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My Experiences of Coping with the Loss of A Pet Dog – A Tribute to Snoopy

Know how to deal with the loss of a pet. There are stages of grief after losing a pet. This post describes the ways of coping with the loss of a pet.
How to deal with the loss of a pet
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A loss is a loss, whether it’s a human or a pet. We lost our pet dog recently, and it has been heartbreaking, which happened during our break from blogging. However, we learned to cope and reconcile. Grieving the loss of a pet is natural but understanding the grieving process and its characteristics help us to deal with it. This post is about our experiences of losing a pet and a collection of best coping advice from around the web. ~ Ed.

 

Snoopy, our dearest pet dog, a senior member of our family passed away. He was more than a dog for us.

“A dog is man’s best friend.” This phrase asserts and expresses the importance of dogs in our lives.

As for me, my pet dog is unforgettable. He had a character and a personality that always inspired me and will leave an impression on my mind forever.

When he died, it was a great loss. It was traumatic for all of us.

It’s hard to understand pet bereavement if you’re not a pet owner. But if you’re a pet lover, you know that’s natural and obvious.

Whether your pet is a dog, a cat, or a bird, etc., you get emotionally attached or bonded and make them a part of your life.

Our dog, Snoopy, was a member of our family. Though he was ailing and we were preparing ourselves for his departure, it was not easy to cope with it.

He was brought to our home as a birthday gift for my daughter by her grandfather about 14 years ago.

Initially, it was only my daughter who was fascinated by him, but Snoopy enveloped all of us with his charms within no time.

Recently Snoopy had taken ill, mainly because of his age.

For those who don’t know, one year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 7 years of human age. So, if you convert Snoopy’s age, he was 96 years in human years.

One day when I returned home from his doctor’s clinic after a treatment session, seeing his deteriorating condition, I felt that he may not be able to carry on for long.

So, that night, my wife Harleena and I took a decision to call our daughters home.

Our younger one studies at a college about 1000 km away from us. She immediately took a flight and landed home the next morning, while we picked up the elder one after Snoopy’s demise, as she is near by.

I was relieved.

My worst fear was that my younger daughter would not make it in time due to the distance. I wanted her to be beside Snoopy when he breathed his last; else I thought she might keep this regret all her life.

We knew both our daughters wanted that too, as he was part of all of us.

I told my daughters about our dog’s condition and tried to prepare them for the worst. I gave them a piece of Indian wisdom.

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Spiritual Perspective of Death

In the Indian philosophy, we believe that death is a part of life. Life doesn’t end there.

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Death is inevitable; it finds its own way and strikes at the destined time. No matter how prepared or guarded you’re, nothing can stop death if it’s time.

After death, one continues further in the journey of life.

Dog’s have a soul too just as we do, and attachment is suffering for the living as well as the departed soul.

Excessive attachment causes extended grief.

Not only does it cause us pain, but it also bounds the departed soul and deprives them of liberation, which is the breaking free from the cycle of birth and death.

It’s natural to feel sad, but prolonged grieving becomes a selfish act as we do that to bring solace to ourselves.

Contrarily, a selfless act would be to help the departed soul’s transition to the higher states of life or liberation by being happy for it.

You do that by praying for the departed soul and wishing it happiness and peace in the afterlife.

You develop an understanding that the soul becomes free from suffering after death and you bid farewell with a smile on your face and blessings in your heart.

Unfortunately, our attachments and emotions get the better of us. We find it difficult to overcome the grief and drown ourselves in sorrow. That’s natural and being human for most of us.

So, if you also experience the loss of a pet, an understanding of the stages of grief will help you cope and recover.

5 Stages of Grief after Losing a Pet

The intensity, phases, and duration of grieving the loss of a pet depends on many factors – your bond or relationship with the pet, your memories, and your experiences.

In general, there are five stages of grieving after losing a pet. You may experience some or all of them.

These stages of pet loss grief are based on the popular “five stages of grief” model for humans by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Shock and Denial

Our pet dog Snoopy died in front of me. My daughter and I had just brought him home after a treatment session at the doctor’s place. We were trying to bring comfort to him.

