Have you ever had to say good bye to one of your closest friends? I had to this last week. Our precious chocolate labrador passed on. He was just shy of thirteen years old. Do you remember my discussing him before? I give thanks for his long life.
The final week of his life was agonizing for all of us. We struggled with the many decisions that needed to be made for his care, and ultimately his passing.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to any of you who are dealing with or have dealt with the death of a pet.
It is so very strange to not have that constant presence in my life anymore.
Two things that helped me in dealing with all of this were:
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
2 Corinthians 5:8
I hope he is bounding through the Heavenly fields now.
I am sooo sorry! I have dealt with this quite recently myself. It is indeed heartwrenching. Each day does get easier though and the precious memories of cherished furry family members remains.
ReplyDeleteI am so sad for you! It is very hard to imagine life without our Aussie, Cooper. Your dog was indeed quite noble looking!
ReplyDeleteHow sad...what a beautiful lab he was! My sympathies.
ReplyDeleteI have had to deal with losing an animal. Mine was fairly tragic and forever burned into my memory. We lost our cat to the engine of our neighbors truck when he escaped from our house one night in the wee hours of the morning. We found him 3 hours later (neighbor goes to work at 4:30am and didn't take his truck because it didn't start). Oh god, I'm crying just sitting here writing this and it's been 2 years now...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, losing a pet is just horrific, no matter how it happens. They are amazing creatures that leave so much love behind that no other human could replace. People who don't have animals or those that have never lost one will not understand their affection... it's just contagious and so missed when they are gone.
I'm so very sorry for your loss and I'm totally with you on the emotions that you are probably going through right now. I watched Marley and Me for the first time last night and this totally reminds me of that dog... lab, great dog and just died of old age... poor guy!
Many hugs to you!
Read this poem... http://www.rainbowbridge.com/hello.htm
What a beautiful boy. It's so hard to make the right decisions for our pets, but I'm sure you were a great mother to him.
ReplyDeleteMy heartfelt sympathy. He does look noble in the photo. So so sorry for your loss. ...susan
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so sorry for y'all. I know that beloved pets are truly a part of the family, just like children. Cherish the memories.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like he was indeed a noble friend. I'm so sorry...
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog- it is lovely! Looking forward to reading more :) XOXO
ReplyDeleteP.s. I am so sorry about your precious little pup. My thoughts are with you. God Bless :)
okay, i'm crying. i'm so so sorry for your loss. it's heartbreaking and i'll be thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are definitely with you. I have a chocolate lab, too, and can't imagine the day he passes on. Good thing he's only a year old because I don't know what I'd do!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful dog. So sorry.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to you. His picture captured my eye. What a beautiful dog he was! My thoughts are with you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. We have a five year old yellow lab... When our good old girl, a black lab , died at thirteen it was horrible. I missed her for so long.
ReplyDeleteAt first I just missed HER....and after while, still missing her, it got to be that I missed having a DOG. You can't replace her...but you can love another just as much.
It just sucks. Shadow my golden was 11. He went from carefree to cancer in just a matter of weeks. Muffin my cat contracted feline Alzheimers. Again sucks.
ReplyDeleteBest book ever... Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant. Its a childrens book that will make the child & adult in you feel so touched, so much better. Just thinking of the ending gives me tears right now...happy tears.
losing a pet is heartbreaking. they are not only a pet but a family member. to me, labs are the best dogs to have and yours was absolutly beautiful. stunning. my parents lost their yellow lab after 15 years last spring. it's very tough.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the loss of your beloved chocolate lab. I am tearing up at your post. We lost our dear Collie at the same age - 4 months shy of 13. It was a horrible week - with difficult decisions as well. They are family members for sure. I hope you can find some comfort in the Rainbow Bridge poem that another reader posted.
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry for you loss. I know how heart wrenching it is to have to make those final decisions but just know that he is happy, healthy, and waiting for you at the rainbow bridge.
