Finding your happy place: When you lose a dog like her, how do you move through the grief process?
How do you handle the loss of a family member? Is the grief made easier because they are a four-legged canine family member well into their golden years? How long until you stop crying at inopportune moments, like in the middle of the post office? How do you move away from the pain and closer to the happy memories you made together? I honestly don’t know the answers to these questions except that I believe it’s a personal journey, and also something I feel everyone should be able to safely discuss here.
After letting our dog go recently, besides our weekly promotion of adoptable senior dogs, you may have noticed that I took a couple of weeks away from writing and posting about life and dogs. I needed the space and time to begin the process of absorbing Cleo's absence. As you may have noticed, she's a very big dog with an equally big personality.
I'm hopeful about coming out of this grief, though I can't honestly say what shape I will be in. But, as a someone who feels compelled to share this journey on these pages and across Grouchy Puppy, I encourage anyone who has questions, needs a place to safely vent, or whose own experiences with pet loss garnered lessons that you'd like to pass along, to join us here.
I believe the benefits from sharing personal stories outweighs any possible embarrassment, especially here. If you've followed my blog musings I'm sure you have read some of my awkward confessions around life with a big dog in the city. I know there are positive lessons to be learned from Cleo's life and her passing, I only need a little help finding out what they are.
How do you honor the love you shared with your dog without blubbering like a baby every day? When can you look at their photo and only see the funny happy times? Why does the pain from the loss still hurt so much when you knew from the start that they're a dog, and was destined to be outlived by you?
Searching for that happy place
Join me on this journey to finding a place that allows each of us to toast and celebrate our beloved canine family who has gone on ahead, without fear of betrayal or worry over becoming lost in grief.