Suddenly, he stretched his body and legs, opened his mouth, breathed his last, and lay still.

We were left confused.

I could see he was not breathing anymore, but we had hope. We took him to the veterinary hospital where he was declared dead.

I was shocked.

I could not believe he would die this way. It had been only a few hours since my daughter landed especially to meet him.

Perhaps Snoopy was only hanging on waiting for her as he was so attached to her.

There was silence.

We just stood still trying to grasp what had just happened. I was in a state of denial. Life was suddenly colorless and meaningless, and I felt numb and lost.

Know that denial is a natural mechanism in which our brain tries to protect us from such traumatic events and harsh realities of life until we’re ready to cope with the loss.

It took time for the reality to sink in.

Such shock and silence may continue for a few minutes or hours to many days, depending on how fast and well you cope with the loss of your pet.

Anger

When the pet loss sinks in, and the numbness fades away, it may raise the feeling of anger in you. You might be mad about what, why, and how it all happened.

While feeling angry is normal, you need to be cautious about venting the anger and make sure you don’t hurt anyone. Your feelings might seem true but they may not be grounded in reality.

If your dog was under treatment, you might baselessly accuse the doctor of being careless or irresponsible.

I had feelings of anger towards Snoopy’s doctor because I felt one of his injections caused Snoopy’s death.

But I did not vent my anger because I knew it could be a baseless allegation. Nothing could bring back my pet dog’s life, and I knew the doctor had all the good intentions.

Some people even turn the anger inwards and blame themselves for not taking the right actions to avoid the incident.

But anger is just a part of the grieving process and a step towards accepting the death of your loved one.

Bargaining or Guilt

As anger passes, it reveals the underlying emotions of pain and sadness.

In the bargaining stage of grief, you may bargain with any higher power or God to restore your pet’s life. You’re ready to do anything so as to reverse the occurrence of events to the pre-loss stage.

If not bargaining, you fall prey to the feelings of guilt. You start focusing on “what if’s” and “if only’s” and blaming yourself for the loss of your pet.

You start feeling that you could’ve done things differently and have thoughts like “what if I’d started the treatment sooner?” or “what if I’d shown my pet to a different doctor?” or “if only I had been near my pet” etc.

I too felt guilty of not taking Snoopy to the doctor earlier and allowing the doctor to give that painful injection to Snoopy.

If only I had stopped him, my pet dog would have been alive. This feeling of guilt lingered on in my mind for some time and made me cry.

However, I know that I’d have been happy and patted myself if that injection improved Snoopy’s health.

I gradually came to an understanding that it was a necessary action taken at that time and it was not fair to blame others or myself for the fatal outcome.

Sometimes pets die young due to an accident. It’s tragic, but death has its own ways. That way we are glad that Snoopy lived to nearly his maximum age.

Guilt takes you further in preparing yourself for the acceptance of the tragic incident.

Depression

Loss of beloved ones is depressing. Feeling depressed and sad is normal and a stage of grief on the way to full recovery from the loss of your pet.

As you recover from guilt, you find yourself on the ground of reality. You experience empty feelings, and sadness digs deeper into your heart.

You may not feel interested in engaging in your daily activities and instead feel like withdrawing from life. It may be a feeling like to remain isolated or quiet.

If your pet had been sick and you’re the one attending to it, you’d be most affected. Like me.

I thought I had a better understanding of the grieving process and I’d sail through perfectly after the loss of my pet dog. But I found myself going through depression.

Though I forced myself to get distracted and take part in the daily activities, I found myself to be very sad and couldn’t stop myself from withdrawing from everything.

It took me almost about a week to get back to normal, gradually resume my work, and write this post. I had to – as it’s a tribute to my best friend, a member of our family.

Going through depression is perfectly normal after the loss of your pet, and it is an important stage of the grieving process.

It’s best to talk out to your family members or someone who understands pet loss grief. Sharing your feelings may help you release pent-up emotions and make you feel better and lighter.

Acceptance

The last of the stages of grief is acceptance. You acknowledge the death of your pet and understand that it’s the reality that you cannot change.

It does not mean that you’re okay with your pet loss. It’s just that you understand that there’s no other way than to reconcile with the fact and live with it.

