Signs From Above.... Still Waiting.

[Guest Kristensmom]

As some of you know, my old friend Buddy passed away unexpectedly two days ago. I have been dealing with the emptiness and loss, and it's not getting any easier.

 

Some of you mentioned that when dogs pass away, they send signs to you to show you they're still with you. I am so desperate for a sign that just about everything seems like one now.... (Today UPS showed up with a package, - -Buddy hated UPS and used to bark so angrily at them.... so now I'm thining that's a sign... ). I didn't have any time to tell Buddy goodbye, so I suppose I wish I could somehow communicate with him and know that he's OK.

 

If you would share with me the experiences you may have had with signs from your departed pets, I'd greatly appreciate it. I am wondering how you know what to look for....

 

thanks in advance.

s.

[Jiffer]

For me, it came 3 weeks after Icarus passed. He sent me a rainbow on a day I would not have expected to see one. I was making dinner and just happened to look outside. It was totally random and I wasn't looking for a sign, something made me look outside. My camera is always at the ready in the kitchen so I snapped a few photos of it (the bright spot is not the sun, it was just a very sparkly rainbow... my camera didn't capture the whole thing but it was a large arch with all the colours in it)

 

[Brooker914]

I don't have any experiences to share, but I just started reading a book called "Animals and the Afterlife". It's by Kim Sheridan. I have tended to be a skeptic when it comes to animal communicators, but I'm really enjoying this book. Maybe it would help you, it does talk about signs a lot.

 

[grey14me]

I am sorry about Buddy

 

When my Bailey passed away, I was really upset that she hadn't sent me a sign. I kept looking and waiting, but nothing. I was devastated that she was gone, and looking for anything to help. Sometimes I think people look too hard. Thinking back, I realized that the 'sign' was there with me every day. The loss I felt was palpable, a physical pain in my chest. Sometimes you just have to get past that part before you begin to 'see' again. I wanted something from her right away to tell me that she was ok, but she knew I had to get this out of my system before I could appreciate it. Finally, five months after she left, I had a dream about her, on what would have been her 10th gotcha day. I was finally at the point where I could think of her and be happy, instead of sad. That's not to say that I was never sad about her again, but that was the point where you could smile through the tears. Some people get their sign early and some people don't...it has nothing to do with how much you loved him. He's with you whenever you think about him, ok?

[Burpdog]

Don't look too hard It will come.....

 

Several months after Austin went, maybe even 6 months, I was baking and felt his spirit so strong that I turned and fully expected to see him. I have no doubt he was there.

 

One day shortly after Greytlady94's Molly left, I was driving to work and saw Molly chasing Magic in a beautiful field. I could have reached out and touched them I felt.

 

Sometimes the other dogs tell me there is one (or more) visiting. Pablo has become more comfortable with our visitors . Still, every once in a while I have to tell him it's ok.

[Guest Kristensmom]

Thank you so much for your stories, -I realize I have to give it some time before he sends me a sign. I suppose he's busy chasing squirrels and eating steak anyway....

 

I feel for Kristen too, she has been so depressed since he's been gone. Today I finally went to put away his collar which was out on the table in "his" room, the breezeway, where he used to keep an eye out on the road through the sliding doors. Whenever he used to see something interesting, he'd get up real quick, making his tags "chime" against each other. So when I grabbed the collar, it made a similar sound as if he was there moving around. Kristen came running within seconds to see if he was there, took one disappointed look at me and the collar, turned around and went back into her bed. She's been getting more love and attention, extra walks, etc... but I guess she too needs time to get over the loss.

 

Keep the stories coming, it's interesting to hear what other people have experienced. Thanks!

[SPDoggie]

Oh sweet Kristen.

It is kind-of a blessing to know that you are not grieving alone, but you and Kristen can comfort each other.

[Guest Kristensmom]

Just a little update, - the Vet just called with news. We allowed him to do an autopsy on Buddy before his cremation because we would like to know what happened to him, and maybe allow the vet to learn from the experience so others with similar symptoms can be saved. He said that he thinks the main cause of death was heart failure, due to his age. But he also had pancreatitis, which he also thinks could have contributed to it. (We didn't know this) Because Buddy also had Cushings disease, his belly was always a bit bloated. He also had a good appetite. Many of the symptoms are the same.

