[rockhead]

I lost a heart dog this past September and have had one **** of a time getting back into the swing of things. When Eich was sick and in the days following his death I found solace in this forum every day, sometimes several times a day. It's been almost two months since he passed but it seems like much longer.

It's getting easier to do the little things that used to cause tears, like getting ice from the ice dispenser, walking up to the mailbox, or shutting off the tractor blades; Eich would charge into the kitchen for his icecube whenver he heard the dispenser run, would always accompany me to the mailbox, and came running when he heard the tractor shutting down as he knew I was finished.

I caught myself selecting the lockers in the gym numbered corrosponding to the number of days since his death and forced myself to stop.

There have been random thoughts and some conversation about another dog, but neither of us are anywhere near ready right now. I'm sure it will happen someday... I just can't say when.

Anyway, I thought I'd put this thread up for those of us who just need to check in for one another from time to time. Your comments are welcome.

 

[Ilovealldogs]

I'm so sorry for your loss and can understand your grief. I have lost dogs in the past and I am unfortunately embarking on that journey sooner than I'd like to admit. I have one senior with cancer whose life expectancy can be measured in months and another that is nipping at her heels. It can be overwhelming and devastating. My heart goes out to you and I know that many of us can relate.

 

[sprzybyl]

Cary thoughts and prayers for you... it's rough going! loss can be unimaginably hard to deal with, but glad you can take some comfort here on the forums. i'm sorry for your pain- i cry reading the stories here all the time. I wish i could give him back to you... but sounds like you are doing well by reflecting on the good things he brought to your life!

 

[Keegan62]

It is so hard when you lose a dog that you love more then life....
I know it really sucks

But in his memory and for your well being get another PUPPY
It will help you get through..... Yes you may compare but having another to take care will ease the pain

There are so many good breeders here to get another from or do a RESCUE.... I am so happy I got Jack after Ernie. Ernie was the love of my life so wonderful and so easy to train etc..... And now I have this wild child that I adore he is hilarious and while he can never replace My Ernie he is so great to have

 

[Donna Shenuski]

I wish I had words to help you with your grief and sadness. It is a terrible thing to go through-losing a beloved dog.

I also lost my heart dog to hemangiosarcoma. This was on 6/25/07. The grief was devastating. Beau was not only my 1st gsd but my 1st ever dog. He taught me so much.

A month after his death, I happened to be at the shelter when A/C brought in a young gsd in a humane trap. Bald from the neck down (demodex) and extremely dehydrated, the shelter thought she was feral or just extremely fearful. There seemed to be only one option until I was asked to foster her.

Even though I wasn't emotionally ready, I said yes-how could I not?
Thus began my journey with Duchess, as opposite from Beau as you could imagine. There were many times I thought I was in way over my head but Duchess has made a lot of progress and I love her dearly.

I like to believe that everything happens for a reason, and that Beau left me so I could help Duchess and Duchess could help me.

My wish for you is that Eich points you in the direction of a dog in need.

 

[Chicagocanine]

It's been almost a month since I lost my Ginger and I'm still having a lot of trouble getting anything done... Every time I come up to enter the front door I expect to hear her on the other side.

 

[The Stig]

Hello Cary,

My first Shepherd passed away back in 2001, Mar 28. I still remember everything.

I still hurt when I think about her. I still get that lump in my throat. I still fight the tears back.

I miss her so very much. I talk about her. While I do not compare my Janka to Sarah, I do enjoy seeing the differences and similarities between both Shepherds.

I am not as devastated, but that whole time heals everything saying ... well, my loss and pain are still there. But I will not trade it for the world, because I treasure the wonderful memories she left me with to honour her.

 

[kelso]

Again, so sorry for your loss. Eich was so handsome and thanks for sharing his story and pics.

It took me a whole year to not cry when I thought about or brought up or looked at pics of our old gal. Funny this was posted today as she passed 2 years ago to this day as a matter of fact

Not that it is still not sad, but I think after that year we began to smile and laugh more about Meeka than cry. She was the first dog I had ever lost in my adult life so I had no idea that it was going to be that hard, and so emotional. As wierd as it sounds it really took me by surprise. I am not sure that some of the raw feelings ever go away completely...

Memories do live on forever..we still talk about her all the time

hope you and your family are doing great, and my thoughts are with everyone that has had a tough time with losing their best dog friend recently and in the past.

 

[middleofnowhere]

For me, The pain of their death is intense but it is exceeded by far by the joy of their life. My youngest at 10 is a cancer patient, my eldest at 13 has a bad back and a heart condition. I look at them and smile and laugh mostly. I look at them and I remember good times & how they made me laugh -- dog stories. I look at them and I remember dogs past. I remember their deaths, I remember much more their lifes.

When to get another has varied from dog to dog.

 

[SuzyE]

i lost my youngest dog due to heart failure without warning. this was one of the darkest times of my life. i cried constantly for weeks,i was inconsolable. then we went to the shelter in detroit which is **** on earth. i saw a tiny scared puppy there that looked nothing like the dog that passed, he was so docile. we adopted him and carried him around like a toy for months.he gave me joy again, a reason to get up-now travis is year and half and a joy in my life. he didn't replace cesar who i still miss terribly but he did even out the grief at the time. he needed a home and cesar's loss opened a space. losing cesar was one of the hardest things in my life but life does go on and frankly there are more dogs to love-shelter dogs who need homes,dogs in rescue that need homes, dogs on the street that need homes and believe it or not you end up loving the next one too.