You no longer focus on dealing with your pet loss grief but start to get back into your life as it was before.

Instead, you recognize a change of perspective, and you adopt a more logical approach to understand your pet loss. You no longer delve into the “what if’s” and “if only’s” and no longer feel depressed.

Acceptance gives you the permission to move on with life. You now adopt a different daily routine and enjoy life without any feelings of betraying your beloved pet.

You allow yourself to grow,  heal, and live a more meaningful life.

Wrapping Up the Stages of Pet Loss Grief

These were the five stages of grief after the loss of a pet or your beloved one.

However, these stages may not happen exactly in this order or have a set period. They depend on the circumstances and many factors.

Some of these stages may return at different phases of life and catch you unawares. Certain events in life may activate memories and trigger sad feelings.

In the case of Euthanasia or if you put your pet to sleep, you might feel a bit different and undergo a different grieving process.

Also, as each person’s grief process is unique, your pet loss experience may be different from that of the others.

I attribute my ability to quickly get over the pet loss grieving process to my belief in the Indian philosophy of death.

You can use your own personal beliefs to help you cope with the death of your pet.

Our belief also helped my other family members including my daughters to get over and come to terms with the death of Snoopy, our pet dog.

I remember as I stood anxiously and puzzled as Snoopy breathed his last, my younger daughter was well composed and uttered with a teary smile – “he’s free from suffering.”

I unbelievingly looked at her. She was courageous. She’s only 19.

Though I have the acceptance of the loss of my pet, I am still saddened at times. The same goes for rest of the family, including my wife, Harleena.

I think we still need to give time to ourselves and find more ways to cope with the grief.

Resource: Read in detail about the stages in pet loss grief

Ways of Coping with the Loss of a Pet

After the death of your pet, you need to move on and let the soul of your pet also move forward with the life after death.

But you can’t rush to “get over it.” You should not hurry grief.

Before moving forward with life, you need to completely cope and reconcile with the loss for achieving full closure.

Crying

It’s not wrong to cry. Don’t stop yourself if you want to. Instead, crying helps release the bottled up emotions. If you do not want to cry in front of others, you can do it privately.

Sharing

Share the news about the loss of your pet with your friends and family by email or social media. The condolences will console you and help you cope.

Praying

Hold a prayer meeting or gather your family members and pray together that your pet’s soul rests in peace. We prayed and cried.

Ritualizing

Rituals help instigate appropriate coping feelings within us. You can follow a burial ritual and rituals to respect your pet and his place of living.

Remembering

It’s good to remember your pet and cherish the memories. We did this after our pet’s burial, and every family member had a chance to pay tribute to Snoopy.

Creating memories

After the pet’s death, we’re only left with memories. Archive the good memories in the form of photos in a scrapbook or on your blog. Write articles, poems, or stories to pen down and share your feelings about your pet.

Writing a letter

If you’ve gone the Euthanasia way, you may have difficulty coping with guilt. A way to overcome your feelings of guilt is to write an honest letter to your pet explaining your point of view and addressing the reasons for your action.

Volunteering

One way to cope with the loss of a pet is to volunteer at a local animal shelter and take care of the homeless pet, wounded animals, or feed the street animals.

Contributing

Engage yourself in animal philanthropy and donate to an animal hospital or an NGO that works for animal welfare on behalf of your beloved pet.

Finding support

Having conversations with and talking to people who’ve been in a similar situation help get over the loss. Think of joining the pet loss support groups or find a counselor.

Holding a ceremony

Having a funeral is a good way to release your emotions. You could have it at the place of burial of your pet; whether at the backyard of your house or at the cemetery.

Attending to the burial place

Visiting the burial place of your beloved pet may cause emotions to erupt initially but will bring you solace with time. You can beautify the place by planting flowers that do not require much maintenance.

Developing a new routine

Death of your pet induces an empty feeling, as you no longer follow the daily routine of feeding, walking, etc. with your pet. You need to create a new routine filling up the void time slots with meaningful activities.
The most important aspect of coping with the loss of a pet is to keep yourself healthy. You need to be mentally and physically sound to facilitate a positive frame of mind.

