Losing Your Furry Friend

                             

To some people a dog is just a dog. A cat is just a cat. To others they are their whole world. They give you a warm welcome whenever you come home, are always there for a hug, give you their undivided attention and never answer back! Most importantly, they give you a sense of purpose. You feel needed, you feel wanted… you feel loved.

They can be the thing that gets you up in the morning, who makes you smile and life seem worthwhile. When you have a pet you are never alone, they need your care, they fill your time, and they often demand your attention!

Losing a pet can be absolutely devastating and change so much about your daily lives. Perhaps you no longer go for walks, and miss the daily chats with other dog walkers. You may feel lonely, how many of us tell our pets things we would never tell to another person? They are often our best friend, our confidente, our soul mate. They are a huge loss.

Coco

Last year I lost my gorgeous dog, Coco. A delightful little bundle of chocolate fur, who had been my constant companion since eight weeks old. She was fourteen, and thankfully seemed just like a puppy until just a few weeks before she died. But her loss was devastating. I lived by the beach, which was full of dog walkers, so I stopped going out. For the first time in my life I felt lonely.

‘Get a dog’ everyone said, as if she could just be replaced. I know they were well meaning, but it was tough at my age. I felt too old to get a puppy and I was moving around a lot, which would not have been good for a rescue dog.

Most people are supportive if you lose a family member or friend, but many don’t realise the effect of losing a pet can have. Within a few days or weeks others forget they even existed… but you don’t.

What Choices Do We Have?

So what to do? Well if you know that a puppy would be cared for if anything happened to you, this could be a good option. Or if you feel you are settled and experienced enough to take on a rescue dog, this could be perfect. Giving a home to a dog that needs all that love you have going spare is a wonderful choice. For me I didn’t have anyone I thought would be able to care for a dog or a cat, and the idea of them being in a rehoming centre, or worse, filled me with horror.

I thought about fostering a dog, but knew how quickly I could fall in love, and was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep it if I wanted to. I considered dog sitting or dog walking, but had recently had an injury to my knee and although I could walk reasonably well, I didn’t want to take on the task of walking other peoples dogs, perhaps several times a day.

My Solution

So one day, armed with a shovel, I went into my garden and dug a small pond. I put it under the shade of a lovely tree (that didn’t lose its leaves) and surrounded it with beautiful plants, rocks and pebbles. I filled it with water and a few days later went to my local pet store and bought my wonderful new pets. Four little goldfish (well not quite gold, but you get my meaning!), called Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo.

Every day I would go out and sit by the pond, and each fish would come up is if to say ‘Good Morning’ (more likely, feed me!). I had my breakfast by the pond come rain or shine, and it soon came to be my little sanctuary and something I looked forward to each day.

As well as looking beautiful and being a home for my new pets, the pond bought even more life into the garden. Birds would bathe in it, frogs would hop into it and at dusk, bats would swoop down and take a drink. I saw butterflies, pond skaters, bumble bees and dragon flies making my garden their home, all because of the tiny pond I had created. It felt wonderful!

The Outcome

Did my fish cuddle me or wag their tales when they saw me? I guess not. But they did listen to me without arguing, they did give me a sense of purpose, and they provided a beautiful spot for me to sit and think about my day, enjoy my surroundings, and relax.

Goldfish may never replace our traditional cat and dog pets. They might not snuggle on our laps, sleep on our beds, or nuzzle us to be stroked, but they do have a lot to offer… and no poop to pick up!

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This article was written by me and first published on sixtyandme.com

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