Pet Loss
Losing a loved one can be so painful and at times the grief can feel unbearable. One type of loss that does not always get acknowledged, is pet loss. And at times, this type of loss can almost feel more intense than losing a person. I have thought about that a lot this past year after losing a beloved pet several months ago and wondered why. What about having a pet and losing them feels so devastating?
I know for myself, losing my pet felt like a part of me died. He was my world. My entire day revolved around this furry little creature. I have to make sure he had food and water, make sure I didn’t get home too late to feed him his dinner, make sure I didn’t leave the door open to the downstairs where he could run out into the garage, make sure he was getting enough attention and so on. I woke up thinking about him and went to sleep thinking about him. So, when he died unexpectedly, my days felt incredibly empty. And just as he was my world, I was his and I feel that part was what made it hard to lose him. This little creature was my everything and I was his everything and not having him in my life was soul crushing. He gave me the purest love. He never judged me or criticized me. He just loved me and trusted me to love and care for him.
Our pets in so many ways are helpless and depend on us completely to manage their care and that is no easy task but we do it because we love them. We love them so much that sometimes we’ll push them around in a baby stroller. I didn’t do that because my little guy was too nervous to venture outside but I would have! It’s that sense of responsibility we have toward them that also makes it so hard when we lose them. We are responsible for everything and anything in their lives, so when they die, we feel helpless and wonder did we do enough for them. Did we love them back the way they loved us. In the end we hope that was the case. That they felt our love as we felt their love. Pure, unconditional and eternal.
Pets also just provide us with so much joy and happiness. Their silly antics and behaviors can turn the worst day into a wonderful day. And all they are doing is being themselves. There is no phoniness or pretending when it comes to a pet’s love. They are pure of heart and completely their authentic selves. I remember a many times having a bad day and my pet would do something silly and I would feel a million times better. They are just great and such a gift. I remember a good friend of mine once said, “we don’t deserve them.” And she is so right. We don’t deserve them but we are fortunate to have them in our lives for the time we have them and learn to cherish life through them.
