We know it is going to happen as old age is inevitable.
We try our very best to be prepared for that gloomy day when we have to say goodbye to our best friend. However, when that day does come, you still don’t feel prepared.
Why does the pain of losing a pet feel so much like you have lost a family member?
Surely it’s just an animal and you shouldn’t feel so hurt? But that is so far from the truth, they become more than just an animal occupying our space.
We open our homes to these little creatures and soon they have stolen a piece of our heart. A void has been filled by the unconditional love your pet has given you.
You find yourself spending many happy hours together, and you form many fond memories. You get to know your pet on a personal level, and know when they are not feeling like themselves.
When you are feeling down, your pet can sense it and will comfort you. You wonder how you would ever be able to live without your beloved pet?
Then that day arrives, you can see your pet is not themselves. You rush them off to the vet and deep down you know what they are going to say.
As prepared as you may think you are, the vet will deliver his bad news. Your pet has contracted an illness but sadly your pet is too old to be saved.
That news drives a knife into your heart! How can this happen? All the thoughts come flooding over you, what if you had come sooner? What if?
You find your heart has been shattered into a million pieces as you leave the vet, empty inside. No companion returning home with you.
How do your other pets feel? Do they realize what just happened? A flood of emotions take a hold of you and the tears come rolling down.
The reality is all living creatures have to die at some stage. Many pets have a short life span compared to people. We sometimes wish our beloved pets could live as long as we do, but sadly they don’t.
People form emotional attachments to living creatures and therefore a strong bond is created. We have a deep sense of love for our pets and when death comes knocking it is hard to let them go.
Time will go by however, our memories of our dearly departed will never cease. So why does losing a pet feel so heart wrenching?
As with people you form a relationship by spending time with each other. You see your pet every day, you play and interact with them daily and a friendship is built.
We become emotionally attached the same way we would with any other person.
It is a bond no one can describe until that bond has been broken and you have to say goodbye…
Please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts or personal experiences about saying goodbye to your beloved pets.
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I agree with Len. Very well written Tertia.
We form emotional attachments with our pets which leads to the strong bond being created. It would be real tough to let them go; which reminds me of my own tragedy regarding my dog Patches.
He was a Beagle I rescued from an abandoned house. He was all good and well for about 8 months – then out of a sudden he started getting frequent seizures. Come to find out he had a bad case of Epilepsy including serious liver disease. Pretty soon after that he started having kidney problems and it got worst from there. According to our vet it was best to let him go instead of him having to suffer – because there is nothing that could be done – well; that is what the vet said anyway and I agreed with her.
Time has passed by and it has been years since that incident but like Tertia said the memories will never cease. It is still heart wrenching. I comfort myself thinking that it was better for Patches to go than to live every second suffering.
Very well written. It is true, your pets are part of the family. You love them just as much.