Search Results for: blog when pets pass a study in grief

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Jul 30 – Aug 5

Goodbye July, hello the hot, hot heat of August. Things were not too hot last week in the Pets Blog. Aimee and I tried to keep things cool. Although we did sort of get off on a morbid tangent at one point during the week. (I should say I did, in respect to the matter of pet’s dying.) Happily we also covered plenty of other, less sad, topics too. Monday, July 30 Sharks fascinate me so I was pretty excited about Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. But when I watched their inaugural program, Oceans of Fear, I couldn’t help but wonder … Continue reading →

When Pets Pass: A Study in Grief

The topic of pets passing seems to be on many people’s minds lately. My brother-in-law recently informed me they lost their beloved 14-year-old Dalmatian, Alex. Over in the Families.com Pets Forum one of the members posted some sad news about her dog, Jax, who she recently discovered had Stage 2 cancer. Then Aimee posted a blog about her house rule (no pets are allowed to die) after a scare a friend had with her pet. When Budly, our cocker spaniel, died in 2000 it was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. He was my everything: my best … Continue reading →

Sympathy Cards for a Lost Pet

It feels like I’ve been signing a lot of sympathy cards at the cats-only boarding facility lately. As much as I hate to think about it, our pets just don’t live as long as we’d like them to. It’s a sad coincidence that we’ve had several guests pass away in relatively quick succession. Sometimes, I don’t know what to say. I do my best to find something to love about each and every cat that comes through our doors. When I’m writing out the card, I try to remember some special moment I shared with the pet — some fond … Continue reading →

Signs They Send After They’re Gone

Have you had “an awesome one” like Aimee wrote about? The kind of pet where your bond is ultra-powerful? So powerful that they find ways to communicate with you even after they’re gone? When I interviewed Sandra Worth she had mentioned experiencing something along these lines. A day when she felt her beloved Rex’s presence so strongly she knew his spirit was still with her. Ever since we moved to Nashville Budly doesn’t do it as much as he did when we lived in Jacksonville, but he used to send hellos to Wayne all the time –via tennis balls. Wayne … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Saying Goodbye

It’s barely been a month since I started working at the cats only boarding facility. Even in that short span of time, we’ve had some repeat visitors. I’m getting to know the names and faces of the families and felines who are frequent guests. There are cats who leave that I know I’ll be seeing again. It’s a good feeling. I like the sense of community — the familiar faces, the stories from past visits, and more. We’ve had a few cats with us for several weeks, and I’m definitely going to miss them when they go home. One of … Continue reading →

Pet Bereavement Photography

The other day my friend Karen and I had a chance to catch up. I asked her about recent jobs she and Michael have done (they’re pet photographers) and she shocked me by telling me they’d gone with another friend who was having her dog put to sleep to photograph that. Now, they were very close friends with this person and I can understand going for support, but to catch the moment on film? That really shook me up. I admitted as much. “I know it sounds a little weird, but Donna got the idea because they’ve done some infant … Continue reading →

Going Above and Beyond

What have you done for your pets that pushes your boundaries? What have you done that you consider above and beyond the call of pet parenting? We all have our limits for things that are okay and not okay… what pushes your limits? I ask because my friend J. (who is an amazing jewelry artist) recently found out that her dog is on limited time. Cana suddenly became very lethargic and stopped eating. The veterinarian ran some tests and found that the dog was extremely anemic thanks to advanced cancer. The prognosis isn’t good — Cana may be around for … Continue reading →

Should Young Kids Watch Movies Where a Child Dies?

The other day Tyler wanted to rent Bridge to Terabithia and I admit I was reluctant to do so as first. I was concerned because one of the main characters, who happens to be a young girl, dies. I read the book years ago when I was in school and although I enjoyed it, I recalled the shock of her death. I also knew that although the book is read in many schools, it has also been on the list of banned books several times. We’ve had the talk about death but mainly in the context of adults dying. Several … Continue reading →

Reusing a Lost Pet’s Stuff

This is just the first of a few blogs I’m planning about reusing the stuff that belonged to another pet. Valorie had asked me about preparing a tank to house a new type of aquarium pet, and I’ll get to that shortly — promise! (That conversation is also what led to the hysterical story of the Turtles in The Hood.) But the question got me thinking about reusing a pet’s stuff. I was devastated when my dog Miko passed away in September, 2003. I gave away what was left of his food and treats that same day — I couldn’t … Continue reading →

Can They Sense Death’s Presence?

In previous blogs I wrote how I suspected both Mackie and Budly knew their time was up when they died. Both acted differently than normal, broke their routines, seemed as if they were trying to savor their last moments as well as communicate with their humans that it was time to part ways. But can other animals also sense when the Angel of Death is hovering near? Do Cats Have More Than Good Night Vision? Something I don’t believe I’ve previously shared about Budly’s passing was that he wasn’t the only one acting strange –so was Mr. Meow. The night … Continue reading →