My Wonderful Dog Taken So Suddenly

[vickyplum]

two days ago i lost my amazing 4 year old staffie. his name was beefy and was taken in such an awful way. he was hit by a car and died in my arms. the last time i saw him he was badly injured but soothed him until the end. ive never been through anything that awful and cant believe he is gone. i had to tell my children that the dog they (and me) loved so dearly had passed away. their pain aswel as my own has left me in pieces. alot of people dont understand the bond but i feel i have lost the equivilent to a child and just wondered if anyone else out there has felt the same?

[Leftover]

I understand completely your sense of loss. I am two months ahead of you on this road that is not of my choosing. I won't pretend that it is not a difficult path- it is the hardest I have endured in my life. I wish for you the best in the painful days that are sure to come.

[vickyplum]

im so sorry for your loss too. so glad (not for your pain) but that there is someone who understands. i just wanted to bring him home and bury him but i couldnt let my children see him like that, wasnted them to remember what he was. its the hardest thing ive been through too and dread the months ahead without him. thank you so much for replying and know im not alone now.

[Leftover]

Thank you for your kind words.

I imagine most anybody who's had and lost a dog understands what you're feeling. At the top of the message board under Loss of a Pet, it says "Companion animals offer a kind of loyalty, devotion and unconditional love..." I wrote elsewhere that I don't think of my dogs as pets, which sounds more like some sort of accessory. "Companion animal" is a little awkward but it's much closer to what my dogs are to me. They're my friends, and we share our lives together. What I am able to do for them in providing food and shelter and a place for them to feel safe is more than matched by the love and devotion they show me. I am grateful for every day I have been given with them and wouldn't trade a single one of those days for anything.

My pretty girl left me to go be with the angels two months ago and there hasn't been a day since then that I haven't cried for her. I love her and miss her and I don't know how long it's going to hurt like this. I hope there will be a day when the thought of her loss will not be so heartbreaking and that I can find at least a small bit of comfort in the memory of our days together.

You're not alone.

[kayc]

I am so sorry you lost your dog and for your children's grief as well as your own. I've lost many dogs over the years and it isn't easy. I came close to losing mine recently and it had me on pins and needles for over five weeks, waiting to see if he'd pull through.

I too think of my dog as a companion. I live alone and he's the one that greets me every night, that loves me, protects me, entertains me. He's just such wonderful company! When I lose him someday I will feel devastated and don't know how I'll get through it, but I imagine I'll do so the same way I did when my sweet husband died...one day at a time. The pain feels unbearable at first but it doesn't stay at that level of intensity forever, time softens it, although you will always miss him.