When to move on and adopt another to love?

[AGBF]

audball, your post made me think of this:


THE LAST WILL & TESTAMENT OF A DOG

Before humans die, they write their last will and Testament, give their home and all the have to those they leave behind. If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I'd ask:

To the poor and lonely stray I'd give: My happy home, my bowl and cozy bed, and all my toys. The lap, which I loved so much, the hand that stroked my fur and the sweet voice that spoke my name. I'd will to the sad, ...scared shelter dog, the place I had in my human's loving heart.

So, when I die, don't say "I'll never have another pet, because the loss and pain is more than I can stand." Instead, go find an unloved animal, one whose life has held no joy or hope and give MY place to him. This is the only thing I can give: the love I left behind.

Taken from Eugene O'Neill's Last Will and Testament of a dog.

This was too much for me, lulu. Not only did it make me cry, but I had to leave the computer and stop thinking about dogs in shelters. Sometimes the topics of child abuse and animal abuse become too much for me to handle. Thank you for posting it, though. It is something I want to remember for my stronger moments, and I never read it before. You enriched me.

Hugs,
Deb

 

[audball]

This was too much for me, lulu. Not only did it make me cry, but I had to leave the computer and stop thinking about dogs in shelters. Sometimes the topics of child abuse and animal abuse become too much for me to handle. Thank you for posting it, though. It is something I want to remember for my stronger moments, and I never read it before. You enriched me.

Hugs,
Deb

I agree. It's so awful to think about. When we first got Mimi, she was the sweetest little thing. I couldn't imagine how or why she could still be so loving and sweet with all the awful things that had happened to her and how poorly she'd been treated. I hate that we can't save them all.

 

[lulu]

Sorry, I didn't mean to make anybody cry. I cried the first time I read it too.

 

[audball]

Sorry, I didn't mean to make anybody cry. I cried the first time I read it too.

This thread has been all about tears for me, from the very beginning! No need to apologize. The poem couldn't more accurate. And I think anybody who has owned a rescue dog, or has lost a rescue dog, can feel just how much it hits home that there are far too many without loving homes, laps, blankets, and toys. It's a beautiful reminder to let yourself be vulnerable to love, and rescue, again.

 

[MAC-W]

So sorry to hear about Mimi - gone from your life but not your heart.

Stay strong and know that you gave her a GREAT last year.




Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

(A poem by Steve and Diane Bodofsky, 199


By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health is renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with health imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instance, their eyes have met;
Together again, person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
Their time of parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then side by side, they cross over together.

 

[MAC-W]

Perhaps it's a bit morbid but I still have the collar of the first pet that was truly mine and she passed away 10 years ago this summer. I know my mother has the collar and tags of all of her past dogs as well. A little Mimi box will likely live on in your closet for decades.

I'm so sorry for your loss Audball. It is truly heartbreaking and even 10 years later I am still stunned at the lump in my throat when I think about losing my dog Lily so suddenly. I'm glad you and A have each other to lean on through this tough time.

I don't think it's morbid at all. It's crazy how attached you get to these furbabies. I've seriously cried a million times more over the loss of my Mimi than when my grandfather passed a year and a half ago. I think you're right, we may always have that Mimi box.

We're in a rental now. We actually talked about saving the box of her things until we buy a house and then burying it in our backyard as a way of always having her with us. I know many people opt to bury their pets in their yards, which we don't have the option to do right now.

I've actually been feeling completely awful about our decision at the vet to cremate her and not get the ashes back. On the spot, there at the vet, I thought it would be weird and just wanted them to stop talking. They were having us make decisions while I was still holding her before she'd even been put down. I just wanted them to stop talking.

But in the last several days now that she's gone, I wish we'd been able to process it more. It definitely doesn't feel weird, now, to have wanted her cremated and returned to us. I've been beating myself up about it. I lost it the other night thinking about her being cremated with a bunch of other unwanted dogs. She wasn't unwanted. She was loved. Very much. And I couldn't help but think we made the totally wrong call and that she didn't deserve that sort of treatment. Obviously we cannot change it now and that makes it worse. I wish we'd just erred on the side of caution and done it. Worst case, we thought it was weird after the idea had settled, we could scattered her ashes along the trail of her favorite walk, or saved them to eventually bury in our future backyard.

I think we're going to make some sort of Christmas tree ornament out of her name tag and rainbow bow that we kept on her harness.

Andrew has been incredibly strong and supportive, but he loses it time to time as well. We're getting about just talking about all the funny and happy things she used to do instead of dwelling on the day it all went wrong. It helps to watch videos of her playing and laugh at her antics. We just miss her so much.

ETA: And thank you, Clairitek, for your sweet post. I'm too, am sorry about the sudden loss of your Lily, even if it was 10 years ago. It just goes to show that they really never do leave you.

I think the bolded bit is a great idea.

I lost one of my fur babies back in January. I know you wont believe me right now but it does get easier - just a little, month by month.

Do you have somewhere you could put a pot? If so, you could bury Mimi's toys in the pot and plant her favourite bush in it and then take the pot with you when you move. And it would let you have a burial ceremony which might help your grieving process?

I did that with Bizmi after he died and find it comforting to watch 'him' grow and thrive. For me it's like still having a little bit of him with me. Caring for his plant makes me feel like I'm still looking after him. (And this maybe sounds a bit whackadoodle, but I also find it comforting to be able to sit beside his pot and "talk" to him).


{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}

 

[audball]

We actually talked about saving the box of her things until we buy a house and then burying it in our backyard as a way of always having her with us.

I think the bolded bit is a great idea.

I lost one of my fur babies back in January. I know you wont believe me right now but it does get easier - just a little, month by month.

Do you have somewhere you could put a pot? If so, you could bury Mimi's toys in the pot and plant her favourite bush in it and then take the pot with you when you move. And it would let you have a burial ceremony which might help your grieving process?

I did that with Bizmi after he died and find it comforting to watch 'him' grow and thrive. For me it's like still having a little bit of him with me. Caring for his plant makes me feel like I'm still looking after him. (And this maybe sounds a bit whackadoodle, but I also find it comforting to be able to sit beside his pot and "talk" to him).

{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}

Hi Mac! Thank you for your post. I'm sorry about the loss of Bizmi. It really is so hard. It's been a week and a half and it does get a bit easier each day. It still hurts, more than we can express all the time, but it's settling in and feeling less like a nightmare and more real.

I like the pot idea! My only fear being my total lack of a green thumb! I kill practically anything green and I think I'd be devastated if I killed Mimi's memorial plant! I may have to do some googling about easy to keep plants that survive well in the hot, humid, rainy Florida.

We stopped by the pet food store today to return the last bag of food we bought for her the day before she passed. I didn't have my receipt, but they were so sincere and took care of the refund super quickly and offered their condolences. The sales girl we dealt with was the same woman who helped us pick out all of Mimi's things (toys, etc) before we adopted her and checked me out last week with her food. I was glad she was there.

We spent time at Andrew's mother's house today with her sweet senior rescue dog. It was nice to have a pooch to love on today.