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How do you move on when a dog dies?


[frame src=”http://www.thatmutt.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ace-the-black-Lab-mix-on-the-prairie.jpg” target=”_self” width=”689″ height=”387″ alt=”Black Lab mix Ace on the prairie” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”]
The “older” I get, the more difficult it becomes to lose a dog.

Every loss is hard, but I have grown even more attached to each dog that comes along.

This says more about me and where I’m at in life than it says about the dogs.

Had my family’s dog Brittni entered my life when I was 24 vs. 14, our relationship would’ve been very different. Not better, just different.

I wish her life could’ve overlapped with my current dog Ace, but it didn’t work out that way.

And now that Ace is very much middle-aged, he has had several dog friends pass away.

This happens often when you’re an older dog, I guess. Ace doesn’t seem sad about it like I am.

Multiple friends of mine who went out and adopted their first dogs around the same time I did are now on their second round of dogs.

I’m so glad I’m not at that point quite yet.

When I think about the future loss of my dog, one thing that helps is knowing these friends have since gone on to adopt new dogs, and now they love and bond with these dogs just as much. (At least from my point of view.)

That’s not always what we want to hear when we lose a dog. It’s hard to imagine “moving on,” but it’s nice to imagine finding another to love, with time.

When a good friend lost her dog recently, I remember she said, “Why is this so hard?”

It’s because we are so close to our dogs, another friend said. Often, much closer than we are to the people in our lives. We bring our dogs into our beds. We hold them. We carry them when they’re sick.

Yes, this is true. And they see us at our most vulnerable, too, in so many scenarios in their short lives.

Every dog is special in his or her own way. We are just so fortunate we get to share our lives with them.

My friend Erin wrote on her blog, “Isn’t it great that we all get to have the best dogs?”

Yes. It is.

Ace and Lindsay

What’s one of the things you love most about your current dog?

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Diane

Thursday 12th of October 2017

What I love about Spirit, is his ability to enjoy life and his over zealous affection. He just loves to give kisses.

Jana Rade

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

I really wish Jasmine and Cookie could have hung out when Jasmine was young. They'd have such a great time.

I will always love Jasmine and she's always in my heart. Cookie makes a worthy heiress, though. In fact, I think that Jasmine is secretly coaching her.

I love Cookie's friendly and sweet disposition, the weird and crazy things she does, and we love the "Jasmineisms" she seems to be adopting. It REALLY seems like Jasmine is coaching her.

Lindsay Stordahl

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

That's so good to hear! I'm glad they have so many similarities. Cookies is unique, obviously, but it's nice to think Jasmine really is coaching her.

Linda

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

Very well said. It's hard...the older I get the more I dread it.

Linda http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Jen aka DOGthusiast

Saturday 13th of September 2014

While I so believe to live every minute, and having them for any amount of time is worth the pain... I am expecting to be destroyed when the time comes. But also know it gets easier and I can love again - differently but again nonetheless. As I lay here Saturday morning tapping on a phone wrapped by dogs... it really is about that intimacy. You nailed it.

Dawn

Friday 12th of September 2014

When Sephi passed away, I felt so empty. I still had Maya and we cuddled on the couch together a lot more than usual. But it wasn't the same without my Boo Boo Brat. Losing her was hard. But one thing that helped me cope was looking for another dog. I purposely sought out a different breed mix so that I wouldn't make comparisons to Sephi. And so I found Pierson. He doesn't replace Sephi, not by any means. He is very different form her. But he did help lessen the pain of her loss. Not everyone can get another dog after losing one. I understand. Everyone deals with loss differently.

Lindsay Stordahl

Friday 12th of September 2014

Do you think it helps to have two dogs, so when one passes away you still have the other one?