The emotional Rollercoaster After a Dog’s death

On the first night after my canine Baxter died, I felt sad and tired. but there were two other emotions I didn’t expect: calm and surprised. To be much more accurate, I was amazed by how calm my mind was.

Baxter had been sick for months. For the last two weeks of his life, he had been very, very sick.

I fed him by syringe, picked him up when he didn’t have the strength to get up himself, slept on the living room couch when he didn’t come to his bed in the bedroom, and been with him (or organized to have someone with him) constantly.

I had been hyper-focused on him. and I didn’t realize how much I had been listening, viewing and thinking about him until I wasn’t.

That quiet in my mind was a substantial relief.

Dog owners experience an emotional rollercoaster after a dog’s death. sorrow and loss are the first that come to mind, but there are numerous much more beyond sadness and tears.

I’m Julia, and I write frequently for That Mutt. I’m also a blogger over at home on 129 Acres.

Feeling relief After a canine Dies

When a pet is sick, as Baxter was, their death may bring some relief. relief that your canine isn’t suffering anymore. but also relief that you don’t have to care for him.

Taking care of Baxter those last few weeks was all-consuming. I had done it willingly, and I would have continued if I thought he was still enjoying his life or if there had been a chance he would recover. but it was stressful. I miss my dog, absolutely, but when he died I was relieved that I wasn’t in that anxious, hyper-vigilant state anymore.

Baxter

Loneliness After a canine Dies

Dogs are our companions. For Baxter and me, that implied every night after I put our daughter to bed, it was just us. He wasn’t a terrific conversationalist, but he listened without judgment and was someone to speak with when the house was quiet.

Ellie and Baxter

Even if you don’t speak with your dog, their presence can be a comfort. Seeing them curled up beside you, listening to them pad along the floor, or having them nudge your hand when they want a pet is part of our routine. We have distinct relationships with our dogs and we can feel lonely when they’re not with us.

Disruption in routine After a canine Dies – emotional Rollercoaster

Dogs are part of our daily lives. Their deaths cause changes in our routines. In the days right away following Baxter’s death, I would catch myself listening for him or I’d wake up in the morning and think about letting him outside, only to realize he wasn’t there.

The most significant change for me was our afternoon walks. I loved walking out over our fields with Baxter every day. connecting with nature, our farm and our canine recharged me.

Baxter

Baxter’s death changed that. I don’t have to opt for a walk anymore. I still go outside and walk practically every day, but in some cases I get caught up in work or whatever our daughter wants to do and don’t take this time for myself.

When I do make it out, the walks feel different without our furry golden boy.

It can take time to adjust to your new life without your dog, and the change can feel unpleasant for awhile. It’s an emotional rollercoaster after a dog’s death, for sure.

Feeling freedom After a canine Dies

It has now been practically 9 months because Baxter’s death. I miss having a canine in my life. but there is a part of me that is enjoying some of the freedom of not having a dog.

At the end of the night, I can just go to bed. I don’t have to put on a coat and shoes and take the canine outside. I can leave home during the day and not view the clock thinking I have to be home to take the canine for a walk.

But… then we go to a canine friendly store and I see someone there with their canine and wish we were too. Or we opt for a hike and I think making time for daily walks would be no big deal.

Feeling Guilty After a canine Dies

That feeling of freedom may result in feelings of guilt for some canine owners. I can’t say that guilt is something I’ve felt much with Bax, but taking care of a sick canine takes a lot of time.

Lindsay (the owner of this blog) shared that after her canine Ace’s death, she felt guilty. Not guilty about Ace’s death but guilty for feeling “free” from taking care of him.

“Suddenly I had two extra hours in my day not caring for him and it was both heartbreaking and freeing,” she said.

As

“It took a couple of hours a day to get him outside for his potty breaks, attempt a very, very slow walk, to give him his medications anD pentru a vă asigura că a mâncat ceva. Mi-a plăcut să am grijă de Ace și o să o fac din nou într-o bătăi de inimă. Dar când a murit, m-am simțit vinovat pentru că eram total liber de această responsabilitate.

Ea a spus, de asemenea, că a fost încântată de ocazia de a petrece mult mai mult timp cu câinele ei mai mic, Remy. A fost o mulțime de a împărți timpul între îngrijire pentru o canină senior și formarea unui tânăr. Acum, ea a avut dintr-o dată tot timpul să-și petreacă exercitarea și să-i antreneze câinele mai mic. Puteți citi mult mai multe despre aceste emoții aici.

Distracție cu un nou rollercoaster canin – emoțional continuă

Timpul liber nu se aplică, desigur, dacă adăugați o nouă canină familiei dvs. cel mai bine. Sau puteți avea deja o altă canină în gospodăria dvs.

În cazul prietenului meu, un catelus de la Basset Hound a venit în timpul ultimelor lor câteva săptămâni ale câinelui. Catelul a adus o nouă încântare familiei lor – inclusiv câinele lor original – chiar când s-au luptat cu declinul său.

“N-am planificat niciodată o canină” înlocuire “în timp ce era în viață, dar ne-a găsit și asta a făcut ultimele două săptămâni mult mai pline de viață”, spune ea.

Chiar de la început, cei doi câini s-au îndreptat. Canina mai veche a găsit o nouă energie pentru a juca și a urmări, și când avea nevoie de o odihnă, catelul a dormit lângă el.

Un alt câine, fie că este nou sau deja parte din pachetul dvs., poate aduce fericire și confort atunci când suferiți pierderea câinelui tău.

De ce pierde o canină atât de dureroasă?

O canină este o parte esențială a familiei tale. El umple un rol pe care nimeni altcineva nu îl poate. La fel ca fiecare canină este un individ, fiecare experimentează moartea și tristețe în felul nostru. Sentimentele tale sunt ale tale și sper că poți să-ți accepți emoțiile, oricare ar fi, pe măsură ce treceți prin acest timp provocator.

Care sunt unele dintre emoțiile pe care le-ați experimentat după moartea unui animal de companie?

Ați descrie moartea unui animal de companie ca un rollercoaster emoțional?

Spuneți-ne în comentarii.

Articole similare:

Letter la revedere pentru Baxter
Spunând la revedere unui vechi canin vechi (punctul Nancy)
Când catelul meu mi-a spus la revedere câinelui meu vechi

Julia Preston scrie pentru acea mutt despre comportamentul și antrenamentul canin, câinii de lucru și viața pe ferma ei din Ontario, Canada. Are un amestec dulce dulce, numit Baxter. Ea este, de asemenea, un blogger acasă pe 129 de acri, unde scrie despre aventurile ei de renovare a țării și DIY.