Tell me what matters to you

originally posted by: tetra50 what matters to you?

right now what matters to me is your obvious distress. of course you did your best. never think otherwise. it's obvious you cared as much as anyone could.

a reply to: tetra50

I`m sitting next to my very best copilot in the world, a big fat grey tomcat I call squeak or sometimes Awgy(F-14 tomcat radar being an AWG-9, aviation nerd thing.) and I dread the day when I find out something major is wrong with him.

Sorry dude or dudette, letting go of an animal you adopted or you was adopted by just sucks, no PC term for it, it just sucks. But there are other critters out there that need you help or companionship too.

Love is what matters. You allowed your precious pet to go peacefully and with love. My heart goes out to you in your loss. I have lost many beloved pets in my time and know all too well the pain of that loss.

a reply to: tetra50

What matters to me is that our furbabies loved us as much or more than we loved them . Their love is unconditional, and I can only believe that unconditional love is the closest thing to God that we will ever encounter while we walk thru life. The blessing they are is beyond expression.

I grieve with you, and will hold you in my prayers.

The Schipperke that is my avatar, "BUTKUS" , crossed over to wait for me (with all my fur and feather babies that have gone before him) 4 years ago. Just yesterday I told a friend that I`d give anything to have him stealing my tools and burying them again...LOL! He was bratty like that, but saved our lives several times. Amazing love wrapped in a fur coat!!!!

Every now and then, my husband and I will hear him bark.... no one else in our neighborhood has a Schipperke, and their voices are "distinctive". Our 2 dogs that are still with us (Black Lab and a Red Heeler?German Shep cross) still miss him. When he died, the other dogs gathered around us as I was burying him .... as soon as I had laid him in his resting spot, they got up and brought THEIR fav toys and laid them down on him. Then they waited beside me as I finished what I had to do.

How can anyone think that kind of love is not eternal? I think it proves they have souls and are together , and we WILL be together again!

I pray for peace and healing for you!!!!

Hugs, love and light !!!!

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: tetra50

but I think dogs are proof that there is a Heaven.

Agreed .. ma wee man is definitely a drop of heaven .. he cant have come from anywhere else ..
and they are perfect .. they do no wrong ..

Definitely meet again in heaven ... it sounds cheesy, but that dont make it any less true ..
for all i know .. ma wee man is here to help me get back there with him .. he helps me loads by visually making me aware how he visually dislikes when i am unhappy .. and like wise when things are happy . he reflects this ..
i am now much more aware of my moods, and how they may affect him .. and i do seem to not allow to get annoyed at things as often now .. cos it upsets him ... Bless

God Bless y'all and all your wee animal friends .. heavens where its all at .. they are the ones that pity us .. cos we are still stuck here, without them and all that hapiness and love theyre surrounded with

So sorry Tetra.

I can't really express what matters to me...
But in this instance your comfort in this time is one thing...
That, and hopefully a few signs for you from beyond that they're truly together waiting in Heaven.

I've had signs from my old pitbull Trouble since he passed...
And there wasn't a better feeling in my lifetime than knowing I will get a chance to experience that unconditional love again.

Bless you Tetra.

a reply to: tetra50

someone once told me when I sayed I am terrified of dying

that they are terrified of their pets dying more then themselves

she stayed over that night
left and in couple of minutes called in tears

will never forgive myself
that I bagged her to stay that night

now I have pets
oh god is just strange times

I would say i am sorry but I can't imagine ...
their love for us is flawless

originally posted by: tetra50
I love you Bill and Bugsy.

They loved you, too.

And there was no place that dog would rather have been than right there with you at the end. As far as I can interpret Dog, my pups were ok with being in pain when they passed, but the two things they were concerned about was would I be there for them, and did they do ok. Was I mad at them? Was this ok? And when they were convinced I wasn't upset with THEM, so much as the situation, they were at peace and moved on. And generally, the last few minutes they seemed to be more concerned with comforting ME than the other way around.

originally posted by: Layaly
that they are terrified of their pets dying more then themselves

You'd be surprised at how often people worry about their dogs right at the end. I've had to swear to make sure that someone's dog wouldn't be put to sleep by their family after they passed as they were in their last few minutes.

a reply to: Bedlam

And there was no place that dog would rather have been than right there with you at the end. As far as I can interpret Dog, my pups were ok with being in pain when they passed, but the two things they were concerned about was would I be there for them, and did they do ok. Was I mad at them? Was this ok? And when they were convinced I wasn't upset with THEM, so much as the situation, they were at peace and moved on. And generally, the last few minutes they seemed to be more concerned with comforting ME than the other way around.



I love ats
truly
wished I was here years ago
wished I read these years ago
people here do have the right words to say
will keep this too I will not find it when I will need it
but it engraves deeply just doesn't resurface at the best time

that was very beautiful

dragonlover, charlie, bedlam, beezzer, rosco, nightstar, kelly, chiefD, atsbhct... all of you who reached out to me with such kindness and comforting words, many thanks from my heart.

