My Dearest Cliffy,

Since you were taken from us on 1/2/05 my heart feels empty. I walk into the house and am devastated that I am not met by your friendly greeting. You always had that tail wagging and happy little bark that I will never forget. You were with me through some of the toughest times of my life and when it felt like no one else in the world cared I always knew you did. Our 9 years together just seem way too short. I will always miss you. I hope that you found peace in crossing over and no more suffering. I will always be with you as I know you will always be with me. You were the best little Lhasa in the world and you'll be in my heart forever.

Until we meet again,
Love,
Mom

Dear Cliffy's Mom-

I'm so sorry for your loss of Cliffy. Your letter to Cliffy was very sweet. Nine years isn't long enough.
Please come back and tell us more about Cliffy. Share your thoughts and feelings...it really does help with grieving.

Take care,
Kathleen

I am so very sorry for the loss of your sweet little Cliffy. Please come and talk with us. We all know the pain and the total devastation of losing our furbabies. It cannot erase the pain but it sure helps to talk about our babies and find comfort from one another. Thinking of you.
Ann

Thanks to all for your support and kind words.

Cliffy was left on my doorstep as a very young puppy. He was so cute and I had to feed him with an eyedropper for the first few weeks. He rapidly grew into an adorable 20 lb. Lhasa/Mix with a heart full of spirit. When I married my current husband, Cliffy was sure to let him know who the boss of our home was. In fact. my husband was actually a little afraid of him at first! That didn't last long and they fast became best play-fighting buddies. My husband could just look at him a certain way and Cliffy would growl at him then shower him with kisses. One thing I really miss are my hugs from Cliffy, I could say "huggie,huggie" and he would cuddle my neck then give me kisses--I'll never forget that.

Cliffy was doing well for a 9 year old until the week before Thanksgiving when he began having trouble breathing. We took him to the vet and they said his heart was at least twice the size it should be and that he had a major heart murmur. They gave us all kinds of medicines to help, and it did help for a few weeks but on 1/2/05 the breathing became so bad that we had to make the decision to let him go rather than to keep going thru this every few weeks. I hope I made the right decision. I just couldn't stand to see him suffer anymore and he did seem ready to go.

Does anyone have any advice on helping my other dog-Joey-with the grieving process? He and Cliffy were best buddies and Joey just seems so very sad since Cliffy left us. I have tried to keep him occupied but he just lays down alot and stares off into space like he is so lost. I have two other dogs (Maggie and Bailey) but they seem pretty oblivious to the whole thing so they're not a lot of help.

Thanks again for your support. It does help some to talk about my baby.

Cliffysmom

The story of how you found Cliffy is so touching. The fact that you nursed him with an eye dropper must've created an amazing bond between the two of you. It's amazing Cliffy even let your husband move in.

As far as taking care of your grieving dog...my vet recommended something called "Rescue Remedy" for my cat that started pulling her fur out after Shiloh died. "RR" is a herbal anti-anxiety liquid. It's sold in all natural food stores. It's actually a people drug. My vet recommended putting a few drops in the water bowl for her. My kitty is doing better...so maybe it helped.

You continue to be in my thoughts.
Kathleen

What a heart warming story of when you received Cliffy. Like Kathleen stated, you must have had the strongest bond ever! How caring of you to provide him with such a good home.

I know that only time will ease your pain, but like others have stated, writing your feelings to people that understand can be very comforting.

When we lost our precious Rachael, our 3 year old male was suddenly "alone" for the first time. He seemed to grieve for a few weeks, but we were sure to provide him with lots of love. Over time, he seemed to be himself again. After a few months, we got a new puppy. It happened after I started watching him sit and just stare at the neighbors dog all the time. It just broke my heart. However, you have other furbabies, so that wouldn't solve your problem. I think Kathleen's idea sounds great!

Cheri