Pet Loss Memorials
Have you ever experienced the pain and grief of losing a beloved pet? Most of us have. Because so many of us think of our pets as family members, the grief and anguish can be intense.
Today, pet bereavement is far more accepted in the public eye than it was years ago. Even so, I have friends even now who seem ashamed of their tears and emotions because “only a dog” or “cat” or “bird.” Because we seem so unwilling to be open about our grief, as we are with our human loved ones, I believe it can leave emotional scars which take much longer to heal.
We carry that sorrow around with us like a piece of heavy luggage and it interferes with every facet of life. Or we become like robots; we operate at a functional level, but we don’t participate in life.
I am not a counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist, but I DO have experience, much more than I wish I had. On the leading edge of the baby boomers 
I have had many years to devote to my pet family. And… I have lost many, many loved, furry family members.
I think what causes me the most pain is, though human euthanasia is considered barbaric by most, we are constantly called upon, as pet owners, to take responsibility and end the life of a suffering friend. It is the humane thing to do we are told. I definitely agree, but it creates a double whammy effect… not only do we suffer the loss through death, but we are the ones who made the decision to end the life.
We are the ones who may struggle for days, weeks, even months, knowing that the ultimate fate of our beloved pet lies in our hands. Whew! What a heavy burden. Though I wouldn’t have it any other way, that does not ease the pain.
The loss of Ace, who belonged to my Mom (see first photo on this page) until her death from cancer in 1991, still hurts to this day. It’s hard to explain, but he symbolized a link to Mom and he was such a vital connection to her. (Ace is pictured here with Amber, his little Sheltie sister)
The worst part of his loss was that I felt responsible for his suffering and death. Ace was a gigantic yellow Lab, weighing in at nearly 100 lbs. in his prime. All his life his favorite toy was an empty plastic milk bottle. He would play with them for hours and when he chewed it too much I would toss it and give him a new one.
Then, at the age of 11, his chewing finally caught up with him. To make a long story short, a piece lodged in his small intestine and created a blockage. After surgery and an intestine 18″ shorter, he took a long time to recover… many weeks. Finally he was on the road back when he began showing signs of a blockage again.
This time there was no coming back. His body had turned on itself and created massive amounts of scar tissue at the surgery site. There was nothing left for him, and I did the ultimate kindness and said goodbye. I stayed by his side and to this day my vision of that moment is as though it happened yesterday. His urn resides in my hutch along with his picture and Mom’s. I know they are happy together now.
So… to get back to Pet Loss. There are many places you can visit on the web to share your grief and get support. One of my favorites and most comprehensive is Pet Loss. You will find there the Monday Candle Ceremony where people can join hearts and hands to pray for their ailing and lost pets and a great bulletin board for sharing. There is also a live chat room for support. My favorite I think, is the Rainbow Bridge, where we know all our pets go for a happy and pain-free afterlife. It’s where we will meet them again. http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm.
I hope you are inspired to write about your pet and post here. It’s simple to register and then post your story and pictures. Write from your heart. We will be happy to approve your post. If you prefer, send us your story. Include a picture if you can. Email your story with the attached photo to info@PetAndGardenBoutique.com and we will send you a link as soon as it’s posted. If you do not have a digital picture of your pet, you can mail a picture of your pet to me at the following address:
Gale Gallagher, Pet and Garden Boutique, 825 S College,Tyler, TX 75701, and I will scan it into the website for you. Please include a self-addressed, postage paid envelope if you want your picture back. Your article, however, must be sent in an email so I don’t have to retype it.
We would also love to have you visit our website at www.FurAndFlora.com where we carry a great selection of pet and garden supplies.
Gale Gallagher