Do you ever miss a dog even though they have been gone for a long time?

BCLover · 03-14-2007, 03:43 AM

We lost our dog on 11th Nov 2006 and I am still unable to cope up with her loss. I still hear her breathing hard when she lcoked outside the bedroom and growling when I turn over in the night and diplace her cozy body snuggled aginst my feet.

Let me tell you about June Bug. We adopted her on June 8th 2003 from the Franklin County Animal Shelter in Columbus, Oh. I took one glance at her and knew she was the one. I had no second thoughts about adopting her even though she was our first pet. She was a border collie mix (with may be cocker spaniel). She was let in the shelter by her previous owner in the night and so she was considered abondoned and had no previous history about her. She was left in the shelter on Jun 5th or June 6th 2003.

She changed our life so much. She was the most delightful creature. She was just good about everything- potty training, kids , stangers, baths,..There was nothing to complain about her.

We moved to India in 2006 and she moved with us. She loved it here.

On the fateful day, we had let her out at 7 pm and she was bitten by a snake. She still sat there wagging her tail and bearing all the pain and not wanting to worry me. We tried getting her medical attention but it was too late. We lost her after about an hour.

I hope she rests in peace. We acnnot forget her for all the joy she brought into our lives.

I wish I could find her siblings/relatives. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

Baylee-Belle-Mia · 03-14-2007, 03:58 PM

When I was 5 my parents and I moved into a new house...a month after we lived there, it was christmas-time....On Christmas morning, i heard barking in the gameroom downstairs, I ran down there and there was a tiny puppy in a giant cardboard box...I named him Rusty...he was a springer spaniel/brittany spaniel mix....He died when i was 14. He was the nicest dog anyone could ever ask for. Even my gram who didnt like dogs AT ALL loved him. I remember he had medium length hair, i used to give him hair cuts all the time....and then i'd paint his nails. I used to get into sooo much trouble for that (poor dog just laid there and wagged his tail). I just remember how many good memories he gave me....it was 11 years ago...and I STILL miss him! When i watch home movies, and he's in them...i cant help but cry a little...

Elijah · 03-14-2007, 04:34 PM

Quote:

When i watch home movies, and he's in them...i cant help but cry a little...

You'll never get to old for that either. I broke out a DVD of my Katie the other night when she was four months old and at 61, I still cry over her... did the other night watching the video again. Memories flood your mind at times when you see other dogs that remind you of that one that has gone on and it all comes back. She was such a loving and sweet little thing. She never met a stranger-human or animal. I can still hear her nails pounding on the floor and the thumping of her tail on the deck.

Love is selfish...very much so. We cry for ourselves and the loss that we undergo because if you're a realist, you know all too well the great finality of death. Time heals but, it won't cure the emptiness that remains but, you have to go on as there's not much choice.

Mdawn · 03-15-2007, 12:25 AM

When I was 10 or 11, my mom got me a kitten. She had to be put to sleep when I was 16. We were on vacation and my mother had one of her friends stop by everyday to check up on the cat and the house. One day when her friend stopped by, she found the cat (Kitty) extremely ill. My mom's friend rushed her to the vet and found out my cat had Feline Leukemia. After calling my mom to let her know what happened, my mom instructed her to have her put down. I was devastated by it. I never got to say a real goodbye to her. Although, when I was leaving my house for the vacation, I had the oddest feeling that I'd never see her again. When she was put down, she had no one with her that loved her. I was angry about that for a long time. I was also angry with my mother because she had never had the cat vaccinated and I blamed Kitty's death on her. Part of me still does. The whole situation was a learning experience for me. Because of what happened with Kitty, I MAKE SURE my cats now are vaccinated. I will never let one of my cats suffer like that. Now I have 5 animals, and sometimes I can't really afford to pay for their vaccinations, but they get them anyway. I would rather starve then see them go without. I've often told my mom that its the, "Lesson of Kitty".

Buddysmom · 03-15-2007, 09:08 AM

We lost our 6 year old Cocker Spaniel "Shadow" in June from a brain decease. He was gone in 4 days and we were totally devastated. It took numerous vets to find out what was wrong and after spending a lot of money and many hours of crying we had to put Shadow to rest, as there was no cure and he was in distress.

I can't even talk about him yet without welling up. Mu husband and I didn't have children together and Shadow was our baby. He was such a joy and my also camping companion.