You need to take care of yourself by eating well, resting enough, and keep yourself surrounded with helping and positive people.

Conclusion

A grieving process helps you cope with the loss of your loved ones. You need to go through it.

Moreover, you should give yourself time and permission to grieve.

A better understanding of the stages of grief will prepare you in advance to deal with the different kinds of feelings that you experience in such cases.

It helps to practice different ways to cope with your feelings that bring you in terms with the loss of your pet. It helps to bring your emotions and mind to normalcy to be able to move ahead in life.

Move ahead, but don’t forget your pet. Remember the good times and be grateful for having the pet in your life. By being grateful, you allow yourself to heal.

Pictures of our dog Snoopy who died

A Tribute to Snoopy

Our pet dog, Snoopy, was a great companion who shared our joys and sorrows. Sometimes, we really wondered if he had been a human being in the previous life.

He gave us a complete perspective of life. We saw his playful childhood, charming youth, sincere adulthood, grim seniority, and tragic death.

When young, he was the fastest of all dogs, jumped the highest walls, and had females fall flat for him. 🙂

As a pup he was adored by all humans; as a senior, he was respected by all dogs.

He taught us many virtues of life.

There was none near to him regarding loyalty. He was an epitome of discipline, and patience came naturally to him.

He had a great sense of determination and service; never failed his duty to protect us (nobody dared to enter our house!).

No matter what we gave him, he only gave us unconditional love and support.

He taught us to face the sufferings boldly and beat the odds. He inspired us to be courageous and be confident.

Snoopy was a gift of God to us, and we were grateful to have him in our life.

We’ll always keep him in our memories and heart. Though we miss him, we’re happy for him because we know he’d be living in a better place that he deserves – because he earned all the good karmas.

May God bless him.

Over to you –

Did you have a pet? How did you cope with the loss of your animal friend? Share your experiences and memories with all the readers.

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  1. Hi Vinay,

    The loss of a pet is no different to us than a family member. They become an integral part of our lives, and as you say your dog truly was a mans best friend.

    It is very true that the journey of life goes on for us all. The spirit is of course eternal and so is the progress of every individual soul.

    I was very interested in the fact, that you mentioned that the grieving process becomes a way to solace ourselves. I agree with this but everyone is an individual and of course will deal with it, in their own way.

    When a dog or any other animal that has a personality, passes into the spirit world, that actually do not even realize the process of death has occurred.

    One thing to note is that they are very much around us still, wondering why their owner is very upset. It does trouble them of course.

    So know that Snoopy will be much happier and content to be seeing you smile!

  2. Hi Vinay,

    I am sorry to hear about your loss of your dear pet Snoopy. 14 years is an incredible joy and I understand that it wasn’t long enough, I can only imagine the joy and comfort that Snoopy brought to your home.

    I just recently had to euthanize my dog of 16 years 16 days ago. It truly was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I truly believe that Mindy is now in heaven and is no longer suffering, yet it was a very terrible experience.

    People who do not have pets do not understand how our pets become a part of our family. We don’t want to see them suffer and yet when we have to make that very difficult decision, it’s extremely difficult.

    When I first made the decision to take Mindy (my Pug) to the vet to make the decision to put her down. I felt so guilty. I thought “Who am I to make the decision for her not to live anymore.” I am NOT God.

    I still find myself feeling guilty if I let my mind go there. Deep down, I know that it was the right call. She was suffering and could barely walk. She was throwing up all the time and she could never get comfortable anymore. She had even gotten to the point where she couldn’t hold her pee anymore and she was peeing when she walked.

    I hated to see her like that, yet I still feel guilty about putting her down.

    I truly think that it’s just human nature to experience guilt. While I still feel guilty, I am learning how to channel my guilty feelings to remembering the good times. We did get 16 years with Mindy.

    Like your daughter, I got Mindy for my birthday. She was only 6 weeks old when I got her and she was truly a joy and quickly become a part of the family.

    I am trying to make the conscious decision to remember the good times. After reading your post, it definitely makes it a lot easier.