ReplyDeleteAll of our pets (the commentors) are showing him where the best toys are, the best places for naps, playing ball, and making sure he's ok too.
One day at a time and when that is too long, one minute at a time. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
betty in nc
This book might help, it helped me.
"Grieving the loss of a pet" by Betty J Carmack, you can get it through Amazon.com
Oh Granny, so sorry. I know it is hard!! We are with you. Love.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to you for the loss of your beloved pet. You are the second person this week with the other being Sande from The Gift Wrapped Life. Her family too is saddened by the loss of their dear family member. Pet's are more than just a pet. They are like our children with just a thick coat! I often think about what life would be like without our dog & it's too upsetting to even imagine. She is with me more each day than anyone else. She loves me no matter what crabby mood I'm in! Just know we all care Xxx deb
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry for the loss of your wonderful pet, friend and family member. We have three dogs and we consider them to be an extension of our personalities, just like a member of our family. Our oldest dog, Kobe, is fighting cancer and we thought we were going to have to let him go about two weeks after we found out, but he is a fighter and still with us. We know there is no cure, so we value each day we get with him. God bless you and your family!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous creature. I love his regal noble look.
ReplyDeletepve
Our two precious dogs [Bridger, a black lab, and Scout, a golden retiever] are both almost 13. Both are very arthritic and aging so. I just dread the day... My heart goes out to you!
ReplyDeletei have been in your shoes, and i can only say that i am sorry.
ReplyDeletebig hug xx
I'm so sorry to hear about your chocolate lab. He was a beautiful dog. Again, so sorry to hear such sad news.
ReplyDeleteThat is so heartbreaking. One of my dogs is getting old and I am just dreading the day. I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful boy. I'm just so sorry. My prayers are with you.
ReplyDeleteLisa
He's beautiful... such sad news.Dogs are such great companions.
ReplyDeletePlease accept my sincere condolences.
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog and just have to say "I am so sorry". I have experinced this and know how difficult it can be. My prayers are with you.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
~Victoria~
Sooooooo very sorry. I wish I had something to say that could make it better. No matter how you look at it, it's just sad. He was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how I missed this but wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss... but how thankful for you that you had such a great friend. I adore my pups and know just how much they bring to my every day life.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Emmie
Oh, Granny! I am so sorry that you had to bid farewell to the four-legged member of your family.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how the sound of four paws bounding to greet you can make even the worst day better. I know he is in a glorious place filled with all the things that make tails wag.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
No.
ReplyDeleteI hate to visit and see this. My heart goes out to you. In all my life, there is nothing I have experienced that was harder that saying goodbye to a dog. It is a unique sort of pain. You will be in my thoughts and prayers today.
Hi Granny:
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts & prayers are with you.
I have been in your shoes
ReplyDeleteMy eyes are full of tears and my heart goes to you during this most difficult time.
The thing that got me through my heart ache was that God gave me this beautiful companion and he will be in Heaven waiting for me.....and in the meantime he is well and happy and still loving me for all of the love I gave him.
Oh I am so sad for you. We had to put our beloved yellow lab, Tiger, down in March. It was absolutely heartbreaking. She had a seizure in my arms and we just knew it was time. She had just turned 12 the week before. I still miss her every day. The hardest part is when we come home and walk in the door and there's no ecstatic pup waiting to greet us. I mourn with you. Your dog was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteoh granny i am so sorry to hear. loss is so painful. i'm thinking about you.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so sorry about your loss...I was on vacation and missed this post...thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteJust ran across your blog from Lisa porter and enjoying my visit. So sorry about your pet as we lost one too in July. It was our saddest day as they become such a part of our lives and it is so hard to say goodbye.
ReplyDeleteWhat a handsome boy he was...
ReplyDeleteI am so deeply sorry for your loss. Dogs are such gifts, and their absence in our lives with daily unconditional love is almost unbearable.
I mourned for a year and a half after our first dog, Kelsey, died.... loving another dog has been very healing.
I wish you peace and sweet memories of your dear boy.