Do you ever feel that you will be overly upset when your dog passes?

[bowwow]

I really need to know how other owners feel about this.

For me my dog is my world because he's great and I love him but also my dog was the last Christmas present that my Mother gave me before she passed away.

She had terminal cancer and when we found out her survival rate when she gave me him as a puppy 11 months before she passed. So that put a lot of significance on him because she gave him to me at a difficult time and I cherish him so much.

So as a result of that I'm constantly babying him (treating him like a king/spoiling him) and loving him like crazy and worrying that he will be ok if something bad happens because he's so special.

Sometimes though I feel like if something ever happened to him I'd lose it for awhile. I think ahead (I know that I shouldn't think like this) but sometimes I think ahead to the day where he will be gone. And it really scares me because I feel in a way when he goes then a part of my mother is gone with him. Which then leaves me wondering how I will get through tough times without him because he went through a bunch with me and kept me grounded in a time where I felt like I lost everything. I then get this horrible sinking feeling inside. I don't constantly think like this but it's hard not to because life is so precious and can be taken away when you least expect it. The thing is if she didn't give him to me I know I'd feel the same about my dog but it's just that I'm so much more attached to him now because of how and when he came into my life. I suck at dealing with death.

I've been meaning to ask on here does anyone else feel so strongly about their dog? How to cope with the feeling?

 

[mrose_s]

I lost my heart cat last year, if I didn't have Buster I don't know what I would have done. I still can't think about Panda without crying and he died August 07.

I think at times I get borderline seperation anxiety from Buster, I've gone through stages where I don't want to leave the house ever because I worry about him the entire time I'm gone. All in all, not healthy. I know things don't just end after death but I will miss him like mad when he's gone. If I lost him now I probably wouldn't fare too well at all. Especially considering that he is the only pet I can have right now.

I went through a stage where I would turn down going out, barely leave the house cept for work for a few months just because I was worried something would happen to the animals while I was gone. Now I just double check eberything before I leave and tell them how long I'll be away for, it seems to have helped a lot.

I try not to baby him, he is my baby but I like that he is a dog, not a person so I like him to act like a dog and I treat him like a dog. (I still call myself his mum though...)

 

[Domestika]

Oh...when my husband's dog passes away I don't think he'll deal well at all. He's almost 12 now...I'm hoping he lasts through my husband's degree because I honestly could see him failing a semester or dropping out in complete grief of losing his dog. He's had him since he was 16 and he considers that dog his son. I would probably have to take time off work to go be with him and help him through it (he lives overseas). In a way, it's very sweet. And in a way, pretty scare to be so attached! They never live long enough!

 

[Southpaw]

I don't even know what I'll do when Molly dies. I seriously think I'll have to put life on hold for a few days after, I know I'll be so upset. I think about it pretty much every day.

 

[Toller_08]

I was overly upset when Tango passed. In fact, to this day, I still get very upset thinking about her and it's been 13 months and a few days since she left. I cried just this afternoon thinking about her, looking through some pictures. There was a long time period where I could bring up her name and talk about her and be perfectly fine, but if anyone else made a reference to her, I'd be a mess. Not sure what that was about.

Sometimes I look at Dance and get upset at the thought that she won't be here someday and wonder how life will be without her. She's only a year and half old, but already she's very special to me and I can't imagine life without her. In the short time I've had her, we've already been through quite a bit together.

 

[Lilavati]

I suspect that I will hysterical, frankly.

 

[Dekka]

What Lilivati said.

I still get teary eyed thinking about Riven (horse.. long thread on her somewhere) and I am not nearly as attached to her as I am to Dekka.

 

[smkie]

I have been down this road before with heart dogs so i know what will happen. I will cry, i will be sad, this will go on for days. Weeks will pass and the tears will be intermitten, memories will make my eyes water. more time will go by and and this will ease. THe same as losing anyone else you are dearly in love with. It's the price we pay but i wouldn't hestitate to love like this for it is what makes living worth while.

 

[shadowfacedanes]

I ease my pain by writing poems or "talking" to her.

I lost Shelby on June 19th, 2005 at 12:41 pm. I will never forget the moment she drew her last breath, her head in my lap, and closed her eyes forever.

I still can't talk about it without crying. I still miss her immensely.

I've had dogs come and go, but she took a huge chunk of my heart when she went.

Okay, sad now.

 

[skittledoo]

I went through a really hard time when I lost Cheyanne. She was my heart dog. I was so close to her. I really honestly felt lost for a while. She died September 13th of 2007. I write a lot of poetry as well and wrote a poem for her when she passed. This poem is printed and in a shadow box that I put together for her in memory.