    Thanks for sharing how to cope with a pet loss. I hope you and your family are doing a lot better and I have no doubt that Snoopy was loved dearly.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

    1. Hi Susan,

      I’m so sorry for your loss and I can totally understand the decision you had to take. It’s not easy and the guilt plays on your heart and mind for some time, but then your intention was good and that’s the only way you could’ve helped Mindy.

      Snoopy also went through exact or similar suffering as you described about Mindy. In the last few days, he could hardly stand and we had to hold him up and before that he lost control over his motions. The doctor diagnosed that he had liver and kidney infections and though we didn’t decide to put him down, I think he could not bear the pain on that unfortunate day. His painful end still hurts me and that’s why I feel you did the right thing. You see, no matter what decision you take, you feel sad and guilty. I feel guilty of letting him undergo the pain and suffering. It’s been about 20 days and when I think of the way he went, it makes me cry.

      But then we feel his long suffering was cut short. It was hard to see Snoopy suffer. We now realize that how lively was our home with Snoopy. He was family. With him around, we had fun, joy, and felt so secured. I had wished he lived a bit longer but I guess destiny had different plans for him.

      I hope reading my comment would help you not feel guilty anymore. It seems like we and Snoopy and Mindy shared similar experiences. Susan, thanks for sharing your experiences with Mindy, it has helped me. Yes, we need to treasure the good memories and pray that our pets are happy wherever they are.

      Thanks again for dropping by and commenting here. Do have a great rest of the week.

  3. I have been blessed to have had a canine partner in my life for the past 14 years. She continues to be my best friend, loving companion, and teacher. In our years together she has helped me to recognize and cherish the joy and beauty that we so often miss during our time on this marvelous place we call Earth. She also taught me how to love, a gift for which I am grateful beyond words.
    I understand and accept the inevitability of death, and truly believe it to be just another step taken in the ever flowing stream of Life; yet the mere thought of my beloved Arwen’s passing, both saddens and terrifies me.
    I am deeply sorry for your loss, grateful for your words, and pray that I can face the inevitable with as much grace and wisdom as your younger daughter showed on the passing of Snoopy.
    I wish you peace and happiness always, and I rejoice in the fact that you were gifted to have had Snoopy as part of your family.

    1. Hi Larry,

      I’m happy for you and your canine partner and wish you spend more good times with her. I totally understand the learning and joys she has brought in your life. It’s amazing how our pet friends become our source of love and inspiration.

      I was myself taken by surprise how wisely my daughter handled Snoopy’s passing away. Though I gave her the piece of Indian wisdom that life carries on and death is just a gate to another world, I myself felt depressed for many days. It’s been about 20 days and though we all still miss him, we’re at terms and at peace with the fact that he would be happy in a better world.

      I wish Arwen a long healthy life and you continue to enjoy the company of your amazing friend.

      Thank you for your kind and consoling words and yes, we were really fortunate to have Snoopy in our life. Thanks for dropping by and commenting here.

  4. Hi Vinay,

    I am so sorry for your loss of Snoopy. This is like a tribute and please now you and your family will be in my prayers to overcome the loss of a special family member.

    In my religion we believe in heaven. Some say animals will be there because of the love we have for them and I believe it. When we had to put our little Sheba down she was 20 years old. She suffered for about a week before we had to do it and end her suffering. The grief was unbearable because we didn’t want to play God, but on the other hand, she was screaming and we didn’t want her to suffer. We felt guilt as the main emotion and had to come to terms with that.

    It’s been two years now and we still pray for her soul in heaven. I just know we will meet again.

    -Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      I’m sorry for the loss of Sheba and for what all you had to go through. It’s really painful to see your pet suffer and I can now understand the decision that you had to take. It’s not easy but then that’s the only option left at that age and stage. But 20 years is well above average for cats and dogs and that’s possible only if you took very good care of them. I still do feel a bit guilty of not taking good care and probably he could’ve lived a bit longer. But then you’ve to accept and come to terms because our intentions were good.

      We also believe in heaven and I’m sure you two will meet again. Thanks so much for sharing about Sheba and your experiences, it really helped me. Thanks for your prayers and for your comment.

