Pet Loss Support

[Houndmom]

I don't know about others but when we lost our dogs and cat last year both my husband and I grieved terribly and didn't know where to go for support and answers. When a co-woker lost her cat this year I found a website that offered information regarding pet loss, including a memorial page and e-cards. She also did not know where to go for support and found the link to be a great help. Could we start and pin a post where people could add a few links for support and memorial sites? Last year I was not in the frame of mind to research the web for sites but if a listing had been available in one place I probably would have used it.

 

Here are a couple links:

 

Pet Loss Support (state listings for support, question and answers, support topics)

 

Heaven's Playground (Memorial, support, links, e-cards)

 

Edited December 10, 2002 by Houndmom

[greyhoundlov]

http://www.angelbluemist.com/forum.html

 

This is another good one. Terri has lost greys and still has two plus a whippet. She writes absolutely beautiful poems and has a huge heart and tremendous compassion. You cry a lot but it's cleansing.

[becka]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CircleofGrey/

 

Is a good one for those whose greys are dying. Most of the people on the board are going thru greys with cancer, but there's lots of support and knowledge there.

 

http://www.angelbluemist.com/memorywall.html

Memory wall

[Guest mleg2001]

Greyhound Memorial Park

[Guest Greyhound Gang]

It's never easy to say goodbye, and to express condolences for someone's loss. If you're looking for some way do something nice for someone who has lost a hound - you can check out the In Remembrance section on the Gang's web site.

 

For a donation, a lovely, ceramic medallion (created by Sarah Regan Snavely), plus card is sent.Greyhound Gang - In Remembrance Section

 

There is also information about wills and planning for your animal's future, should your own future end before theirs....

 

 

Claudia and the Greyhound Gang

100% Goes to the Hounds

[levriere]

I grew up being taught that it "helps" if we light a candle in times of sorrow.

 

There is a site that allows you to do this on-line it is: www.gratefulness.org.

 

I think the name is ironic, could be greytful... instead.

 

It helps me when I'm sad or worried about a loved one.

 

[Houndmom]

Pet Loss.com

 

I saw this in another post and added it here.

[Guest KyGrey]

http://www.rainbowsbridge.com

[Guest Ferrevergrey]

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/

[DianeFG]

I don't really want to go anywhere else..... those strangers didn't know Fudgie. People here knew him, and that gives me a lot of comfort.

 

You all knew he ran around the yard like a girafee on crack, that he coudn't do fly-bys without knocking me or one of the kids off our feet, even though that wasn't his intention. You knew that he didn't like to ride in the car. That he loved to sit in the kiddie pool. He loved peanut butter but absolutely hated bananas. He loved his brother. He had bad SA when Goods wasn't around. He didn't wag his tail for the first 6 months we had him, then one day his tail was whipping around like a helicopter... that was great. He couldn't do stairs for such a long time, DH carried him up and down. He was a champion Rooer, I loved when he would roo. That if you scratched right at his breastbone his back leg would start shaking. If you scratched the top of his butt, he'd dance back and forth from foot to foot, he loved that. Strangers don't know those things about him.

 

I'm having a hard time. Goods is having a really hard time. Night time really seems to be difficult for Goods. He's been up crying every single night. He cries all night. I tried to have him sleep with me in DDs room (put DD in bed with DH) he wouldn't come in and lay down. He'd walk in and then cry and walk out. I slept on his bed with him the other night, but I can't do that each night. I'm so tired and so is he.

 

I called the vet, I was told to give him benadryl to help him relax. Give him some before we go for our walk. I pray this gives him some peace tonight. It's killing me to watch him suffer

 

How long does the mourning usually go on?? What did you do to help your other pets adjust?? Did you have to help them with medication?? Where they worse at night than in the day??

Edited August 18, 2005 by Diane FG

[Guest amandaorchard]

Hello everybody i want to share you my experience with our greyhound we sadly lost.

