Coping with Pet Death
During my experiences, when one of my dogs died, my grief was very intense and lasted a long time. Every dog that I owned, over the years, held a special place in my heart. The last pet death I experienced was a Bearded Collie named Baggins whom everyone adored. I had her for over 10 years. She was special to me and to those who knew her. Each time I received an invitation from one of my friends, it always included Baggins. I mourned her death for years. At times, I felt guilty for all the scolding I gave her about silly things that I thought were important. In those days, I was very controlling. Now as I reflect on my behavior, I expected too much from her and also myself. Baggins had her quirks. One of her habits was her need to be a part of my discussions. She would sit and look at each one of us in turn whenever we spoke and then would bark, as if giving her input in the conversation. At the time I thought it was annoying, but when I think of it, she wanted to be included in all that I did, and she was. I took her everywhere I went, even wind surfing and cross country skiing which she enjoyed as much as I did. If there was someone that she had an aversion to, that person was not allowed near me. She would become very aggressive in her behavior towards the person in question. As a result, her behavior determined who my friends were. If she liked you, she was all over you, often resting her head on your foot or some part of your body. Writing about her now, brings tears to my eyes… One way of coping with the death of your beloved pet is to write about all the memories you shared - the good and the not so good. This is a good way of dealing with your grief.
Those who love their animals and have experienced pet death, their pets have special places in their hearts. I believe it is natural to mourn the passing of our pets longer than our loved ones. After all, they are with us 24/7, and they love us unconditionally no matter how we behave.A Special Place in our HeartSo our feelings towards our pets are natural. They are always dependent on us, and we lavish them with our love. We need to be aware that they can become replacements for children we didn’t have. There is a fine line here. We can go over board with buying all sorts of doggie treats, clothing, bedding and so on. We need to remember that they are animals and not people, and also realize that they are not a replacement for human relationships. At this time, I have three dogs – two females and one male who is a rescue dog that has been with me for about nine months. He is very much settled in now after wandering the country side where I live. When he showed up, he was very emaciated and grungy-looking. His behavior was wild and uncontrolled. I had an extremely difficult time changing his patterns in the first few months. He was not used to being inside. Needless to say, he also changed my behavior. I’ve learned to be more patient and flexible and understanding towards all of my dogs. The most surprising and delightful part of this new relationship is that I’ve learned that he is Baggins reincarnated who has returned with a special mission in my life. coping with death
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