  5. Hi Vinay,

    I am so sorry about the loss of your family pet. I had tears in my eyes as you described his final moments. But I’m so glad your family was able to make it home to say goodbye. I think he was hanging on for your daughter too. I believe in a strong bond like that between pet and human.

    My thoughts and prayers for healing are with you and your family.

    Cori

    1. Hi Cori,

      Yes, it was sad and really bad at that time. But with time I’ve moved on though I still miss him. I too think that he was just hanging on for my daughter and I’m glad she was able to spend some time with him.

      Thank you so much for your prayers and commenting here, I really appreciate it.

  6. Thanks for sharing dear, I too lost my pet birdie recently and it’s really painful, they are just like family members, a sudden vacuum is created, but as said time is the best healer, now she will be always in my sweet memories, though it will be irreplaceable but try bring another pet so that it will give u a good company and keep the memories alive, best wishes

    1. Hi Sanjay,

      I’m so sorry for your loss. You’re right that you heal with time. It’s been about 20 days and I’m more at terms with the passing of my pet. But I still miss him. I don’t think I can bring another pet so soon but yes it can be an option for the future. Yes, it’s all about the memories and the good memories make you feel better.

      Thanks for commenting and sharing your experiences.

  7. My heart goes out to you and your family.
    I still remember coming home from work and not seeing BAR head over the gate in the doorway to the basement.
    I dropped my bookbag and screamed his name.
    The gate was still up but I wasn’t going down there.
    I ran around the house crying and screaming.
    I even ran to the backyard.
    Denial and shock had taken over me.
    I finally went down there and couldn’t take it.
    I really didn’t know how many lives BAR had touched.
    He was a German Rottweiler but a big old baby.
    My daughter only about six at the time took it hard.
    I took it hard too and made a promise to myself that I will never get that close to a dog again.
    Well it took me over 15 years to accept it and we have another one today and he’s just another big old spoiled baby.
    Great touching post.

    1. Hi Vernon,

      Thanks for sharing your experiences with BAR. I’m sorry for what you and your daughter had to undergo and glad that you’ve another furchild in your life. At present, the possibility of having another dog in our family seems dim to me, but you never know.

      Thanks for visiting and commenting on this post.

  8. This is one of the biggest reason to me for not having a dog as a pet. I know that I have to face this day. I had 4 Fishes and I know that pain and feelings that burst when you see them dying. I would not be able to handle the loss of a dog.
    May God give you strength to face this bad time. Snoopy must have been a good dog

    1. Hi Jayant,

      While losing a pet is a reality, I still think everyone should have a pet dog or cat once in life. Among other things, you also learn how to face death. Just my thoughts.

      Thanks for your support.

  9. Hey Vinay,

    Sorry for your loss.

    I have always loved dogs because of their loyalty and the gesture they show towards humans.

    Frankly speaking, nothing is better than having a pet. We also had a dog but lost him a few years back.

    It’s obvious that you would feel pain, depression, and sometimes angry. But it’s nature, you couldn’t stop this.

    I wish his soul having a piece.

    Take care.
    ~Ravi

    1. Hi Ravi,

      Thanks for your kind words and support. I’m sorry for the loss of your dog too.

      You’re right, we do undergo a lot of emotions when we lose our pet, and some of them are too intense.

      Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.

  10. Oh Vinay, I am so sorry to hear of Snoopy’s passing. What a wonderful life of love he enjoyed. My love and thoughts to you and Harleena and your daughters.
    What a beautiful and comforting post – thank you.
    I recognize all these stages when our gorgeous Lab passed away at 15. As you say, he was an equal part of our family,, he traveled Europe with us, enjoyed long adventures with us and gave us unwavering love and fun. That was 2 years ago and we haven’t felt able to have another fellow just yet. But instead, we foster dogs for 2 local charities. I’m cuddled up with our 13th and present house guest right now. What a wonderful treat.

    1. Hi Laura,

      Thank you for your touching thoughts and kind words.

      I’m sorry for your loss. But it’s good to know about your lab and that you all had some great time together.

      You do a wonderful job of fostering dogs. In fact, that’s a great idea and I’ll discuss with Harleena if we too can do something similar.

      Thanks for visiting and reading this post.

