are never replacements but do help to heal our hearts.

[TeriM]

I also love this part of a tribute I have read that is the last will & testament from the dog .....

One last request I earnestly make. I have heard my Mistress say, "When Blemie dies we must never have another dog. I love him so much I could never love another one." Now I would ask her, for love of me, to have another. It would be a poor tribute to my memory never to have a dog again. What I would like to feel is that, having once had me in the family, now she cannot live without a dog! I have never had a narrow jealous spirit. I have always held that most dogs are good (and one cat, the black one I have permitted to share the living room rug during the evenings, whose affection I have tolerated in a kindly spirit, and in rare sentimental moods, even reciprocated a trifle).

Of course the dog could just as easily be a cat talking .