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Post by mustlovedogs on Mar 23, 2014 8:55:26 GMT -5
Hi there, I have never lost a pet before, but I just wanted to express our deepest sympathy for your loss. I can only imagine your sadness, our fur-kids are so precious and hold such a special place in our hearts. Your girl was lucky to have been a part of such a loving family. You have our support and will be in our thoughts and prayers.
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lc
Grey Puppy
Posts: 39
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Post by lc on Mar 23, 2014 9:07:47 GMT -5
I am tearing up just reading your post. I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet girl. I sometimes worry about the day my hounds are no longer with me because I know it will feel like losing a child and I wonder how I will ever cope. Grieving is different for everyone. There is nothing any of us can say to ease your pain, but know that you have support here and know that Sparrow had a wonderful life with lots of love and that was all because of you.
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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Post by troysmom on Mar 23, 2014 9:55:18 GMT -5
I know how you are feeling. When I lost my first dachshund Rudy in 2006 I was heart broken for many months, the pain was overwhelming. I had no dog to go home too, missed cuddling in bed with him after 12 years of companionship. I was devastated for months, I went into depression, he was my kid. My family understood but not at the level I felt. After about 4 or 5 months my husband couldn't take it any longer and we adopted my current dachshund Leo. All I can say is it helped with the healing and it did get better over time but it never goes away. Sometimes I'll hear a song or go to places that remind me of him and I still cry. But in my heart I'm so thankful for all the love and happy times he gave me and I have the comfort of knowing he was one of the lucky dogs to have such a wonderful life, not many do.
Last Jan 2013 I lost my heart greyhound Troy. I am still lost without him and don't think I ever will get over him really. He was my first greyhound that introduced me to greyhound ownership and as you said about Sparrow, my pride and joy, the boy I showed off to others who have never seen a greyhound before. I had my other greyhound Ghost, who did not do that well with the loss of his buddy, so after a few months we caved and had to get him a friend, Jed. I loved Troy so much and think of him every day, no dog will ever replace him in my heart. I had a pastel portrait of him done and it hangs over my fireplace with his ashes. When I got his portrait it was rather comforting to me.
Honestly the other pups have helped me in my healing. I know they too will leave me some day but I cherish the love they provide. The ones you lose never really leave you. Maybe in time another greyhound could help in your healing process.
I'm so sorry for your loss of Sparrow! I know it's hard to explain your feelings to others who just don't understand. Keep all the happy thoughts of your girl, it will get better over time and you will always have that place in your heart that she occupies. Rest peacefully Sparrow and say hi to Troy and Rudy at the rainbow bridge. Take care of yourself and I hope the posts here will help somewhat!
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Post by linn on Mar 23, 2014 10:34:03 GMT -5
I am so sorry for your loss. Your post brought me to tears. Each of us have our own ways of coping with grieving. I have lost dogs in the past and it is the hardest thing I have had to do. There is so much emptiness in your life when they leave. I lost a beautiful girl who had uncontrollable seizures. We had to let her go to the bridge. At the time I told my hubbie that I didn't want another dog. The pain was too much. After a few months I needed the love of a dog and found my way to greyhounds. They are very special and seem to touch your soul.
One of our greyhounds is not well now and I know that soon I will be going though what you are.
Take comfort in the knowing that you gave her the best life she could have ever had. She got as much love as she gave. I once saw that someone said that these dogs leave footprints on our hearts and I thought that was a great way to express how much they have impacted our lives.
Take care and some day memories of your beautiful Sparrow will bring a smile to your face.
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greysrgreat
Junior Grey Lover
Bently (racing name Dreckly) & Holly (racing name Ears Comer)
Posts: 160
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Post by greysrgreat on Mar 23, 2014 10:39:13 GMT -5
I'm so sorry for your loss of Sparrow. It seems that there are reminders of our hounds all over our homes and everywhere we look, we think of them. I agree with troysmom - you never really get over losing your 'heart grey'. It's been 4 months since we lost our Bella and I think the best thing we did was to get another within a month of her loss. Bella died as a result of an attack by another dog so the pain was so raw, so deep that it felt like that was all we thought about and dwelled upon. Since we knew that wasn't healthy for us or our daughter, we knew something had to change. So we adopted another grey, Holly. She's helped us to smile and get through this rough patch. Plus, we were able to give another dog a home.
With the bit of time that's passed, we're able to smile at the good memories and not cry at the drop of a hat (like we were doing!!LOL!). Honestly though, it's still very hard - these dogs are part of our family, they are our furkids and they just have a way of becoming so close to us that it hurts so much when they're gone.
I think the hardest part of dog ownership is knowing that you'll have to say goodbye far sooner than you're ready for. But know that you gave your pup the best, loving home and that she loved you for that!
Our thoughts and prayers are with you...RIP Sparrow and watch over your family who's missing you!
