Member Advice on Pet Death > Reviews (33)

Where do you start to talk about what can only be described as d death in the family.

Unfortunately, I have lost two dear dogs to me in a matter of months, my first my darling Holly was a 8 year old Red Setter who bought so much love and friendship into our family. She contracted Cancer in the Bladder and was so very ill and we had to make our last decision for her which was to put her to sleep. You cannot watch someone you love suffer and it is the last loving thing you could possibly do for your dog after all the years of caring and loving them. It is a decision that has to made independently of your own feelings and one you can only make by seeing how much suffering they are encountering.

The emotional loss is undescribable, the silence, the lonliness when they have gone cannot be put into any context, it merely is the same grieving process you would encounter if a family member passed away. I took the decision that I couldn't let her go completely and had her body collected by a local Pet Cemetery and decided to have her cremated and bring her home for her last journey with us. For part of my grieving process I scouted all the Garden Centres for a rose which would sum my Holly up and for me to look out on and have her close at my side like she had been for those 8 years.

One of the things I find hard to understand is the opinion of others who have not had the joy of a dog in their lives. They see you break down and their words of "it's only a dog" stick in your mind, they just do not understand that it isn't just a dog, it is a friend, a companion, a loved one a large part of your life, a friend you share each day and night with and who keeps you company when your lonely, who is there to talk to when nobody else is, is a reason for getting up in the morning, for taking those lovely walks who no matter what happiness relies on you 100%.

My second dog Maddies we bought a few weeks after Holly's departure, not to replace her, but to give another dog a lovely home as we did Holly.

Maddie was a Border Collie and we only had a few short months with her before she died in her sleep from a seizure. With Maddie although only having her this short time, it was much more distressing, we had been out for an hour when on our return we found her, unfortunately my children were with us, and we spent frantic time on the floor trying to revive her without avail. Again we had lost someone we had all become so close to in her short tragic lifetime, being only a puppy, Maddie remained with us in our Garden, again adorned by a lovely rose tree, Sweet Dreams.

I often venture out in the Garden and sit beside my loved ones and talk to them, it may seem mad to some but I find comfort in it, and comfort in knowing they are still close with me in the garden they enjoyed so much. I still cannot openly speak about them without my eyes welling up, or look at their photos and do the same, but I was a very lucky person in having the pleasure of owning and experiencing two wonderful dogs.

Both these losses were two years ago and I now have a lovely Red Setter called Murphy, people say I'm mad, that one day I will have to experience the loss again, but we wouldn't have children and families if we looked on the bleak side all the time, all I know is I having a loving home and the time to give a dog a wonderful life, and while I am able to do this, I will continue to, no matter how heartbreaking the experiences are I feel peace in my mind that they enjoyed whatever time they spent with me.