  11. Hi Vinay and Harleena,

    I’m so very sorry for your loss. Losing a furchild is just has hard, if not harder, than losing a human loved one. Please know that you are in my prayers and thoughts. Grieve your loss and cherish the memories.

    B

    1. Hi Bren,

      You’re absolutely right. Thanks for your prayers and wise words. All we can do is cherish the good memories.

      Thanks for visiting and reading this post.

  12. It has been over 3 years since I lost my baby. I still cry when I think of her and wish I could somehow say something to help you with your grief. I am truly sorry and hope you find peace in this very emotional time.

    1. I’m sorry for your loss, Mark. I keep myself busy throughout the day. It’s only the night time when I’m relatively free that I’m filled with grief. I understand that it will take time to overcome. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your support.

  13. Hello sir,

    This is a hard time for you and your family and my condolence and prayers are with you, ma’am and the whole family. Too sorry to hear this, though I was expecting this sooner or later because I and ma’am used to discuss about his deteriorating health and how he was cherished in his last time.

    Dogs or any pet aren’t just pets they imbibe into the family as members and this is cent percent true with Snoopy.

    So true with the aging process, Snoopy just gave you a glimpse of a whole life in just 14 years. You saw a child, a young individual and an aging member who needed the pamper it deserved.

    I hope you recover out of this loss soon (it is impossible to remain absolute grief-less, though).

    -Swadhin

    1. Hi Swadhin,

      I thank you for your prayers and support. Yes, we were a bit prepared and even the doctors told us that we won’t have much time, so it wasn’t that great a shock.

      Though this post is about the sad experience of the departing with your pet, I’d encourage everybody to keep any pet at least once in their life. It is a great learning experience.

      We haven’t completely recovered but it’s a process and it takes it’s own time. Thank you for your kind words and the comment.

  14. I am so sorry for your loss sir, I am a parent to a two year German shepherd and i can connect with you on the same plane. It’s my first experience of having a pet at home and trust me it’s the best decision we ever made. Now it’s not just me who showers love on him, whole society of ours need an excuse to cuddle him. And, my sister used to be a “strict no-dog” person and now is so emotionally attached to him that she starts to cry while playing with him. She is the only one who knows the reason.
    I just love talking him to the walk, playing with him, though i am still not comfortable with his licking.

    I can imagine how hard it is for your family to overcome​ this situation. But he was one lucky champ that he got so much love and affection from you all. And trust me, love works in cycle, it comes backs to us someday. Trust me your snoopy will meet you again someday(might be in different form) to repay that same love you gave to him.

    Couldn’t agree more with this fact that dogs are men best campanion. My dog helped me to become a better human.

    1. Hello Harsh, Thanks for reading this post and sharing your experiences and thoughts. I like the way you state that you’re a parent to your lovely dog. Indeed, it is that way. I’ve seen street dogs living as a family and sometimes I used to feel bad that we deprived Snoopy the warmth of a family. And that’s all the more a reason to be like a family to your dog.

      Your dog must really be so adorable that it even charmed your “no-dog” sister. Dogs are great companions. Initially I was also uncomfortable to the licking by my dog but that changed with time. That’s one of the ways dogs express their loving feelings.

      I feel Snoopy gave more than he received. I just wish he moves to higher states of life, better place, and better afterlife (if there’s any).

      Thanks again for your kind comment, I appreciate it.

  15. Words can’t describe how sorry I am for your and Harleena’s loss, Vinay. Deepest condolences.

    I haven’t had a pet because I don’t think I have it in me to go through the grieving process. You see, I love dogs so much that I prefer spending time with dogs in my locality than with people.

    2 families I closely know have each lost a dog in the recent past. One dog passed away and the other was Euthanized. Each process was equally painful for them. I could see tears of grief even in the eyes of Stoic elders.

    I will have your family in my prayers. I hope you emerge stronger from this pain.

    1. Thanks for your prayers, Vishal, and the understanding that you’ve not being a pet owner.

      I’m sorry for the loss of the families you mentioned. Losing a dog is really painful.

      Yes, this experience shook me up but I believe this has a purpose.

      Thanks for reading this post and sharing your kind words.

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