1. Home & Garden

Discuss in my forum

Dog Pawprints in the Sand

None of us wants to imagine the death of a beloved pet. Of course, when we decided to become pet owners, we knew we would most likely outlive our pets. But that doesn't make it any easier when they die. To make matters worse, some people cannot understand your grief - usually these people are not pet owners. When a relative or close friend dies, people understand that you might want to be alone or need time off from work. When a pet dies, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a grieving pet owner must find other ways to mourn.

When it comes down to it, death is a loss - human or otherwise. And because your dog is such an integral part of your daily life, the death of that pet can make the basics of day-to-day living unbearable. Whether or not you have lost a pet in the past, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the process of pet death. Learn more about enduring two of the hardest things a pet owner must do: deciding to euthanize a pet and grieving the loss of that pet. Also, if you have another dog in your family, don't forget that dogs grieve, too.

Photo © Geostock/Getty Images

Comments

August 13, 2010 at 7:56 am
(1) Sue says:

Another way to grieve the loss of your pet is through the Rainbows Bridge website.This site has given me great comfort since I lost my beloved 14 year old dog Pepper in 2007. I can go to her page, see her picture, write to her and make as many changes as I want to for $25.00 per year. You can also sign the guest books of others. The website is http://www.rainbowsbridge.com.

August 21, 2010 at 8:29 am
(2) Kevin says:

Dogs grieve! So far I have been able to show the surviving dog the deceased dog; that seems to bring closure. I know it’s not always possible, but it really seems to help.

Leave a Comment


Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>
Related Searches pet death august 11 grief

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.