 

I suppose I'll have to stop blaming myself and just be glad that he didn't suffer for too long. At least I hope he didn't, it's not like he could tell me if he was in pain. He used to have problems getting up, but I always though it was age related/arthritis.....

 

Sorry, I got off on another topic. I think I will purchase that book that Brooker recommended, sounds very interesting.

[Guest SillyDog]

So sorry about Buddy.

 

When my first dog died very unexpectedly there were two signs. The first was the night before she died. She was a real alpha mama dog; quiet and calm but managed other dogs with just a look. Well, she knew she was going and introduced me to my 2nd dog that night before she died. She wasn't particularly impressed with him, but she figured he'd do. I think she knew he needed me as much as I would end up needing him. He's my first greyhound, Prancer....he was a foster of another couple in my apartment complex. I'm now friends with this couple, so she not only found my next dog, but my first real friends in Austin.

 

The second was just a couple days after she died. I had brought her out back to a wooded area the day she died because it was closer than the apartment complex sanctioned potty areas. It was where she collapsed. I went back there and on the ground at the base of the tree she collapsed under was a heavy metal silver butterfly. It was from a wind chime, but there had been no big winds to break it off it's string and I couldn't see the chime it belonged to on anyone's deck/patio. I took it and glued it to the front of the album I made of her life.

Edited May 16, 2007 by SillyDog

[Guest lizmego]

When you are looking so hard for a sign, it is difficult to see one. Signs almost always surprise you and are something you didn't expect. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a "sign". Trust that Buddy is there and that he'll say hello when the time is right. Right now just focus on grieving and saying goodbye to Buddy in whatever way feels right for you. Plant flowers, make a memorial or do whatever feels best. When you let Buddy go, it will be easier to feel him near you. He is around, whether you can feel him yet or not. I'm sorry for your tough loss. Give Kristen lots of hugs and let her know everything is going to be okay. My thoughts are with you!

[Guest MySkye]

I am so sorry for your sudden loss. I commend your strength for allowing the autopsy, truly an unselfish act so others could maybe benefit.

 

Signs, sigh. When I lost my Skye so suddenly to OS, I KNEW she would tell me, quickly, she was ok and that I would be ok because we loved each other too pieces.

 

Nothing. Nada. Nunca. Zero. For a year.

 

I bet it was the longest streak on record of "not a freaking rainbow in SE CT" to ever be recorded. My heart just broke that she wouldn't let me know without a DOUBT she was ok. My family really knew I was searching for something from my girl and it hung over me at times like a haze. Even when I went to Hawaii (land of the rainbow) for travel, twice, it rained for like a total of 24 days the entire time I was out there, not a rainbow in sight. I mean COME ON!

 

Then, it happened. Completely out of the blue, out of a page on this very forum, she let me know LOUD and CLEAR that she was sending me a SIGN.

 

Now, I will back up a bit to explain...when Skye a gentle fawn colored angel, and I would wander out in the summer night under a bed of stars I would whisper to her that she was my Summer Skye. That everything we were feeling on those walks, the peacefulness of the evening, the chirp of the crickets, the softness of the sunset, the warmth of her leash in my hand, the gentle padding of her feet against the grass, all those things and more were what I always referred to her as "my Summer Skye" time.

 

As with all of us we are drawn to links that include "puppies and pictures". I am not immune to this allure and off I went. There on the page in front of my was a 6 month old, fawn puppy named SUMMER. At that time I have NEVER felt the air rush from my lungs as fast as it did when I looked at that picture. It wasn't that the puppy looked like Skye BUT there was something, something tugging strong that I had been able to resist since Skye died (picking out a new dog). Something just knocked me between the eyes when I saw her.

