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My Sweet Dog Of 13 Years Passed Suddenly


MissingThem

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Can you share a picture when you are ready and tell us about your dog? It helps to share your story, express what you're feeling inside. I'm sorry you lost your dog. Anne lost hers this year and I lost my granddoggy Skye who had lived with me much of his life. It's tough. I try to focus on enjoying the time I have with my dog but it scares me too as he gets older.

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Today is four weeks that our sweet little girl is gone. Hard to believe, still hurts so much. I keep looking at her pictures, trying to memorize every detail and not wanting to forget anything about her. I have a picture I snapped of her 7 years ago that I framed. I was trying to get her to look at the camera, sweet talking her. Of course she finally looked and I took the picture. Who knew all this time later it would be such a comfort to me. The look on her face was so sweet, she looked at me with this loving look on her face.

I feel irritable and overwhelmed. I don't think I'm dealing well with this process. I'm trying, but I just miss her so much.

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It's understandable that you can feel the way you do, that's part of grief. I know you miss her. (((hugs)))

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yesterday I did my laundry and felt such pangs of grief for my sweet lil pup. She would always come outside with me when she saw me heading to the back yard, laundry basket in tow. She was always such a good little helper! I realized with a pang that it's the first time doing laundry since she passed. Also can't believe I managed to go that long without doing it.

Trying to avoid another one of those firsts....the first time I did laundry without her. The first time DH and I actually sat in the patio - it was weeks after she passed that we were finally able to do that. It felt so strange. She was one of the main reasons we got that furniture in the patio so we could hang out with her and play fetch with her. She would jump up on the chair by DH, or lounge on the loveseat with me for a quick rest and cuddle. Then it was back to dashing after the ball with us coaxing her to bring it back. Or she might lose interest altogether and find a chew and comfy spot to just relax and hang out with us.

We miss you, little pup!

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It's still so fresh, these secondary losses seem to strike as if it just happened today...and doing laundry w/o her was a secondary loss as you grieve the things you used to do with her. It takes much time to get used to not having them in our routine. Sometimes we can alter our routine to avoid it but doing laundry is one of those things that continues. :(

Have you thought about getting another pet to enjoy life with? Of course they wouldn't have her attributes, they might turn out to not like to fetch a ball, etc., but little by little they'd worm their way into your heart for who THEY are and give you joy and meaning back into your life again. Just a thought, everyone chooses to handle it differently.

BTW, she really is cute...I'm assuming your avatar is a picture of her.

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Thank you for your reply. We do have other pets, cats and birds. It certainly does help having other pets to love. When Missy came to us, we never planned on keeping her.

She came to us a stray puppy, just wandering the streets. She'd been sleeping under a vehicle we used to keep parked outside unbeknownst to us. Someone else alerted us to her presence. She was so scared, she would only let me approach her initially. I was able to coax her enough to pick her up at that first meeting so I could take her in the house. We were trying to find her original owners but to no avail. By then, we were of course getting attached to her and decided to keep her. We'd already bought her a leash and collar, nice bed, toys, etc. so it just seemed like the next logical step.

We're feeling a bit overwhelmed with grieving for her and we just wouldn't have the time or resources to adopt another dog. Having other pets keeps us busy and to take in a dog would be too much right now. We haven't ruled it out in future but for now it's not an option. Maybe someday.

Yes, that is her picture in the avatar. Thank you for your compliment about her, I think she's really cute too! She was just a little sweetie.

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That's kind of how I came by one of my cats, Miss Mocha. A few months after my husband passed, I noticed her living in the rafters of my carport. I shooed her off for a couple of months until I realized she didn't live anywhere else...she's so beautiful, I had a hard time believing she was homeless. I'm in the country...I think someone drove out here and dumped her, they do that. She's been with me nearly ten years now. I don't know how old she is but she's starting to get a lot lighter and show her age. Wherever she'd been, they had a dog, because she likes dogs and isn't afraid of them, she puts on a brave front. The vet said she'd had kittens and been fixed. Sometimes you wonder about their past.

I'm glad Missy found you! I think they pick us, when they get the chance to that is. I call my cat Missy sometimes, or Missy Mocha.

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I feel bad for shooing her off for two months. It really blew me away that she didn't belong to someone, that anyone could get rid of her. She has blue eyes, a heart shaped nose, and the tiniest little sweet feminine voice.post-914-0-23071000-1415661900_thumb.jpg

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Well I think I've figured out the "why" (tears up furniture, wants in and out and in and out, and pees on the bathroom rug. But she's such a sweet lovable cat, I can't imagine anyone hurting her. She crouches down if you try to reach down and pet her, so I think she's had abuse in her history. I can, however, hold her on my lap and pet her, she just doesn't want anyone reaching down to her. She's so feminine and very flirtatious with men! She'll roll on her back, back and forth, and blink blink her eyes at them. She also loves to lay on their chest and reach up and give them a tiny little kiss on their lips! She's REALLY a flirt! Ah well, she's stuck with me, but she loves it when my son in law or someone male comes to visit. Aren't animals a hoot?! All with their own personalities and quirks...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank you for sharing about your kitty, kayc. I love that our animals come with their own unique personalities. We felt Missy had experienced abuse before she came to us. She was so skittish and leery initially. She would put her tail between her legs and crouch when she felt threatened. As time wore on she began to trust us and started to become more and more confident. She would get nervous meeting someone for the first time but after she got to know them better, she loved to see her friends when they visited. She would get all excited and sometimes run back and forth or jump up for a pat and give a kiss. A far cry from the timid little pup we first met.