He was an exracer we got him from a greyhound rescue centre, he was the most handsome greyhound i have ever .He came into our home in april 2005 and he wasnt house trained so we toilet trained him the best we could and if you no the size of greyhound poo then you can sympathisize with the smell and mess that we use to have to get up 2 in the mornings or when we went out and came in .We stopped him going through our bin and we taught him how to play with a ball.

but something wasnt quite right with him i dont know hes full back ground but he attacked my youngest son who is four and left a slight scare on hes face and then attacked my eldest son who is 12 and was rushed to a& e with blood pouring out of hes face my son now has a harry potter scare on hes face by hes ear.

so i had no option then to telephone the rescue centre where i got him from and ask them to come and get him but they said that they wont come and collect him because they new that they wont be able to rehome him knowing that he has attacked and it wouldnt be fair on him to go back into kennels so they said i had to take him to the vets to be destroyed which was upsetting even though what he done was wrong so the next day i took him to the vets and had him destroyed he looked at me with those big brown chocolate eyes very sadly and seemed to say to me why but even though i loved him for the short period that i had him i knew that i could never trust him with my children or anyone elses children

i loved him so much and miss him dearly

amanda

[Guest greysmatter]

Oh I know how that feels! I had a dog that we had for years. His name was Coco. One day he bolted past my dad as the newspaper boy (our neighbor) was collecting for his route. Coco grabbed the teen by the legs and bit him. My parents had to make the decision to put him down. That's one of the hardest pet deaths I've had to go through. It was scheduled for Dec.3, 1977. Playing with Coco and knowing he was on "Death Row" while he was healthy and unaware was one of the most heart-wrenching things I've gone through....and I've had dogs in my life for 40 years. I feel your pain.....and pray God will ease the pain as he has for me as I suddenly lost my "Chippy" on Sept. 5th

Edited September 14, 2005 by greysmatter

[Guest 6greyhounds]

I would like to add two more sites that helped us when we lost our beautiful Shadow on 10/28/05 and then Penny who we always called Penny of Greytalk

Greytalk and GRTB

Everyone on both sites gave us so much TLC, compassion, prayers that it helped us in our time of need. To know of so many kind, caring loving people helped ease our pain.

To all of you we send our love and gratitude

[Guest spaztastic_fam]

It is so nice to see all of this information...when I lost my Shanook I felt overwhelmed with grief and no one in my family seemed to understand. It is nice to see so many resources available.

[Guest dragontearz]

Thank you Greytalk for the help, and the links...I would not have known where to go after my grief from losing Guinness if not for this site..I appreciate it greatly.

[PatricksMom]

I'd like to add The Loss of a Pet: A Guide to Coping with the Grieving Process When a Pet Dies. It's perhaps meant more for those of us who have difficulty with getting weighed down with grief or who have complicating emotional/psychiatric factors, but the gentle and supportative language could help anyone.

[Guest alannamac]

Tuft's veterinary school has a hotline where you can speak to an actual person about your loss. They are not every day of the week, but you can leave messages if they are not open and they will return your call and help counsel. It is manned by vet students. Sometimes you need to talk to someone who understands, and people around you may just not "get it"....they try but...well you know....

http://vet.tufts.edu/petloss/?

 

[FiveRoooooers]

I wish I had had this in my pocket when the first campers began their journeys to their new lives. Ardeth De Vries, board of directors president of Old Dog Haven, has on her blog a piece entitled Productive Grieving for an Animal Friend that you may find helpful if you struggle with the loss of your friend (pet or human).

 

Grieving for your animal friend is important. All of the feelings that go along with the process honor and validate the importance of your friend’s presence in your life. Saying goodbye is difficult, but it should be. Why would it be easy to say goodbye to a well-loved companion? If it were easy to say goodbye, you wouldn’t need to grieve. Grieving is never an enjoyable process. It’s hard. It’s painful. It’s exhausting. But it can be productive and serve as a way for you to honor and validate the importance of a life shared with an animal. Be strong and allow yourself this necessary emotional experience.

 

[GreytXpctations]

Thanks, FiveRoooooers. The productive grieving link is helpful.

[Guest soylette]

just reading this thread puts me in tears. i liked the productive grieving link too.

[mrsmcd7]

I liked the productive grieving link and shared it with my family. My daughter brought home 2 books from school. Even though they're children's books we all got something out of them. "A Dog Like Jack" by Dianne DiSalvo-Ryan and "Dog Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant.

[Em24]

My family just lost our dog and no one wants to talk about it. I've never had another pet and I've never known anyone who has died well enough to truly morn them. It hurts, I miss him so much, he was my pet since I was 10 years old. It was amazing that he lived for 15 years but I don't think there is anything that will make it hurt less except time.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Em24