We now have Buddy and love him dearly (a 4 month cocker/lab cross). I find myself comparing him to Shadow and try to stop. It appears Buddy is also going to be a great companion and I thank God for dogs.

zyclonenuz · 03-16-2007, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjamaka

I had a cocker spaniel beagel mix that I got when I was in kindergarden when I was 5 years old and she lived until I was 14. She was there when my grandma died and going through growing up and all that, well it's been 5 years and I still miss her and cry about her sometimes.

It's really hard to forget someone when you grew up with them.

yaakobdoodle · 03-17-2007, 07:51 PM

i had a wonderful pit/lab mix he went everyware and did everything with me i think about him everyday. He's been gone three years now but it seems that the empty space he left just kinda sits there. Don't get me wrong i'm not still griweving him but i do wish he was still with me. The hurt goes away but thabk god the memory doesn't

siberian husky lover12 · 03-17-2007, 08:24 PM

Wow lots of folks had dogs that are killed, makes me sad

Aaron · 04-20-2007, 10:59 PM

A grandfather of mine had his dog for about 13 years. Back in Septmeber we had to put him down

It looked funny to see four grown men crying, but we miss him and he was such a good dogThis picture of him in a wagon was while we were digging his hole before we had to put him down

kewade · 04-29-2007, 01:51 PM

On Jan 30, 2007 ...My wonderful puppy "Lucy" was killed right in front of me by a stray dog that came onto my property ... I ran like hell trying to reach her but was too late. I was on crutches at the time, due to 3 broken ankle bones ... at one point I dropped the crutches and tried running faster but the big mean dog was too much for my 10 month old lab/border collie mix. It devastated me beyond belief. I adopted Lucy from a shelter when she was only 6 weeks old, she had been left at the shelter over night with her mom (a pure breed choc lab) and all her littermates ... I took Lucy and a brother for her so she wouldn't be lonely. Gus is her brother and he is still with me, and I now also have a 2 year old border collie ... my pain for Lucy is with me every day. I miss her so much. I cannot believe that I can't stop the daily tears and the ache in my heart. I still see that stray dog roaming around ... I blame the owners and not the dog ... but blame won't bring Lucy back to me. However, I do have two great dogs to keep me company ... I will forever miss Lucy.

Renoman · 04-29-2007, 02:46 PM

I got my first dog when I was 2 y.o. I won't tell you how old I am now, but there's been several dogs since then that will be with me forever. But, everyone has that 'once in a lifetime' dog. The one that seems to understand every word you say. That knows what you want before you want it. Max was that dog. He was a Shepherd/Collie mix that I happened upon one night when I was out with friends. A stranger came up to our group asking if anyone wanted a puppy. She said that she knew a family that had puppies and if they couldn't find homes for them they were going to put them down. I told her to call them and tell them I wanted a pup. I showed up at their house half an hour later and the puppy that grabbed me first was the only male left. I took him home and named him MAX. He was the smartest dog I have ever known. He was also a 'very old soul' meaning I think he'd been here before. I suffered separation anxiety when I was away from him. I can't say I loved him more than any other dog I've ever had, but I loved him DIFFERENT. I had Max with me for 9 years. He was diagnosed with cancer and died very suddenly - all within 2 weeks time. I will never forget him, cry when I think about him now. He crossed on the Friday before Thanksgiving of 1996.

For the next week I was a hopeless mess!! I cried every day and just didn't know what to do with myself. It was like losing a part of me. Well, with no disrespect to Max, whom I miss to this day, I brought a puppy home on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I knew I would never have another Max, but I needed to have a dog in my life otherwise I didn't know what to do with myself. I named him Reno. Hence, my username Renoman. He was my first purebred German Shepherd. As much as Max was my 'once in a lifetime dog' Reno was special as well. He was with me 24/7. He went everywhere with me and he knew what I was thinking before I knew. Re was the MAN! If Re didn't like you, I didn't like you. Re was with me for 10 years before he crossed. Max is buried in a pet cemetary. Reno's ashes are with me and will be buried with me. Even though I have had dogs since Max and Reno and I have 2 now, those 2 boys have left a hole in my heart that is hard to ignore.

kewade · 04-29-2007, 03:28 PM

wow renoman ... how sweet and touching ... sounds like Max & Reno had a great life with a great man!