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It's neat that she changed due to being in your loving household. I had a dog, Lucky, that had been abused as a pup, and she was always scared, but then part of that was her breed (Whippet). We used to refer to her as a "Whimpet". :) Miss Mocha hasn't changed except that SHE picked ME and chose to live HERE, so she must feel safe here, she seems to.

How are you doing with it right now? I know the missing goes on and on, but I'm hoping the hurting lessens a bit.

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Thank you for your responses. It definitely helps to come here and share. It's still hard to believe that Missy is gone. I do feel depressed and sad about it. But it's becoming more of a numbness because I still have to function. It's not as raw as it was at first but the grief is still there.

Can you believe her dog food is still in the fridge? I took her unopened cans back to the store for refund. But can't part with the 2 cans remaining. Hope that doesn't sound too gross. I'm getting ready to toss them because they are probably getting moldy. The one I had opened for her morning feeding the day she died. I think I opened the other the day before. She used to get one flavor in the morning (stew) and a different one at night (pate). She ate the stew so hearty that morning, she always loved to eat. I would have never thought that we were going to lose her that day.

She ate her breakfast, then went in the yard with me while I was on the rebounder and wandered around as she normally would. It was sunny although a bit humid but still fairly pleasant. No hint of bad weather on the horizon although the weather report the day before had called for storms, some severe. How could we know that the storm would come and go and Missy would be gone because of it? She always got so scared during the storms. I went to check on her at the onset of the storm and it was already too late. It still seems so strange not to see her around.

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I'm so sorry, I know what loss is like and I hate it. Living with it afterwards challenges every part of our being! It doesn't sound strange (keeping her dogfood) at all, I totally get it. Some of my husband's stuff is still here and he's been gone nearly ten years! I still have my previous dog's collar and leash and she's been gone for over six years.

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  • 4 months later...

Thank you Kay for your response and understanding. I have kept all my pets collars and leashes too. Those precious remembrances are really a comfort at times.

I've been reading through some of the posts since I was last here and my heart aches for all those grieving at the loss of their beloved animal friends. It really helps to be able to come here and share.

Still missing our sweet little pup, Missy. The other day I was trying to remember if I'd really been able to have a good cry over losing her. I have definitely shed tears but have been afraid to let go...of her and my emotions.

Went through another loss last night. For the last few months my husband and I have been noticing a kitten darting through the neighborhood. The day before yesterday she was in our yard, probably sneaking into the back to get some food we put out for the feral kitty. I tried to approach her with sweet talk and she looked at me warily. Then she started to head towards the street and traffic was coming so we backed off and then she waited to cross and made it safely to the other side. We were relieved but concerned that such a little kitty was still on her own. She didn't let us approach her and was always so skittish. We would see her from time to time and wonder where she was going as she was darting away.

Yesterday my husband had to run an errand and as he was pulling away from our house he noticed something lying on the curb on the other side of the street. He got out to check and to his dismay it was our little kitten friend. He had driven away but called to let me know. I ran out to check on her - she was still warm and appeared to be alive although unconscious. The neighbor whose house the kitty was near came out and offered assistance. It wasn't her cat but she had seen it running around the neighborhood too. She brought out a towel after checking the cat also and the kitty was still breathing but it seemed to be getting fainter. I couldn't just leave her out there so brought her into the house and wrapped a blanket around the towel to help keep her warm. She passed not long after. I just couldn't leave her to die alone. She had such a short, hard life and never really had a chance.

I thought I was doing okay with her passing since we really hadn't been able to get close to her although we tried. And her short, fragile life helped us appreciate the pets we do have even more. But after I called today to have her body picked up I just broke down. It was so hard to see her one day so full of spunk and sass and the next day dying on the curb. My husband was also upset and we said a prayer over her body before she was picked up. RIP sweet little girl. We would have loved to have you for our own!

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I posted this elsewhere last December...

I went out this morning to get some treats for the dogs for their Christmas presents and was sitting at a stoplight. Across the intersection on the other side of the street, I saw what I first thought was a bird taking off. But it wasn't. It was a cat that had been hit by a car. His legs were flailing but he wasn't getting up. A number of cars drove past him without stopping so when the light changed, I got myself turned around and came back because I couldn't just leave him there. Unfortunately, by the time I got to him, he was no longer moving and I think he was dead. I picked him up in a towel and took him to a vet which was a few blocks away. I told them what had happened and could they look after him and asked if there was anything I could do. To their credit, they told me no, and that they would take care of things. I can't even imagine the pain that poor cat was in, laying there in the street all alone. And now, it's Christmas Eve and some family somewhere is going to be looking for their kitty, and he won't be coming home.

It is so hard, seeing these innocent creatures suffering and dying for what appears to be no reason at all.

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Missing Them,

I'm sorry you lost the little kitty. Given time, I'm sure you would have adopted each other. The saddest part is how short a life it got to have. :( I hate seeing any animal hurt or suffering. I saw a dog that had been hit by a car (years ago) and it was in a lot of pain, the vet wasn't open yet but was due to be there soon. A cop came but wouldn't put it out of its misery. It kept looking at me like "help me, please!" and the cop made me leave. I cried all the way to work and got pulled over for speeding (barely), got a ticket even though I told him what had happened and I was sobbing. Some things like that stick with you. I'm glad you were there for the little kitty so it didn't have to die alone and it knew someone cared.

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