Life without a Dog

Just take each day one by one. I know the grief you are feeling right now.

Just take it one day at a time, Denise, and eventually you'll be ready for another dog. It won't be the same as your other dogs and won't fill their shoes, but that's a good thing I think. You never forget them.

You have a lot of sweet memories thanks to having had a good companion.

You were blessed.

Here's another dose of hugs for ya.

(((hugs))) - (((hugs))) - (((hugs)))

You'll be all right.

When you are ready you'll see how much love and fun the new pup will bring and fill this void.

Hope you get a new family member soon! C):-)

I can understand the pain of losing your pets. I had two Chows that were just the best dogs in the world. Never hurt anybody and they were the most loving pets. I cried for them soooo long after they died. It took a long time and I still cry sometimes. Now, I have 4 dogs in my house and even though I thought that I could not open my heart and let these new guys in, I was wrong. They have a way of wrangling themselves into your heart. You do have to wait until you feel that you can accept the deaths and move on but it will happen. Best of luck to you.

My prayers and thoughts are still with you Denise!

I can tell that your dog has a left a big gap in your house. I hope that you can cherish the memories of your dog without feeling too sad. Maybe a new dog will make it easier?

When it is time for a new dog, I'm sure the dog couldn't find a better home.
Bradley and Louie will always be a part of you and your family.
God bless, rpw

Denise -

I still miss my dog who died last year every single day. I try to remember all the good times we had but I still can't get her out of my mind. I think that as they say, they are part of our "family" and as such, they deserve a part of our heart. Well, my heart doesn't want to let go of her because she died unexpectedly because of a vet who made a mistake. She was only 4 years old and had a lot of life yet to live. We feel cheated. We feel angry. We feel lost without her sometimes. It's hard to explain. We do have 3 dogs now and we love them unconditionally as individual dogs and each in their own way. I just love dogs and wouldn't be in a home without them.. they bring me so much joy that I can't imagine my life without them. My dog, Casey, went into a depression when Mackenzie died last year. He totally grew up over night.... any bad habits he had QUIT. It was almost like he was in shock. He has never acted quite the same since his "surrogate mother" passed. Now he has a puppy under him but he doesn't act the same as he would have or did with Mackie. I look at pictures of Mackie frequently and it really helps to remember her with all the good memories. I do still cry, I will admit that. But it helps me to know that since I believe in a heaven, that one day we will all meet again. She'll be waiting for me saying, what took you so long to get here? :) I will keep you in my prayers that your mourning does not last very long and that you will find the love in your heart for another "unconditional love" in your family soon.

Lisa (Abby, Casey, and Lucky)

All dogs go to heaven.

I understand. It's been two years plus for me [since I lost my last Pomeranian] and I am just now thinking that I could get another dog and be able to love it for itself. I'm thinking around the new year, if not a little sooner. We have even started using the dog food coupons in the paper and started buying dog food for her. We are doing the same thing with the cat food coupons. My adult daughter will be getting her first cat since she lost hers some years ago.

i know how you feel,being one who grew up with dogs,some die eventually but they are never truey gone as long as you remember them.
i am truely sorry for your loss but a new dog would help indeed.
you will get through this and you will spread you love to a new dog and in turn the new dog will give you his or her love back.
thus the circle of life

I'm so sorry... It's so hard when we lose a pet because they really do become a member of the family. I hope that things will get easier for you and that you can find a wonderful replacement when you are ready!

Hang in there...

I have live through this kind of heartbreak several times. That is why my wife and I decided not to have any more inside pets. Maybe we won't be quite as attached to outside pets.

The worst loss we have had with pets was our austarlian shepard Sassy. She was a free spirit and loved to roam. She showed uip on our door step one day and when I got home she was shaking with fear. She never left until one day she was just gone. A few months later a neighbor was having problems with another of our dogs and said she would kill him like our other dog. Sassy had even had a littler of puppies on my head while I was sleeping. I miss that dog.

I am so sorry to hear that your lost your beloved dog. I have not had a dog, since I moved away from home, and I still miss my dog. It just had puppies about a month ago, for the first time, but it is in Europe, and my stomach aches not being able to be there with her.

I am sooo sorry.
I know it is hard, but it will get better.

I am glad you decided that you will in time, get another dog, and he will become your buddy and friend, never replacing or taking the place of the one you just lost, but a new friend and a new companion with a different personality that will delight you in many new ways, I wish you well, let us know how you are doing, pets are like family, I know.

I fully understand the little things sort of "bringing home" the fact that he is gone.

I had a roomate off and on for 7 years. He and his wife had a dog, Griz, who was with them all the time. He was put down for health reasons and I had been with them for the better part of 6 years at that point.
We were all sitting eating dinner a couple days after Griz was put to rest, and one of roomates children dropped half his burger on the floor. All at once half of the adults at the table called out "Griz, snacks." because that was what we called the kid spills... It was the quietest dinner after that as we all just stared at each other with leaky eyes.

Yeah, we did that a few times already with food scraps and spills.

I am sorry, I know how you feel. If you get another dog it may fill the void some for you. Animals all have their own special trait and I am sure the next one will be full of love.

I don't think I can add anything more than the wonderful comments made already...

I'm sorry for your loss... :(

Dogs are part of our family and it's ok to grieve when they pass over the rainbow bridge.

So sad. I hope you are able to feel better soon.

I can't imagine being without a doggie companion. I hope you find the right one for your family soon~

Denise, thank you for being one of my Gather connections.

As a Christmas present to you, I will leave this Christmas greeting on all of your photos and articles. It might take me a while, as you have been pretty active, but I will get through them all, and I hope you will get a little point (or Gather cash) boost in time for Christmas.

I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season with lots of love, joy and family time.