Doggielvr5 · 04-29-2007, 04:10 PM

I have never lost my dog, and dont plan on anytime soon so I can only imagine what you go through.
If you still morn your dog, that just shows how much you cared for, and loved this dog, like your own family member.
Its like losing a loved human

It is very normal to be sad about it, even throughout your whole life, especially if you have reminders all around you.
Just remember it is okay to still think about it and become upset. 5 years is still a small amount of time for the one you love. Just give it plenty more years, it may get better, it may not.
I know with my dog, I will never let him leave my heart. I will always think of him, and morn him everyday that he is gone. Especially because he is my first and only dog so far

I am just sorry that you have to go through all this

~Heather~

Betty · 04-30-2007, 01:09 PM

I really miss Henry, the St. Bernard I grew up around. He was grandma's dog, and I always looked forward to visiting my grandparents so I could see him. I was little and he towered over me, but I could throw my arms around him and hug him and rub his ears, and Henry would be so gentle and patient, never jumping on me once or knocking me over. He was so warm and fuzzy and mellow. When us kids would wander out into grandma's endless garden, he would follow us to keep an eye on us.

Anyhow, he's the reason I just love big dogs.

Amaya-Mazie-Marley · 05-06-2007, 11:58 PM

I lost my cairn terrier Benji two years ago. He was hit by a car in front of me. While I've been sitting here reading these stories and thinking of him I can't stop crying. I miss him so much. He was really the first inside dog I had and he was so perfect. Cairn terriers are small, so he didn't even stand a chance against the car. I miss him so much, sometimes I just look at his pictures and cry and cry and cry. He will always be a part of me, and I will never forget him. The thing that made me the maddest was the car didn't even stop.

Katzyn · 05-07-2007, 11:58 PM

I miss all my pets for a very long time after they've left me...Each of my pets, current or passed on, has helped make who I am, so I know that if I ever truly forget them, I'll be forgetting an important part of myself.

I even cry over the fish that I lose, simply because they help me with learning the lesson of life. Every life I hold in my hands (figuratively or not) is precious, and deserves to be remembered by at least one person, forever, even after the person passes on as well. But then, the person'll get to meet up with their beloved at the Rainbow Bridge. =)

SFury · 05-09-2007, 03:55 PM

I have been around so many dogs over the years. Many that were owned by family or friends, and many that I helped to train. There are those that I spent more time with than others, but I think about all of them and the many lessons I have learned from them over the years. Not every day, but there are things that make me think about them at different times.

The hardest loss for me was when the golden retriever, Rusty, I grew up with came down with cancer. He was 10 years old, and had tumors in his nose and spine that were inoperable, and untreatable. He hid the signs well, and had other minor health issues that masked some of the signs from us. It was a very hard day when at 11 years old I had to say goodbye to my lifelong friend.

blackrose · 05-10-2007, 05:35 PM

It has only been five months, but I'm still crying over the puppy that I raised for a guide dog organization. She should be graduating at the end of this month...but it kills me that five months ago I handed her over and left, and that I'll never be able to see her again. I still miss her...

She was my puppy. That dog that just seems to click with your the moment you see them and meld into your family like they were ment to be.

I wish you luck in your career, Sadie.

Elijah · 05-12-2007, 11:30 AM

I went back over some of the older posts about this and remember RonE posting this...

Quote:

When we put our lab down in mid-2005, my wife (who is not really even a dog person) told me that she had never in her life felt such a profound loss. This from a woman who had already lost all her grandparents, both her parents and two sisters.

It was good to read it again as I remember my sister telling me that I needed to get a better handle on things-"You've let this bother you more than when Mom died".

She was probably right. It's hard to explain and for the first time since Katie's been gone (six months the 23rd of May) I dreamed about her last night. I woke up during the night up on my elbows crying and telling her how I loved her.

It doesn't matter how old (me) or young you are. There's something about those furry friends that forever leave their mark in your heart that time will heal somewhat but never erase.

Renoman · 05-12-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katzyn

I miss all my pets for a very long time after they've left me...Each of my pets, current or passed on, has helped make who I am, so I know that if I ever truly forget them, I'll be forgetting an important part of myself.

I even cry over the fish that I lose, simply because they help me with learning the lesson of life. Every life I hold in my hands (figuratively or not) is precious, and deserves to be remembered by at least one person, forever, even after the person passes on as well. But then, the person'll get to meet up with their beloved at the Rainbow Bridge. =)

I can't wait til I get to the Rainbow Bridge. There's a whole group waiting for me and I'm anxious to meet up with them.