I remember getting a call from my aunt that I never thought I would ever receive about the passing of our family dog. Jan. 9th was one of the worst days ever for me.
If you ever lose someone, it’s one of the worst things that you can ever feel. Especially if you spent 17 years with someone who was near and dear to you.
“Making the decision as pet owner is hard. I had to take my pet to the vet and make the decision of putting him down,” stated Caitlin Richards junior at William Peace University.
As a pet owner, most of the time animals do not die of old age. You as an owner and their companion have to decide when enough is enough.
Losing a pet is almost like losing a best friend or even family. It is an irreplaceable bond that cannot be refilled with any other relationship.
“My yellow lab Jake had Leukemia, the last two weeks of his life he did not eat or drink- he got really skinny. One day, I went off to a church summer camp and he passed away, and I was hurt but I knew he was no longer hurting anymore,” said Meredith Lascallette, junior communications major at WPU.
Everything happens for a reason. Everyone has been told that pretty much for most of their lives. However, it won’t ever really prepare you for what will be in store.
“God puts things in our life to help us grow, life happens and he does have a plan. I think he knew what he was doing when Jake passed on,” said Lascallette.
My dog Blenheim was so near and dear to my heart. I was broken when she passed away. There is not a day that goes by when I do not think of her.
The day Blenheim died was a day after I left home form winter break. The day she died I felt like I failed her, I couldn’t be there to see her take her last breath. However, I don’t think I could have processed all of that.
Nothing will prepare you for a lost such as this. You also never realy learn how to get over it either. I think you just learn how to live with their absence.
“Through time I have learn to get over it. He was my first pet and we were insepretable. I am not greiving anymore, but It is apart of me,” said Richards.
As a pet owner you learn how to live with the absence of your pet. Yet, nothing will ever change to bond that you and that pet had.
I will never be able to share my Chetto Puffs with another animal the way I shared mine with my girl Blenheim. She was the best dog anyone could ask for.
I will never go as far to say that I will never love another dog. No that will never be the case I love animals. However, no one will replace the bond I had with Blenheim.
“ Get all the doggos! Sometimes to help you through things like that you get another pet. Dogs can help you with the grieving process. Dogs are awesome and they’re better than people,” said Lascallette.
A couple of weeks after Blenheim’s passing my family got their current dog Sadie. She turns 12 weeks this Thursday and she is full of energy. I do love Saide and she is great, but she will have a different bond that will not be the same as Blenheim.
All in all, you never learn to get over a lost. You just learn how to live with it. It is hard, and it is emotionally draining, but you will grow from that experience as well.