Grief-Stricken Dog Owner Asks Online Community How To Move On From Loneliness And Anger Brought By Death Of Their Dog Of Almost 12 Years

Not even a new dog can take the pain away.

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• Published in Interesting
• March 1, 2024

Loving a dog allows you to discover the essence of unconditional love. It is a bond that transcends words.

After losing your pet, it's natural to encounter thoughts and emotions that may seem overwhelming, possibly even prompting feelings of enduring distress. What you're experiencing is the deep ache coming from grief.

It's common to find yourself unexpectedly engulfed in grief following the loss of your dog or even before your beloved companion has departed. This grief is entirely valid, though it may be misunderstood by those around you who might minimize its significance, dismissing it as "it's only a dog."

You may even find yourself echoing these sentiments, attempting to push aside your grief by keeping busy or seeking to expedite its resolution. However, grieving the loss of your dog isn't a process bound by time; it won't simply vanish within a matter of weeks or months.

The bond we share with our canine companions runs deep, often stirring emotions more profound than those experienced even in the loss of a human family member. Accepting this change and navigating through your grief will take the time it requires, honoring the unique connection you shared with your beloved dog.

In today's post, we've compiled responses about dealing with the grief of losing a beloved canine companion. The original poster (OP) owns a dog who passed away.

They were together for nearly 12 years. This is their question:

How long will it take to overcome the grief and anger after the death of my dog of almost 12 years?

Replacing the dog is never the way to go.

Farley was my bfs dog. I didn't even want him but I really didn't even have a choice when he moved in. Farley was about 2 or 3 years old when he moved in with me.

I'm not sure how it happens or when it happens but Farley chose me . He just always wanted to be around me.

He wouldn't even go for a walk unless it was me holding his leash. He waited at the window everyday till I got home.

He was protective of me and it was impossible for me not to fall in love with him.

When my bf and I broke up, he left Farley with me. He said Farley would be unhappy if he took him and he said Farley chose me and there was nothing he could do to change Farleys mind.

3 years after that Farley was about 16 years old. I knew he only had days left so I took a few days off work just to be with him.

I cuddled him and sang to him . I told him what a good boy he was.

It was a Sunday when he passed away in my arms. It's been 4 years now and I still cry over him.

Im tearing up now just thinking about him. I don't think you ever get over it.

You just learn to live with it. I have another dog.

I love her very much . But she couldn't ever replace Farley .

I love her for different reasons. She's my girl.

Just don't try to replace your dog that passed away with another. It doesn't work that way.

The anger may disappear, but the grief probably won't for some people.

A new dog may help, but it has to be time for you to be ready. After losing my last dog, I came home one day to a new puppy.

My wife had gone to the shelter while I was at work. I really wasn’t ready for a new dog, but she was.

It didn’t take me too long to fall in love, probably about two minutes. But I was still grieving my old dog, and still am almost a year after we had to put her down.

It does get better with time, though. Every time I think of her, my heart still aches.

My first dog, he died in 1997, it is different. Most times I think of him it’s good, remembering the good times we had. Once in a while he makes my heart ache, but not often.

The anger will go sooner than the grief. The grief can last for the rest of your life.

It took decades for this person to move on.

When I was 17 my dog Pepper, who was 16 years old, had to be put to sleep when broke her back falling down the stairs trying to follow me to school. I begged my parents and the vet to do something to help her, but they all kept telling me there was nothing they could do and put her to sleep.

I did not have another dog until I was 51 years old because I couldn’t take the heartbreak if something happened to it. I babysat and played with other people’s dogs.

Four years ago my fiancé and I were looking to get a dog and were going to go to a shelter to adopt one. While I was getting dressed my fiancé told me he had to run out to the store for a minute.

He came with two medium sized boxes, one of them had groceries, the other one had a puppy who popped his head out of the closed box when I set it on the table. I INSTANTLY fell in love with my sweet boy Jack.

He will be 4 years old next month.

They thought they couldn't get another dog because of the pain that came with losing their pet.

It is different for many, I suspect. We have lost precious dogs over the years and it n4ver gets easy to put a dog down or watch them drop dead suddenly, as was the case with our last furry family member.

We both shed more tears than you can imagine, but it got easier at l,east within a couple weeks. We could not bear the thought of not having him around, nor could we bring ourselves to taking on another dog and going through it again in the future.

With the belief that their dog would want them to find happiness once more, they found the strength to move forward.

We finally decided that our dog Milo would want us to be happy, so we bit the bullet and found this little guy, as a pup and is now age 5.Milo is the black and white pup in the bottom pic.

The healing process varies from person to person; for some, it may be swift, while for others, it could take years to overcome.

It can take years for some people. Others ‘get over it’ surprisingly quickly.

That's how love works. I can't judge but in the past I've gone and got another puppy a month later because I thought it would help me to move on.

What it did was keep me distracted but I didn't really bond and fall in love with the puppy right away. That still took time and years later, even though I love my current dog, I still choke up a little when I talk in depth about my dog that passed away.

Getting another dog will bring busyness that helps overcome losing the previous dog.

I have lost 4 dogs over the years, and each time, until I could get another one, I was full of grief and bitterness. Having a new dog to bond with & train is a great way of getting over this.

I will always miss my last 4, but now I have number 5, I’m very busy with her- too busy to feel the anguish over the loss of my last one. She gives me so much affection and needs a lot of work to get her settled and trained.

Losing that grief may never come for some people.

Sometimes it never will is an answer,the same as losing your parents you really never get over it but just have to accept these things happen and over time the pain and upset diminishes but thankfully the fond great memories stay with you forever in your 💖.

The grief of losing a canine friend is a pain too deep for a lot of owners. The most important thing is to allow themselves to feel the sadness, to acknowledge it without judgment or rush, and to seek comfort in the memories and the love shared with their beloved companion.

When owners let their emotions flow as they give themselves the space to grieve, they can gradually find solace and healing in the enduring bond they shared with their cherished dog.

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