Grieving Your Dog---7 Questions Their Loss Brings To Mind

     Dogs are so much a part of the family that when they die dealing with the grief can be difficult. Most owners start to question a lot of things about the time they shared with their pooch. Here are answers to the difficult questions that may be plaguing you.

How can you miss him so much when he never spoke a word? Just their pesence in a room was so soothing even though their were never words. Why is that? How is that possible?

Now that he is gone, we are all too aware of all the sounds we miss--the sound of his paws on the floor, the sound of them going from sitting to lying down, his rapid approach when the lead came out for a walk, or when they heard the rattle of paper or the smell of food that indicated they were going to have a treat.

All of these were constants that made us smile all through the day. When he was around we may not have noticed them, but now that he is gone we are painfully aware of all the sounds and gestures that filled our days.

What was it about him that made me try to be the best person I could be? Good dogs treat their masters like they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. And you'd never convince them otherwise..

Because he was so consistent about greeting us with wagging tail, and sparkling eyes, when we looked at him that goodness was reflected back on us, and somehow made us want to live up to his expectations. He never judged, but simply accepted what we had to offer, and that made us want to do the same.

Did he feel the love I had in my heart for him? Dogs know way more than we often given them credit for knowing. How many times did your dog growl at someone for no apparent reason? There was a reason. And think about all the times he went immediatelyt to a perfect stranger?

Don't ask me how they do it, but they judge character better than we know-it-all humans. So if he wagged his tail when he saw you, you were loved. It's just that simple. It doesn't usually get any more complicated than that.

Did I do all I could to make his life wonderful? If you read past the first sentence of this article, you obviously loved your dog, and put a lot of effort and thought into making his life the best it could be.

How is it possible that he got most of what he wanted without ever speaking? It's all in the eyes. It's all in the sparkling eyes. I don't think anyone fully appreciates this until you've loved a dog. But next time you're in the grocery store take a trip down the aisle where the dog treats are and look at the eyes. You'll be amazed at how unnecessary words really are.

Was euthanizing him the best thing to do? If you had to euthanize your dog, no doubt it was an excruciating decision and experience. But if it was done out of love to spare him from the needless suffering that would surely have come, then the answer is yes. You did the right thing.

Why did he have to die? My daughter asked this question of me when my Dad (her grandfather) died. And since I was struggling with the answer I had her talk to the priest who had baptized her. He told her that dying was just the way things worked. I was struck by the simplicity of the answer.

And even though no one escapes the grim reaper. But it is my greatest hope that when it is my time to go, I will cross over to a place where my three Goldens will come running joyfully to welcome me. I wish the same for you and your dog.