Losing a Pet is Painful

As pet owners, we have a very special bond with our pets. They provide unconditional love and joy in our lives every day. They are the perfect companions, they meet us at the door wagging their tails every time we come home, they love for us to play with them, they love to entertain us by doing tricks or being silly to make us laugh, they care for us and protect us and they are loving and protective of our children.

My pug, Molly knows when I’m sad and she gives me the sweetest hugs when I need them. There are no words to describe how sweet of a gesture that really is. She’s happy when I’m happy and she gets excited when I’m excited. I have a connection with her that I’ve never really had with very many people. She knows me… and I know her. She talks to me without talking, if you know what I mean. I can look in her eyes and know what she wants. She is my soul mate… literally.

I know you all feel the same way… about your pugs/ dogs. That’s why it is so difficult when we have to say goodbye to our pets. When our pet passes away, we lose that close connection… and it hurts. Our hearts hurt… deeply. We long to hold our pets just one more time.

I’ve had people say to me, “it’s only a dog.” I cringe when I hear someone say that. Molly is not “only a dog.” She’s my dog. She’s my companion and my soulmate. She is family. I would never leave her, under any circumstances. When I got her at 8 weeks old, I made a commitment to care for and love her until the day she dies… and i will keep that commitment. When I wake up every morning, I thank God for giving me another day with her… and i promise her every day that I will make her as happy as possible.

Research says that losing a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to losing a human loved one. I believe that. When I lost Dolly, my black pug, I cried for months and months. Every time someone mentioned her, I cried. When I thought of her, I cried. When something reminded me of her, I cried. Sometimes, I still cry when I think of her. I couldn’t even really tell anyone what had happened because I couldn’t talk about it so I just suffered from her loss in my own little world… for a long time.

Me and Miss Dolly

I just want to say: Don’t be embarrassed to cry over your pet. I think it shows how much we really connect with them.. and how much we love them. We need to talk about our pets when they pass away… even if it hurts. Talking about them and remembering them helps. It helps us remember the good times, the times they made us laugh, the walks we took together and the joy they brought to our lives. We need to grieve for our pets… just like we grieve for our friends and family. There’s no ritual to help us grieve for our pets, like there is for our friends and family, but I think there should be.

Love your pets, play with them, hug them, kiss them and most of all… cherish every day you get to spend with them. You’ll never regret those times and you’ll have wonderful memories to hang on to until you get to meet your pet again in heaven, where there WON’T be any tears!!