It is hard to say good-bye to your beloved pet. You had a wonderful
and unique relationship with it, maybe more intimate than with anyone else, and
used to spend more time with it than with anyone else around. Its love for you
was selfless
and most trustworthy in the times of need. It never looked for any personal
gain or better pastures. Even times when you felt lonely and failed, it gave you
the same love and support, stood with you and said ‘Hey, what happened? Come
on, Let’s play’. Losing such one is definitely heart breaking.
It’s not easy to forget such a huge
loss, but to mitigate the pain and keep the memories alive, and to give it the
honor it deserves, we can think of different ways.
Giving a memorable and loving funeral to your pet is the
best thing you can do, to bid him a good farewell. Plan yourself how you would
like to honor the memory of your beloved friend. It’s good to keep a memorial
stone on the grave, so that he will be remembered over time. Sweet memories can
sometimes be more touching than even actual presence.
You may also consider making a donation to honor your loved
one’s name – which, more than anything else, can give you the satisfaction of
having done the best you could, to honor your pet.
Feelings of intense sadness, guilt and anger are normal with
pet loss. Even when you may feel you have recovered from the loss and have
adjusted with the fact, all of a sudden you may be overcome by grief. It’s all part
of it, and we have to just understand that recovering from a pet loss grief is
a time-taking process, which usually takes a few months.
Seeing its collar or the food bowl lying unused and empty,
being alone in the kitchen – all remind you of the missing, everyday. All its
toys will bring the feeling of loss whenever you see them. It’s better to
either keep a few of his toys to remember your beloved pet or bury them along
with him.
Crying over the missing pet will help you a good way dealing
with the burning sorrow within you. It’ll ease you of the thoughts and grief
within yourself.
Compose a photo story of all the memorable occasions you had
with your pet. All the details – like its birth date, death date, toys it
liked, its habits and favorite foods and the things you loved most of it can be
included in the story, with all the appropriate photos. This way you can
remember them for long and make them live in your memories. By going through this
story you can bring in the sweet memories of those good times. It’s easiest
doing this on the internet- you can create a web page for your pet, where you
can upload photos, share memories about it, and your friends can also share
comments about them. Comments and words of sympathy from those who already have
had similar loss are definitely the most valued comfort you can find when
you’ve lost your pet.
Spend time with your other pets,
caring them and taking them with you will help forget the loss to an extent –
but only if you feel it helps.
Talk with people who can
understand pet loss. Like in any other grief, proper support and empathy will
make us feel much better, and strengthen us cope with the loss. Talk with your
friends and family about the loss. Talking to your friends and family about the
loss and being comforted by their words is a short cut to overcoming the grief.
Open communication, by far,
is the best cure for your pet loss grief.
