It's Over, R.I.P my faithful friend Options

[petmum]

oh thankyou shannon they were the exact words I needed right now, thru my tears, thankyou
elaine

[Sammie girl'...]

Elaine,
How was the weekend? Any triggering events? It's been I think 20 days since Buddy died. Sammie has been gone 23 days and I was thinking Buddy was just a few days before. You know what I'm picturing this very moment? Your buddy is running toward Sammie girl and jumping around while they play in the sunshine. And oh look someone tossed a ball and they both are tearing through the field to catch it. I think Buddy got that one Sammie is going to have to get on the ball (LOL). Now, what's that a butterfly. Sammie is jumping up trying to get it she's determined but Buddy knows she won't catch is so he lays watching Sammie and smiling. What fun they are having together. They connected in Heaven because we connected down here. Cool huh? Oh it looks like it's time for a lazy afternoon nap under the shade tree by the running river where they go to get drinks of fresh water. They lie down side by side and both of them take big sighs and drift off to sleep where they are thinking about happy times with us. Hope you are smiling today because Buddy is watching you.
Melanie

[petmum]

thank you so much melanie, u r right it's 20 days today, the weekend was rough for some reason, i love your description of our fur friends playing it was lovely.
i cant believe i'm doing this but tomorrow (and I realised that it will b 21days exactly to the day that Buddy passed), I'm going to an animal shelter bout an hour's drive from my place to meet a golden retriever called Jesse who is 3.5yrs male. I know the pain will still be there over Buddy, it's just that life seems so not right with out a dog around, if Jesse likes me & I like him I'll take the kids nxt time for a meet & greet & see what happens. I've talked to the kids bout getting a new dog & they are just so practical. My husband wld like to wait till after our holidays nxt May b4 we get another fur friend, but to be honest I don't think I wld last that long. I'm not sure this is the right thing to be doing, but I guess I've got to go thru this to find out.......I wouldn't adopt Jesse if it didn't feel right (what ever that means), I just so miss not having Buddy it's still painful.
If u hve any thoughts bout what i'm doing fire them @ me. I thought it wld b months & months b4 I cld even think of getting another dog, but hey....who knows...
elaine

[Sammie girl'...]

Elaine,

I am so proud of you. And I completely understand exactly the thoughts going through your mind. Remember my post about getting the new puppies? I was scared, anxious, nervous, happy, worried and about every other emotion you could think of. Who knew loving an animal would be such an emotional journey. When Sammie died I said I would never (I really didn't mean never just not for a very long time) get another dog b/c it just hurt too much. Then after 3 weeks I started thinking about it with a little help from the kids. You hit the nail on the head. Our homes are just not right with out a dog in them. They bring too much joy and a love we can't get anywhere else in this world to our lives. I missed that so much. Things were just off in my house. The kids were acting lethargic and weren't as happy. I've been miserable. My husband just keeps busy. Hard to put your finger on it but things were just off. It's because Sammie isn't there and Buddy isn't there. We can't bring them back but we can share in that kind of love again with another dog or in my case two. I still cry everyday just not as much and I will miss her everyday of my life as I know you will with Buddy. I think it's ok to find another furkid to love. Sammie and Buddy would want that for us. You aren't replacing Buddy or looking at Jesse and thinking it will be just like Buddy. You are meeting Jesse because you miss the love and companionship that only a dog can give us and I think it is wonderful. You will still miss Buddy even if Jesse is around but I believe Jesse, or any furkid you choose, will give your heart something wonderful to focus on and bring the laughter and joyfulness back into your life just like Buddy did for you when he shared your life. It will be a new adventure and a fun one. I am totally convinced and I believe with every part of my being that Buddy and Sammie can visit this earthly plane and it will give them great comfort to know we are happy again and honoring them by allowing ourselves to give love and feel love from another dog. I hope and pray Jesse works for you or if not that you find another one to love soon. Keep me posted and I'll let you know how it goes after I go get my new little girls on Friday.
Love and prayers to you my friend.
Melanie

[patricia]

i echo everything melanie said. yeah elaine. i know its a hard thing to do, ven just considering another pet is hard, but it will be so healing to your heart. buddy cannot ever be replaced and i am 100% sure that he is smiling down on you.

keep us posted
patricia

[Jay T]

This is what many people feel after a pet passes about getting another one ,it can help beacuse we got so used to caring for them and like want that again,getting a new one dosent have a certain time .but how the person feels about it ,youll know if its the right thing to do at this time, when your there and see how you feel petmum

[havana]

Elaine, understand the way you feel because I was there like many others and I was completly devastated, when my Beloved Buster went up to Heaven a few days after I adopted 5 beautiful Pets from my dear next door neighbor wich past also, she always told me "the day I died please don't let my babys alone and separated] they are two Dogs and three Cats [I kept my promess to her] and now they live here in my house since a year ago when she past on, always here but not as often, Jorge

[petmum]

thank you for your kind words jorge & thankyou for re-assuring your neighbour b4 she passed, what an absolute wonderful human being u r to hve done that for her.
elaine

[petmum]

thx for your encouragement melanie
the visit to the animal shelter went well, i was very anxious, but Jessie was just soooo gorgeous. I'm taking the kids & husband on Sunday. Mind you I was not ready for my husbands reaction. He became very angry that I wld even entertain the idea of another dog & the fact it wasn't a puppy really put him off. It was an awful night, he said outright NO and the kids all lost it and our eldest girl became very angry. (poor thing didn't sleep last night & looked very haggard this morning). It was very stressful, I told my husband that I'm not able to care for a puppy now & wld prefer an older dog (even though he will need training too, come to think of it maybe husband training? hehe). My poor husband just thinks it's got disaster written all over the whole issue of an older dog. All of which of course I've thought upon too. At the moment we have a free ranging chicken "nessa" who lives with us and the person @ the shelter said that Jessie wld definately chase it. I get that but don't believe that Jessie wld b to interested, I reckon as soon as Nessa squawked & flapped around Jessie wld go & hide, having said that I believe that if Jessie did chase Nessa @ first it's quite possible to train him to be more respectful so to speak. Anyway the emotional rollercoaster is in full swing over here, pray for us all that after Sunday things will be better, whether we bring Jessie home with us or not.......man, life sure is unpredictable @ times....guess it's just so we dont become complacent.
elaine

[patricia]

i will pray for you and jessie too she sounds like he has already captured a piece of your heart. there is power in numbers right? after all there is only one husband but more than one child + wife that said, whatever happens , i will pray that its the best for you and your family. keep us posted.

patricia

[petmum]

thx for your prayers patricia they sure are needed.
yes jessie did capture my heart as you so sweetly put it u r so right bout safety in numbers. i find it somewhat amusing that my husband has his say but of course we (me & the kids & of course most of us here too) now who will be doing all the care of any animal we get or already have. i'm trying to keep an open mind about jessie. i'm surprised that i cld even think of another dog right now, a puppy I know i'm not ready for as my own kids keep me busy, for some reason the thought of an older (tho 3.5yrs is still a puppy to me really only just bigger in size & hopefully a bit better @ the toiletting side of things) sits really well with me, I feel I'm ready for an other fur companion but a small puppy just doesn't feel right. if we didn't hve kids & a chook (australian slang for chicken) I wld hve taken Jessie, but of course life isn't always easy as we all know. i will keep u all posted on the up coming w/e, just hve lots of tissues (another aussie slang word, this means kleenexes) @ the ready incase my husband becomes an immovable monolith or perhaps Jessie wont cope with the kids.....i'm just keeping my heart in line as welcoming another fur companion is far more complicated that I realised.
elaine