 

With the help of the folks out of GPA Texas, some wonderful folks on GT (GUR of a 6 month old puppy ) and a "crazy lady" named Nan in Delaware, Summer made the trip to Dewey Beach in 06 where I met this adorable (and full of energy) puppy and brought her home to CT.

 

Every night since the weather has been warming up here in New England, my Summer and I take a walk and I tell this little imp stories about a dog that I once walked on a few "Summer Skye" nights not so long ago.

 

I wish you the best with your search for your sign. It will come.

[Guest myjazzy]

I've lost two greys so far (I say so far, because I have three right now and I know they will not be my last). Jazzy died of bone cancer. She was my first and definitely an alpha, and Edgey died 6 months later of lymphoma. I don't know that I ever looked for signs from either of them, and to my knowledge, I haven't "heard" from Jazzy yet, but not long after Edgey passed, the other three and I were on a walk, when I felt Edgey's presence next to me. It was so strong, that I really expected to see him beside me when I looked. I may have missed Jazzy's sign, or maybe she hasn't sent it yet, or maybe it's that I know she's always with me.

[Guest lizmego]

Every night since the weather has been warming up here in New England, my Summer and I take a walk and I tell this little imp stories about a dog that I once walked on a few "Summer Skye" nights not so long ago.

 

I wish you the best with your search for your sign. It will come.

I don't get teary very often, but Man, your story socked me right in the heart! I think it was the gentle and loving way you described your walks with Skye and then now with Summer. Wow, just typing that got me all teary again...

Edited May 16, 2007 by lizmego

[MauCarden]

I'm pretty sure my Chelsea sent me a sign before she left to let me know it was time. Chelsea had osteo, she was being treated with pain meds because selfishly I wanted her with me for as long as possible. I was really sweating a spontaneous break. Finally one day she just looked at the visiting rabbit, that up until the day before she always tried chasing to the fence.

She looked at the rabbit and turned away. I knew then it was time, maybe past time (I hope she has forgiven me). I never ever saw a rabbit in my yard again. Before that I had goofy baby rabbits come into the courtyard almost up to where I would be sitting. I used to lecture them on their lack of common sense. It comforts me to think the last rabbit was her guide to the bridge.

[tbhounds]

I think that you're looking to hard. Sometimes we don't notice the little things that are right under our noses. "Signs" don't have to be dramatic things like rainbows, it could a song on the radio, a word on a street sign or even just a smell. Your baby could come to you while you're sleeping when your busy daymind is put on hold. I think the difference between a dream and a visit would be the impact. If you think about it you really don't remember dreams 6 months from now--a visit you will never forget.

I have had many visits after my last few pups have passed--they have all happened at different times--some 2 weeks after and some months after. Really feel that you have to be emotionally really to receive them. Big hugs to Kristen, it's hard on them too.

[greytdecals]

when you least expect it, expect it

 

check out the sign my girlie sent us the other day http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=168960

[queenwinniesmom]

I'm so glad you started this thread. Not only because I think it will help you to read the stories of others who are missing their babies too, but because these stories are really beautiful and touching. I love reading them. I truly feel that we should not doubt that they are with us still. Just accept that and find comfort in that, and I think your sign will come. The signs are all so different, as unique as each precious dog. I too hoped for signs from all of the pets I've lost, especially my heart cats or dogs. And sometimes they came, and with others, I'm still waiting. The first one was when my Angel Patsy died. She was only 6, and had fought so hard and so bravely against lymphosarcoma, and we were totally devastated by her loss. For days, I couldn't stop crying. One morning when I was in the bathroom putting on make-up, Winnie (this was before her amputation) came running up to the door. She just bounded up to me with this....light...in her eyes that I knew immediately and with absolute certainty was Patsy. I was so startled that I said out loud, without thinking, "Hi Pat." Winnie stood there a few seconds longer with her lower jaw trembling (nits?) just like Patsy used to do all the time. Winnie NEVER did this, and hasn't since. We just looked at each other, and I actually felt the love that used to wash over me when I looked at Patsy because she was truly an angel dog in every way. The moment passed, and Winnie just looked at me calmly, as if to say, "My work here is done," turned and walked away. The tears came again, but this time they were mixed with gratitude, just to know that Patsy was okay.