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craftycrafter
Grey Lover
Holstein 2008-2011 "gone too soon" Lola 2003-2014 "sweetheart"
Posts: 726
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Post by craftycrafter on Mar 23, 2014 10:54:40 GMT -5
oh my heart breaks for you, I am so so sorry for your loss. We have lost too many pets and it's horrible each time. The pain does subside but the loss is there, it just hurts less each day. When Holstein passed away I thought I would never stop crying and it really only ended when his ashes came back so he was once again home. I then went back to the kennel and brought home Ramone and Lola and it didnt fill up the loss but it helped me and we've once again done the same after having lost Lola. I guess my way to deal with it is to take the love that I had for my pup and pass it along to another pup thats waiting for a home. Sparrow is still with you, their spirit never goes away, all the love you had for her is still there keeping her with you. Take care.
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moncheri
Grey Addicted
Broodies are the best!
Posts: 2,843
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Post by moncheri on Mar 23, 2014 12:48:04 GMT -5
My sincerest condolences to you for the loss of Sparrow. I have loss several pets over the years (3 cats, 2 greyhounds and 1 horse). Some due to incureable illness (where I could somewhat prepare myself) some tradgically instantaneous which I find harder to deal with. No two people deal with grief the same way, but it always does good to talk about it to release your grief. I have always found that having other pets help to comfort you as they offer no opinions or judgement. As others have stated, each day gets a little easier but there is no true time frame. Just realize that Sparrow loved you as much as you loved her, she was grateful for the home you gave her and she will be with you forever in your heart. The time spent with our pets is never long enough, but I am a true believer in the quote "it is better to have loved & lost a pet than to have never have experienced the unconditional love that an animal gives". Take all the time you need to grieve ~ know that we are all grieving with you and support you every day. Take care of yourself by eating & keeping active as the rest of your family still needs you. In time, you will know when you are ready to open your heart to another greyhound - that is the greatest tribute you could offer Sparrow and she will likely give you a sign when you are ready. Hugs to you.
Carla
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Post by Mag's Mom on Mar 23, 2014 14:07:30 GMT -5
I'm so very sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved Sparrow. I have no advice to give... it took me a long time to get over the loss of our last dog, but you were certainly right to turn to the board here for comfort. As others have said, adopting another dog has helped me but only you will know when the time is right.
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daylight
Hound Nut
what's so funny Light?....Joker!
Posts: 1,275
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Post by daylight on Mar 23, 2014 14:11:30 GMT -5
My deepest condolences. I am so very sorry.
There is wonderful sharing of experience above and I do echo the heartfelt words already written. I have lost and grieved precious pets in the not-so-distant past, and the sudden thought or recall often stops me breathless in my tracks. The sadness will always be there, but also the wonderful memories that make me smile and laugh. Time softens the blow but we, as parents to our beloved pets, will always have them etched into our very souls... into who we are. I believe that through time we cope, and through coping we find strength. Eventually we will be able to love again... and I truly believe that step forward is the greatest honour to, and remembrance of, our bridge angels. It represents the greatness they have taught us about ourselves and about life as it should be... it's simplicity and it's pureness of unconditional love. They are, in many ways our teachers and our guides. I think their love and the lessons they so willingly and lovingly share with us are so impossible to live without.
Your girl's photo is beautiful. She loved and was deeply loved. My heart goes out to you and your family. Godspeed sweet Sparrow.
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gunnersmom
Hound Nut
GUNNER--the greyhound that started it all
Posts: 1,950
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Post by gunnersmom on Mar 23, 2014 15:28:11 GMT -5
I'm sorry to hear about your painful loss. I just recently lost my 15 year old mutt who had been with me through 4 greyhound losses. She was my one constant. Each loss is different, each grieving period is different. Every relationship was unique therefore how I reacted to each passing was unique. Talking to other greyhound or pet owners is certainly helpful. I spent lots of money on Amazon buying pet loss books to help me. The thing I try to focus on is the wonderful memories that were created with each pet and not to focus on the memories we'll never make. For a long time that was much easier said than done. I repeat to myself that my pets know I loved them and did all I could to keep them healthy & happy and when medicine and therapy and love couldn't do that the greatest gift I could give them was to assume their pain so they could rest in peace. I try to accept the fact that we all have a "journey" here and we have to allow our pets to take their "journey" and realize tears and grieving are part of our "journey" for whatever reason. I also keep my mind open to "signs" from my angels letting me know they are ok. Some people call it coincidence, I let them have their opinion because I chose to believe there are signs, if only because it makes my heart hurt less and who doesn't want that. In my current situation 2 weeks to the day after losing Jazz I had another puppy surprisingly join my family. I like to think of her as being picked by Jazz to inherit her family. This doesn't work for everyone, it works for me and the end goal is to feel better. Just remember anyway you chose to grieve is not wrong and is perfectly normal. I hope your heart heals soon.....
