Parting with Your Pet

Once upon a time, a new furry “friend” became a part of your life. You fell in love with it. He or she became your best friend. You had talks, went on walks, played together, ate together and taught them tricks. Your furry friend was always glad to see you, even when they got into trouble and had to be punished. They had unconditional love to give. You couldn’t be without each other.

Then, one day, many years later, things changed. Your furry friend needs to go to the vet more often due to illness or disease. Their eyes get cloudy and can only see shadows of your former companion. They can’t hear you when you call them to breakfast, bedtime or to keep them from harm. They don’t want to play much anymore. All they do is rest and sleep and maybe eat a little.

There comes a day when you have to make the hardest decision in your life, send your friend to “doggy heaven.” Or maybe your four-legged friend just passes away. I will tell you that both of these incidences have happened to me within the past five years. I’ve lost four four-legged children. Two of them died on their own. We had to make the hard decision for the other two.

Dealing with the passing of your pet is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. I learned that you need to give yourself time to grieve. I even took three days off of work right in the middle of tax season (I'm lucky my co-workers still talk to me after that!). About three months before, my intuition was letting me know that I needed to start preparing for this event in my life. I knew at some point I'd have to deal with this situation. Only thing is, it happened to my younger pet, not my older one.

Here are a few tips I can give you:
You can never fully prepare yourself. But you can help by having a plan as to what you want to do with your furry friend. I chose cremation so they could still be a part of our lives and live with us. I have four little ones in their beautiful wooden urns in our home. For more information, contact Pines Pet Cemetery & Cremation Center, 764 Riley Wills Rd., Lebanon, Ohio, 45036, (513) 579-8250.

Make sure and give yourself time to grieve. It may take a while before you want to get another furry friend and that’s okay, too. When I lost my second one, I waited over three months before I brought another pet home to live with us. You don’t want to feel that you are replacing them.

Saying "goodbye." If you have to make the decision of letting them go, spend some special time with your friend before going to the vet. Give them treats, let them lie in the grass, whatever they want to do. Let them know what’s happening. I believe they understand what’s going to happen and they will be okay with it. Mine sure did. And you’ll feel better too.

Finding another. People say they don’t want to go through this pain again. Look at the love and joy they will be missing. Sure it’s painful, but it’s also very joyful while they are a part of your life. So, get another furry friend, if your surroundings will allow it.

Just remember one thing, if you want the joy and love of a furry friend, you have to accept the end result. It’s better than not having the joy and love in your life at all.