When my heart dog, Nick died suddenly last July, the sadness and grief and emptiness were so strong they were like a physical presence. I just missed him SO much, and longed for him---even just to touch him one more time. He was such a gentle, innocent soul, and a big, quirky guy who had a dry, almost human, sense of humor. I knew he would send me a sign because that's the kind of guy he was. And he did. Actually, he has done that several times, when that old emptiness washes over me without warning, and I'm missing him more than usual. One of Nick's greatest pleasures was shredding paper---Kleenex and paper towels in particular. And if he could sneak into a room when we weren't watching, grab something out of the wastebasket, rip it into shreds, leave it on the floor, and stroll casually back into the room, well, that made Nick as happy as a Greyhound could be. He did it whenever possible, and since he got such joy from his accomplishments, we couldn't help but laugh with him. We called it Greyhound Installation Art, and have several pictures of it. He must have done some the morning he died without us at the emergency vet, because when I went downstairs like a sleepwalker, still in shock, there it was on the bathroom floor. He also sent us Tess, who is as much like Nick (a big gorgeous fawn) as a tiny red brindle female could be. Could she be responsible for some of the other "art" he's sent us? I really don't know. The other 3 girls have never done that, and though Tess is a bit of a power chewer, I've never actually seen her rip paper towels into shreds. I think maybe Nick whispers something to her when he knows I'm missing him the most, and there it would be. And it does make me smile.

I'm so sorry you lost your sweet girl. But she WILL let you know she's okay.

[scullysmum]

It took nearly six months for my bridgekid Mulder to send me a sign (a beautiful rainbow)(LINK)....he was probably too busy shmoozing all the pretty lady dogs at the bridge ....but when his brother Scully left us to join him eleven months later the signs came thick and fast (I knew there would be trouble when they got back together ) They did stuff like messing up the bedclothes while we were out (something they used to love to do when they were still with us) and tipping up the sofa cushions

 

Buddy is always with you and I'm sure he will find a way to let you know that he is just fine (after all it is all new to him too)

Edited May 17, 2007 by scullysmum

[ozgirl2]

I lost Cody in January '05 and a good friend had lost her grey the previous November. They'd come in on the same haul from the same kennel.

 

I had NO sign from Cody - NO rainbows - but in September '05, I went to visit Vicki who now lived in FL. She picked me up at the airport, which happened to be 2 blocks or so from the GPA convention!! So - we both went in & went around the vendors, visited with other GTers, then left for Vicki's house. We weren't a 1/2 mile from the hotel when we both saw this HUGE rainbow!! (She hadn't had a sign from Chloe either...) I figure those 2 pups waited till we were both together to send their signs!!!

[packmom]

I used to see Willow in the yard sometimes. DH has seen her, too, but doesn't believe it. I've been waiting since September for a sign from my heart dog.......

[Guest meandmygreys]

Every night since the weather has been warming up here in New England, my Summer and I take a walk and I tell this little imp stories about a dog that I once walked on a few "Summer Skye" nights not so long ago.

 

I wish you the best with your search for your sign. It will come.

I don't get teary very often, but Man, your story socked me right in the heart! I think it was the gentle and loving way you described your walks with Skye and then now with Summer. Wow, just typing that got me all teary again...

 

DITTO !! *damn allergies*

 

My girlie left me last month...I told her in her last few moments on Earth that I loved her..and would miss her..How I would see her again...someday...and to be good and not be the fun police...She was my life...I told her to let me know she was alright and that everything was O.K..

 

The other night I woke up. It must of been 2 or 3 in the morning, and I know I seen her laying in her bed..just like she always did...head up...eyes bright...with her big Greyhound grin and her tongue hangin out. I actually started to get up to go hug her..

 

Then when I least expected it, she sent me a sign and let me know all was well........She sent me a friend.