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 15:28:46 GMT -5
Hopper, I am so sorry to read this post about the loss of your beloved Sparrow. I too lost my first "heart" greyhound one year ago and not a day goes by that I don't miss him deeply. He was a part of my soul for sure. The only thing that get's me thru is remembering what a magnificant dog he was and thinking that he is running pain free somewhere. At this moment in time, there are not enough words that can help, it just takes time but know that when you share something like this with us here on the GRA forum, we know "exactly" what you're going thru. We are all here to help you in any way that we can. Take a deep breath, get some fresh air and cherish your memories. I can't imagine how difficult home is right now with three children to care for when you're so distraught but, give them hugs and be honest with yourself about how you're feeling. Take time to heal and take good care of yourself. Martha
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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Post by troysmom on Mar 23, 2014 16:22:29 GMT -5
Me again, I second Martha's post.
Actually, I keep reading all the beautiful responses from the forum members and all these memories of Rudy, Mary and Troy come flooding back. Boy I was the lucky one to have my furkids in my life!! In time the pain will go away and we realize how lucky we where to have them in our lives no matter how short, that's for sure.
All the support from the people on the forum is so comforting as well. I made my tribute post for Troy and I felt bless to have them, their support and the feeling that they helped me find some closure.
ETA I would love to see some more pictures of your lovely Sparrow and the life you spent together!
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Post by newtothis1 on Mar 23, 2014 17:57:12 GMT -5
I am so very sorry for you loss. She was a beauty. I truly believe that the dogs that take over our lives and our hearts are only ours to borrow for a short time. Possibly to teach us ho to love so unconditionally as they do. It sounds like you gave her your heart and she would not have left you if you still needed her. She has gone on to help someone else now who needs her special ways and loving soul. I know you miss her almost unbearably and it is normal to feel so empty inside, you have lost a small piece of your heart to your lovely Sparrow. but she has taken that piece of your heart and added it to her own so that she can go into someone else's life and bring them the same joy and love she brings you. Keep her memory in the front of your mind. don't not think about them because it hurts so much. She would not want you to do that, in fact I think she would love to see a smile when you do think about her.
And yes, she will see that smile as she will never truly leave you.
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Post by rubylottie14 on Mar 23, 2014 20:49:11 GMT -5
I have gone through the loss of 4 dogs and 4 cats. The first dog that died was totally unexpected - a sudden difficulty breathing and the cause was cancer in Gus's windpipe and he had to be pts that same day. The shock was enormous. Like I'd been hit by a truck. I was dazed for several days. He was my first dog and I'd only had him for 7 months. I was so glad that on that day I'd rung in to work and asked for the day off - I was able to take him for a wonderful walk, which we both enjoyed. This also meant that as soon as I noticed something was wrong I was able to take him to the vets immediately. Normally I'd have been at work and Gus would have been on his own in the house. This way I was with him all day. I was so unprepared that I wasn't even able to make a reasoned decision about his body and the vets didn't help me decide what to do. That won't and hasn't happened again after that first time. Because of the unexpected nature of his death I asked to go into the vet's and see his body. I am forever grateful that I did this. They had operated on him and found that they couldn't do anything and they had called me and said they wanted to put him to sleep on the operating table which I agreed to. I wanted to be with him but the vets wanted to do it there and then as it would have taken me 30 mins to get there. Being able to see him and touch him and say goodbye was extremely important.
The other losses were different and hard in different ways.
I always feel that letting a dog go is the last loving act we can do.
We want the best for them and we don't want their suffering to go on unnecessarily so we kiss them and say goodbye. We are only saying goodbye to their bodies not their souls which remain with us in our hearts and in our minds.
I have found it helpful to have the dog's ashes and I have put a tiny amount into a glass vial which I wear from time to time on a ribbon round my neck. I was able to bury my first greyhound in my garden and I created a special garden for him.
I have also bought shrubs and plants and daffodil bulbs and made a little garden for Ruby who had to be pts last April.
The way I cope is to do these things above, to remember the things they did that made me laugh and smile, and I also take another greyhound into my home, never to replace the dog that has just died, but to give another dog a loving home and to help me carry on.
For me I would not want to be without a canine companion.
The pain does diminish.
I hope you find the replies on here helpful.
Talk to Sparrow and tell her how much you love her and that she will always be in your heart.
I know that my life has been SO enriched by sharing it with these lovely creatures.
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Post by Heather (& KC) on Mar 24, 2014 6:04:23 GMT -5
I'm so sorry for your loss. She's a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart and soul. When my first grey was sick and dying I truly didn't think I could do it again, to bring another dog into our lives. The memories of his illness were so painful. What you're going through is normal and as the days go by you'll remember more and more of the fun, loving times. I encourage you to think of those wonderful times and share them with your family. I went to GRA one cold afternoon to visit the hounds and take them for walks. That did my heart good. I wasn't ready but they shared their love with me anyways. Within a couple of months we knew we couldn't be without a dog and figured we'd wait until after a spring trip but Thunder had other ideas. He showed up a GRA and I knew he was meant to join our family. Take it day by day and allow yourself to grieve but remember you gave Sparrow a wonderful life and she shared her life with you. You were both lucky to have this time together and she'll always be with you.
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