The Rainbow Bridge
Jun 26 '00
One of my dogs died yesterday. It was fast and unexpected; one second she was there, the next she wasn't. If you can ever say any way is a good way to die, fast and unexpected is a good way. She was having a good day, and then she died.
Sugar was a good dog. Everyone who knew her loved her. She was sweet and gentle and loved to have fun. She was about eleven years old and we had her since 1991. We never knew exactly how old she was since she was a rescue dog, but she was about 2 years old when we got her, so we fixed her birthday at Christmas Day, 1989.
I am lucky; my family and friends are very supportive of me. They know that, for me, the loss of a dog is akin to the loss of a child. Even my boss, when I called in sick to work today knew I would be incapable of working today after such a devastating loss. Many people are not so lucky. Many people, if you tell them your pet died, will say something similar to "It was just a dog, you can get another". Or, even worse, "What's the big deal, it was only a dog, it's not like it was a person". To me, Sugar was a person, and a better one than many human people out there.
There are support groups available online if your own personal support group is not so supportive. Although mine is supportive, I have still taken advantage of the resources available to me these past 24 hours.
For those of you not familiar with it, The Rainbow Bridge is a poem about what happens to pets after they die. It is a beautiful piece, and is of great comfort to those of us in my position. It is posted many, many places online. Here is one URL:
http://www.petloss.com
This site also has many, many other resources for those suffering from this particular sort of grief. There are links to Grief Support message boards and chat rooms, offline phone numbers and a variety of support web sites. There are many helpful articles onsite, including poetry and stories and Rainbow Bridge links. There are articles about how to deal with your grief and guilt, and there is also a list of helpful books for those who are bereaved in this manner. You can post tributes to your pet here (sometimes it helps to talk about it, and if those around you don't care to listen, this can be a valuable cathartic tool).
This site also promotes the Candle Ceremony. Every Monday night, around the world, bereaved pet owners light a candle at the same time, and say some words in tribute to their pet. Although at first glance, this seems like a religious ceremony, in actuality it is not, and would be a suitable tribute for people of any, or no, religious faith. It is a ceremony of love and loss and remembrance, which are feelings that touch all people, regardless of religious affiliation.
Not being one of those people who can be a stoic, or buckle down, or pull myself up by my bootstraps, I have found this site to be of immense help to me at this time. Today is Monday. Tonight at 8 o'clock MDT, my mother and I will be lighting a candle for Sugar, and for Thomas, and Fang, and Snowshoes, and Hendrix and all the other dogs and cats that were once members of our families, and that are still loved. If you have been, or are, in this position, we hope you'll join us.
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The proceeds from this review will all be donated to Petloss.com, which is a one man effort, run from his home. Thank you for reading.
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sherrylee
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Location: Kalispell, Montana
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Qui me amat, amet et canum meum-St. Bernard, 1150
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