[Guest caro]

I don't think Huggy Bear ever sent me a sign but then again I wasn't looking for one. It didn't even occur to me that he would or that I should look for one. That's fine with me because I know I'll see him again. I do think about him just about every day, especially when I see rainbows, and it's been almost a year. I keep some of his things around the house so that he's always with me. He had a pair of TheraPaw boots that he wore for about 2 or 3 months before he passed. I use to keep them on the table next to the chair that I put in the place of his dog bed that was in the corner of my office. I use to sit in the chair to get a view of the room the way he saw it and I'd pick up the TheraPaw boots and give them a little sniff. That would always put a smile on my face... because I'm weird like that. Actually, it made me smile because I always loved his feet. I thought they were the cutest things ever and I loved to tickle them and I loved the way they smelled too. You know like Frito's. To me the smell of dog feet is like the smell of puppy breath. It's not necessarily good smelling but it's what it stands for. So every time I sniffed those dog boots I couldn't help but smile and it made me feel better.

 

Anyway, I've gone off in a weird tangent. But basically I think you should keep your head up and know that he'll always be with you even if you can't feel him. Our memories are the best things we have. Find a couple of his things that have fond memories attached to them and put them in places where they wouldn't normally go. Later you will stumble across them and they will make you smile at random times, when you're least expecting it, just the way he did.

[Guest Kristensmom]

You guys..., these stories are so beautiful and they give so much hope to me that he's still around us, even if we don't notice him.

 

I noticed one of you said it could be those little things, such as a song... Yesterday I was in a store, browsing the racks, and there's this background music they usually play and I never really pay attention to. Then I hear the lyrics in this song ".. it's OK if you had to go...". I have been feeling so guilty to have left him at the animal hospital the night before he died, that we went home without him, and I wish that I had brought him home instead so he could die with his family around him.... It really hit home, whether it was a sign or not.

 

Also, the feeling of sadness and emptiness had been so overwhelming for those couple of days after he passed, almost like a High Pressure right before a storm, really oppressing. Yesterday the clouds gathered so quickly, they had to announce it over the speakers at work (to give people a heads up in case their car windows were open). I don't think anyone expected a storm. It poured as it's never poured before about 2 minutes later, winds whipping up everything. Strangely, after the storm I felt a bit of relief. It was as if the Angels had been crying with me, sharing in my grief.

 

I hope Buddy knows how much he's missed.

 

Actually, it made me smile because I always loved his feet. I thought they were the cutest things ever and I loved to tickle them and I loved the way they smelled too. You know like Frito's. To me the smell of dog feet is like the smell of puppy breath. It's not necessarily good smelling but it's what it stands for. So every time I sniffed those dog boots I couldn't help but smile and it made me feel better.

 

That really made me laugh!!! I like the smell of paws too! Mmmm.. Fritos.

[tbhounds]

You've been signed Just the fact that you #1 heard that background music at all was no coincidence and #2 that the song meant something to you and you alone-I'm sure that nobody else even payed attention to it at all. It's the little signs that can really hit home--your own personal sign. Buddy knows how much he's missed however, as hard as this might sound I don't think he misses you because to miss someone is not to see or be around that individual---He'll always be around you. Passing does not break the love bond. How's Kristen?

[Guest Kristensmom]

You've been signed Just the fact that you #1 heard that background music at all was no coincidence and #2 that the song meant something to you and you alone-I'm sure that nobody else even payed attention to it at all. It's the little signs that can really hit home--your own personal sign. Buddy knows how much he's missed however, as hard as this might sound I don't think he misses you because to miss someone is not to see or be around that individual---He'll always be around you. Passing does not break the love bond. How's Kristen?

 

 

I do hope he's here with us,-- it's just so hard not to be able to pet him, give him kisses, treat him to his favorite snack, all those things he used to appreciate.

 

Kristen is doing a little bit better I think. I've been making a point of spending more quality time with her, bringing her to my son's baseball game, going for walks, etc. Buddy was the alpha dog, so I guess she just doesn't know what to do now. She has spent a lot of time in the breezeway these last couple of days, which used to be his "territory". I guess she tries to fill his shoes the best she can. We all feel a little bit lost after he has been gone.