Losing My Furry Friend Was Tough

To some people a dog is just a dog. A cat is just a cat. To others they are their whole world. They give you a warm welcome whenever you come home, are always there for a hug, give you their undivided attention and never answer back! Most importantly, they give you a sense of purpose. You feel needed, you feel wanted… you feel loved.

They can be the thing that gets you up in the morning, brings a smile on your face and makes life seem worthwhile. When you have a pet, you are never alone. They need your care, they fill your time, and they often demand your attention!

Losing a pet can be absolutely devastating and change so much about our daily lives. Perhaps you no longer go for walks and miss the daily chats with other dog walkers. You may feel lonely, how many of us tell our pets things we would never tell to another person? They are often our best friend, our confidante, our soul mate. They are a huge loss.

Coco

Last year I lost my gorgeous dog, Coco. A delightful little bundle of chocolate fur, who had been my constant companion since eight weeks old. She was 14, and thankfully seemed just like a puppy until just a few weeks before she died. But her loss was devastating. I lived by the beach, which was full of dog walkers. I couldn’t bear it, so I stopped going out. For the first time in my life I felt lonely.

‘Get a dog’ everyone said, as if she could just be replaced. I know they were well meaning, but it was tough at my age. I felt too old to get a puppy, and I was moving around a lot, which would not have been good for a rescue dog.

Most people are supportive if you lose a family member or friend, but many don’t realise the effect losing a pet can have. Within a few days or weeks, others forget the animal even existed… but you don’t.

What Choices Do We Have?

So, what to do? Well, if you know that a puppy would be cared for if anything happened to you, getting one could be a good option. Or if you feel you are settled and experienced enough to take on a rescue dog, this could be the perfect solution. Giving a home to a dog that needs all that love you have inside you is a wonderful choice.

In my case, I couldn’t think of anyone, friend or relative, who would be a good option to care for a dog or a cat, and the idea of my pet being in a rehoming centre, or worse, filled me with horror.

I thought about fostering a dog, but knew how quickly I could fall in love, and was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep it if I wanted to. I considered dog sitting or dog walking but an injury to my knee kept me cautious. I could walk reasonably well, but I didn’t want to take on the task of walking other people’s dogs, perhaps several times a day.

My Solution

So, one day, armed with a shovel, I went into my garden and dug a small pond. I put it under the shade of a lovely tree (that didn’t lose its leaves) and surrounded it with beautiful plants, rocks and pebbles. I filled it with water and a few days later went to my local pet store and bought my wonderful new pets. Four little goldfish (well not quite gold, but you get my meaning!), called Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo.

Every day I would go out and sit by the pond, and each fish would come up as if to say, ‘Good Morning’ (more likely, ‘Feed me!’). I had my breakfast by the pond come rain or shine, and it soon came to be my little sanctuary and something I looked forward to each day.

As well as looking beautiful and being a home for my new pets, the pond bought even more life into the garden. Birds would bathe in it, frogs would hop into it and at dusk, bats would swoop down and take a drink. I saw butterflies, pond skaters, bumble bees and dragon flies making my garden their home, all because of the tiny pond I had created. It felt wonderful!

The Outcome

Did my fish cuddle me or wag their tales when they saw me? I guess not. But they did listen to me without arguing, they did give me a sense of purpose, and they provided a beautiful spot for me to sit and think about my day, enjoy my surroundings, and relax.

Goldfish may never replace our traditional cat and dog pets. They might not snuggle on our laps, sleep on our beds, or nuzzle us to be stroked, but they do have a lot to offer… and no poop to pick up!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you lost a treasured pet? How did you cope? Did you follow the usual advice of “get another one”? Was it the right choice for you?