I also have very much enjoyed hearing about everyone's love for their pets, and the recognition that they give us all their unconditional love. I agree that they are evidence of God and heaven, and in a cold world, comfort and loyalty we cannot often find anywhere else.

Thanks so much for everyone's words of wisdom and caring…
tetra

My heart goes out to you....to lose two loyal and loving family members so close together.

I know the pain as my sweet girl left us a few weeks ago...
The terrible pain subsides, but the sadness lingers.....

[[[HUGS]]]

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
My heart goes out to you....to lose two loyal and loving family members so close together.

I know the pain as my sweet girl left us a few weeks ago...
The terrible pain subsides, but the sadness lingers.....

[[[HUGS]]]

Hugs back to you, DTOM. And everyone else who shared their stories of loss and love for their family, "pack" members….
Yesterday was a bad day, but I know from experience that the coming days empty of my pup's waking me up to feed him and let him outside will be heart wrenching for a while.

It's amazing how much animals know. I have a Corgi dog left, named Boudreaux. The night before Bill's collapse, Bouddie was laying beside him on the floor, rubbing his head against Bill's, trying to get Bill to respond and get up.
And when we took Bill to the vet, he knew exactly what was happening. I only hope my presence comforted him some, and kept the fear of passing every living thing feels at the end, at bay. These are the moments that haunt.
So, I wrote here to focus on the positivity of having shared life with our animal friends, and to try to keep remembering, instead, all the happy moments I had with these dogs, and all the ways they blessed my life.

a reply to: tetra50

The next few days will be rough....I never knew I could cry as much as I did.

And it is more than amazing how intuitive dogs can be.
I once had a dog, Casey, who would only sleep in bed with me when I was sick.

Tetra, I am extremely sorry for your loss. We lost our yellow lab Jack in September and it was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through. They are amazing little guys that fill all the extra space in our hearts and become extensions of ourselves. If you ever want to see the true nature of a person just watch how they treat kids and dogs, and you you can usually figure them out in a couple of minutes....take care!

What matters is that you take comfort in the fact that you saw your little ones safely to the other side.

I'm sure that, with you, they had the best life that they could have had and that you will have few regrets.

I am sure in my own mind that they all survive the journey but it's not my place to convince anyone who believes differently.

When I lost my old dog I felt a soft 'prodding' for some time afterwards that led to me finding my next dog a couple of months later. I'd sworn that I would wait a long time before getting another dog because I wasn't in a hurry to feel the pain of loss again, but I am convinced that my old dog saw the need of the other and alerted me him.

At my old dog's funeral there were blossom trees hundreds of yards away. As we were saying our last 'Goodbyes' there was a gust of wind and somehow, from that great distance away, the blossom came and swirled around us.

On the day we brought the new dog home, I saw what looked like a tiny blossom petal on the floor outside the apartment. By then, it was too late for any blossom to be about so I looked carefully. It turned out to be a small piece of plastic that had been punched out from a carrier bag. Co-incidence? Maybe. Clutching at straws? Perhaps.

Proof to me that my old dog lived on and that I'd carried out his wishes? Definitely.

a reply to: Watcher777
Thanks so much Watcher…
What always amazed me about both my dogs was their individualness and personalities, distinctly different from one another…..

The dog that died a few months ago was alpha, assertive, and when young, always happy and attentive. He became more of a worrier when he was older. His partner, Bill, the dog I just lost yesterday, was submissive, emotional, would pout if he didn't get his way, and had a tendency to hold a grudge. If he got mad at me for not taking him somewhere, for instance, he would ignore me for a few days, till he got over it. He liked to lay right in front of the stove when I was cooking in the kitchen, and in doorways, and didn't like to move for anyone. But he was also very playful, and you always knew when he was happy. He was deeply affectionate and sensitive.

I got both these dogs full grown. They were left with me by previous owners who could no longer care for them. But as aggressive as both dogs could be, they loved each other from day one, when I introduced them. They were the perfect complement to one another. And as blessed as I consider myself to have had them for so long, I was always very happy they had each other, as well.

You take care, too.

a reply to: berenike

Thanks for sharing your wonderful story, berenike. It is comforting and reassuring.
tetra

a reply to: tetra50

I'm glad if I could help.

Don't forget to look after yourself.

originally posted by: berenike
a reply to: tetra50

I'm glad if I could help.

Don't forget to look after yourself.

ahh. you nailed it. That's the hardest part.
They were my reason for being, currently.
Thanks for reminding me, that I might be worth looking after.
tears and smiles.
tetra

a reply to: tetra50

He's right.

A friend of mine lost their dog earlier this year.
They opted to get another dog....not to replace their dog....that is not possible.
But to help fill the hole in their lives.

We have opted to wait and allow the grief to run its course.
Then decide...although we are leaning to getting another puppy in the spring.


Be good to yourself.