 

[rockhead]

Originally Posted By: kelsoIt took me a whole year to not cry when I thought about or brought up or looked at pics of our old gal.

What brought me to post this thread was a conversation I had with my cousin who knew of Eich's death but did not know the story. I got as far as one week post-op. When I got to the part where I noticed his dramatic loss of stamina, I lost it.

I can see myself going a year before I am able to really talk about it.

I just noticed that this thread got stickied - I am truly humbled and I hope many others find it for relief from what has to be one of the toughest human experiences.

 

[rockhead]

Eich's best dog-friend was a male sable who belongs to a good friend of mine. They were only 6 months apart in age and became fast friends. I was over at 'Romulus's house last night for the first time since losing Eich. I brought him a tennis ball from Eich's collection.

After settling down I tossed Rom the ball. His reaction was unexpected. He caught it, but immediately put it on the ground and sniffed it for a good 15 seconds. He then picked it back up gingerly, unsure, held it for a few seconds, then put it back down and looked at me. He had never hesitated over sharing a toy before. I swear he knew. We ended up playing with the ball all night, and I felt a **** of alot better for the time being. I guess I'll be needed a few more 'playdates' in the future.

 

[rockhead]

Paul drives the garbage truck for my town; he's been picking up my block as long as I've been there. Paul had GSD's in the past and would stop and play with Eich whenever he could, always recalling his beloved female.

This morning I was leaving early and ran in to him. He asked, "How's the 'Big Guy'?", referring to Eich. I gave him the news and felt like I ruined his day. I said "It's been two months and I can still hardly talk about it." Paul said "It's been ten years for me and I can't either", as his eyes watered over.

Is this madness?? I've lost family members haven't felt this lousy. At least seeing others feel the same way makes me feel like less of a mental case.

We had a couple of 60-degree days here this week. During one of them I was walking into the back door at work, thinking what a nice day it was and how I should be outside, when Eich ran past me on the right side and looked up at me with the look on his face he always had after being asked "You want to go in the car?" I actually said 'Hi, Eich' before walking into the building. It was a good thing until I tried to tell Rhonda about it.

Here's to better days ahead....

 

[Mitchooooo]

Hi I lost one too had her for 15 yrs

 

[Mitchooooo]

Hi I lost one too had her for 15 yrs. good news it has been 8yrs, an now i'm getting 2 females dec 10

 

[valb]

This coming March it will be two years since I lost my Tamsen.

It's very silly but I have a bottle of her vitamins in the cupboard
still. When we got new girl Sierra the vitamins would still have
been good and I could have given them to her but I didn't. I
can't seem to throw them out now that they have expired, either.
They are just there in the cupboard and I look at them every morning
when I take my vitamins. Just look, and think. With a big ol' lump
in my throat. I still miss her so very much. Yes, I do think of happy
times sometimes and that's nice but I just mainly miss her.

 

[srfd44-2]

I had my boss, a vet come to my house to put Ringo to sleep 5 years ago. It was peaceful with Ringo's head in my lap the whole time. My husband, who never had a pet growing up until we met, cried as he passed. He told friends that he had cried harder for Ringo then when his own father died.

We now have Kai. He came to us three weeks after Ringo passed. I had been on the computer researching kennels for our new puppy when we were ready. Heidi Theis emailed me a picture of two puppies that she had and if I was interested. I am a big one for " it happens for a reason". I think Ringo and my first shepherd, Czar sent Kai to us knowing our house would not be complete without a shepherd in it.

When the right time comes your house will be filled with another shepherd who will not take the place of your last, but add to the love for the breed. Peace to you all.

 

[shepherdbydesign]

Cary, I'm so sorry for your loss. You will know when you are ready for a new pup to run around your house, but as of now it sounds like you need to recover from the loss. We lost our Ari almost a year ago and there are still thing here that bring tears to us as we have Ari's sister Aspen and she does so many things thing that bring Ari back to us. You will know when its time.

 

[Brightelf]

I agree with Chuck-- take all the time you need, Cary. Eich was so close, and is still so close, to your heart.. as he always will be.

What I learned after my last GSD passed away at age 15:

Be careful listening to others say that they had a "Once in a lifetime dog." It sure is tempting even for me to think this, too, of my departed Chell. But: They are all special, and yes, sometimes one or another is a better "fit" for us, but assigning a designation like a "once in a lifetime" means we can be blinded to the specialness, the depth of devotion, of the next pair of deep brown eyes gazing up at us, trying so hard to guess what we wish of them.

 

[raysmom]

Hi Cary -

I know it's extremely difficult to recover from the loss of a special furkid, and I agree with taking all the time you need to grieve and heal from the loss.

But I also believe there's a time when you just have to come to the realization that the love you had for Eich, and the emotions that you're still feeling over his loss, could be transferred into love toward another dog out there somewhere who is looking for someone just like you.

Believe me, I know all too well the pain of losing a special furkid, as do many of the others here, and I am in no way telling you how to grieve and heal, nor am I suggesting to get another dog to replace Eich - that would be impossible. But you have to know that Eich would not want you to continue to feel so bad - and he knows you'll always love him. He'd likely be very proud to share you with another lucky furkid and would understand. And that new lucky furkid might be looking for you right now and asking for a chance to share your life if you'll let him/her do so.

Take care, Cary.