As you race across the rainbow bridge
Dipped in blossoms of yellow gold
Promise that you will never forget
As our memories all come unfold

Lived many an adventure; that we did
And many adventures we've still to see
Though you're gone, it won't be long
We'll run together again, you and me

Chase butterflies in your eternity
As you roll in blades of dew
Lie down in cool shades; fall to dreams
Of squeak toys and candied chews

I remember the day I first saw you
A tiny soaking wet ball of fur
Mom said she'd prefer to get a boy
But we kids soon convinced her

She fell in love with you, same as I
You were the best of all my friends
It's times like this when I can't believe
You're truly gone; here comes the end

I will never forget your spinning dance
Nor forget your puppy face tease
You were my little athletic jumper
Came over the rails with quite ease

Those nights when I couldn't fall asleep
You nestled beside me; stayed near
I knew that no matter what happened
You'd protect me from every fear

I know you're in a better place now
To run free and dance in skies
Time to store memories and let you go
I'm not very good with goodbyes

As you race across the rainbow bridge
Kissed with cotton candy clouds
You'll always be in my heart Cheyanne
My best friend; you've made me proud

 

[Laurelin]

I've lost quite a few dogs and it's never easy. Nikki's passing was particularly hard for me as she was my girl and I expect Summer's will be too. She's a very special girl to me. I try not to think about things like that, but towards the end, you know it's coming. With her passing it was very peaceful and I found it easy to accept even though I was broken hearted. The ones that are hard to accept are the ones that pass before their time.

 

[Renee750il]

I've been down that road. It's hard, really, really hard. I let myself grieve, let the sadness flow through, feel all of it and don't fight it. It's something that eases with time and surrender; fighting it only prolongs it and makes it hurt worse.

The worst, though, as Toller and some others can attest, is when you lose them young, before they've lived their lives through. It's still very painful when they've lived long, full lives, but you have some time to prepare, to begin saying goodbye at least.

You love them, you let go, you deal with it, you love again . . .

 

[DanL]

Knowing how I felt when Midnite passed, who I was close to but not bonded like I am with Gunnar and Daisy, I can't imagine what I'll feel when one of them passes. Gunnar is literally my best friend- I spend more time with him than I do my wife and kids, and Daisy is my baby. It will be very tough.

 

[bnwalker2]

I've lost several dogs and cats in the past and all of them were hard. But I know that when Thunder passes away, I'll probably be hysterical. He is ALWAYS with me no matter what I'm doing, and is my best friend.

 

[bubbatd]

Bubba was my heart-dog and his death was totally out of the blue . I didn't handle it well at all !!! All the others I could prepare myself for . I still miss him after all these years .

 

[mojozen]

When I was 11 I lost my horse Raven... he was my heart horse. I was closer to him than I was to my dog at the time. I kind of shattered emotionally when he died - I entered into a deep depression that lasted for years, but that no one in my family actually treated for. I finally came out of it in my 20s... more or less...

I have lost other pets since then and every time I've grieved deeply but eventually I find that I can open my heart again.

When Mojo passes? I'm scared of that. I'm extremely close to Mojo. He is a soul mate to me, my heart dog... My therapist has already started to work with me on not being so terrified of losing him. She supports my idea that I get another dog before Mojo dies.. not that I will ever know exactly when my munchkin will pass... but it may ease the passing's pain.

Like yourself I go to the thought of what will it be like to no longer have him? All i see is a dark souless place waiting for me. And I am scared of coming home to a house that no longer has him waiting for me with his endless circles to the left and wagging tail.

You are not alone in this... not in the least bit.

 

[borzoimom]

I was devestated when Hottie passed. We knew it was coming but still, that does not make the hurt any less. Its been now 7 months and its still there. Hottie was my heart dog- I long for him still..

 

[Drat]

Losing pet friends can be very difficult to deal with, especially for dog lovers. I think dogs love people different than any other pets. I've helped myself and a few others through it by getting a replacement. It's not the same, but it helps a lot. So much better if the replacement can be there before your favorite goes into the next life. Even better if the replacement is a descendent, or in some way related to your current pet.

And there is hope for seeing our pets in the next life. There will certainly be animals around during the mellenium. So it's not over between us.

Maybe that helps a bit.

 

[Giny]

I've lost a couple dogs in my lifetime. One when I was only a teen, that loss was very difficult on me, I barley left my bed for weeks. Lost 20 pounds in a month, it was horrible. The next dog was the one we got after my first dog passed away. I loved this little guy but I had a difficult time bonding with him because I was still morning the loss of Milou. When he passed away I was living far away from my family (he was the family dog) and had not been visiting home for 4 years. It was sad but not like my first dog.

Now as for my dogs today, I fear the day they pass away. I'll often tear up just thinking of it. Steve jokingly mentions that he dreads the day it happens because he thinks I'll need to be severely sedated after wards.

 

[BostonBanker]

I expect I will have a full-fledged meltdown. It is a rare day that Meg and I spend more than two hours apart, and by "apart" I mean she's in a different room, or sleeping in the car while I ride. I had a rough time when Medley died, and he was so much more my mother's dog.

I remember showing up at the barn crying a few days before we put Medley down, and talking to a friend. She said her husband could never understand why people allow themselves to have pets and get so attached to them, when you can be almost certain you will outlive them. But for all the agony I expect I will feel when Meg does pass, it could never outweigh what I get from spending a single day with her.