Comments on: To Lose a Friend Part II – Sam’s Grief

By: Joannem

Joannem — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 06:03:05 +0000

I too lost my Xena one week ago. Her son is 9years old and is grieving, so are we. Your article has helped a lot.

By: Vicki Scipio

Vicki Scipio — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:50:50 +0000

We just put our 9 year old Golden (Woody) down last Tuesday, 8/16/11 due to Canine Lymphoma. It was devastating to us and to our other English Cream Golden (Samson) because he was taken from us so quickly. We adopted Woody from a family that could no longer keep him in June of 2008 and at that time we had another Golden, Dakota. They learned to love each other and became the best of buddies. Little did we know that in October of that year we would have to put Dakota down due to Hemangioscarcoma at the age of 10. Again we were devastated and didn’t think we could move on but now when we look at it it was as if Woody was an Angel sent to us to do his part to make grieving for Dakota a little easier and he did just that! The following year we got Samson and oh my, did Woody have to go through some torment from that little guy but again they became the best of friends until last Tuesday when Sammy’s best friend had to be taken from him. Sammy’s not a little guy anymore, he is now 2 but Woody was with him from the first day he came here and I believe he is going through a very difficult time right now coping. He never gets sick and throws up but he has done it twice this week after being left alone for a few hours. We think that anxiety from the loss of Woody is what he’s going through especially when left alone.
Thanks for listening, it was nice to vent to all those who understand that losing a pet is like losing a member of the family. It is so nice and comforting to read everyone’s stories because we all feel each others pain.

By: Doc Jensen

Doc Jensen — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:41:45 +0000

Thank you for sharing, especially the photos. I just lost my 14 Y/O Golden Wednesday. She died during a surgery, which was totally unexpected. Her buddy, my 10 Y/O Golden is despondent. I am having a really tough time getting through this because I did not have the opportunity to say ‘Good By”.I have put two other Goldens to sleep over the years, and the heart ache was not even close to what I am experiencing now.

By: Lisa Corbin

Lisa Corbin — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:57:47 +0000

Im looking for an answer for my problem. How did you ever get Sam to eat. My oldest dog died at the age of 12 from cancer and I still have her pup which is 7 I have tried everything to get her to eat at times she does but more often not and Im really worried Suzi just died March12th if anyone out there has any ideas please share them with me

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:57:29 +0000

I have no doubt that dogs grieve – I have a torn down door to prove it!

We had to euthanize our collie, Maddie, due to bloat – totally unexpected. It took us all by surprise. Shannon, our shepherd/lab mix, had grown up with Maddie, never really been without him. When we came back from the vet, she knew something was wrong (she knew something was wrong with Maddie before we did – should have paid more attention to the dog.)

It took well over a month for Shannon to recover from her grief, including the use of medication and training. She was terrified to be alone, destructive, panicked – you name it – and wandering around the house and yard looking for “her favorite furry chew toy.” For three weeks, I couldn’t let her out of my sight, she was with me 24 hours a day, until after enough intensive work, I felt safe enough to leave her alone for a few minutes, then stretching that into longer periods. This was an extreme example, but it just shows the depth of attachment that dogs create as well as people.

I guess the lesson I learned was – don’t ignore the pain that the animal who is left behind is in – take care of them, whatever it takes.

By: Barb

Barb — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:38:28 +0000

I’ve found that grieving often starts before our pets are gone. I think a lot of people are so unhappy and suffering during their pet’s illness that they miss out on what can be a very special time together. There is even a term for this period in our pets’ lives when we are preparing to say goodbye: anticipatory grief. I am so thankful for a book about this, called The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer. The author, Doug Koktavy, writes about what he went through during his two Labrador retrievers’ terminal illnesses. He says the experience wasn’t the worst of times, it was the richest. I will read this book again and again as my two family members, Alex, my Siberian husky, and Toby, my puggle, come to this sad part of their life circles.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:53:44 +0000

I see much of the same with Missy, our 13 1/2 yr old Golden Retriever, since we’ve put her sister down due to cancer of the foot (and later forearm). Missy will position herself in a spot in the kitchen where she can see three entry points at once – front door, back door, and entry from the back hallway – waiting for Shadow to return. We’d taken them both to the vet for Shadow’s euthanasia, so Missy could witness her sister “going to sleep” and not coming back home with us. Over 6 months later, Missy began to seek out the carrier that we took Shadow to the vet in. I will find that she’s left her regular Igloo sleeping quarters at night and has traveled in the dark of the garage to get into the carrier. I’m certain that she finds comfort resting/sleeping in the last place (here at the house) that her sister did. I now plug a night light in for her, to help her find her way

By: Janet

Janet — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:59:46 +0000

I’ve thought about how hard it will be for me when I lose my older dog, but never thought about how hard it could be on my other pets. It’s good to think about this ahead of time. Thanks for the post.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:48:23 +0000

When my Irish Setter Molly passed away – Mocca, my other dog, would, for several weeks, go check in the bedroom to see if Molly was there. So sad! Thanks for the great story Heath.

By: Tina C.

Tina C. — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:46:17 +0000

Thank you for sharing this story, Heath. Sam is truly lucky to have a family like yours to help him get through his grief