Coping With Pet Loss Grief

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Sep 28, 2008

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “You can never do a kindness to soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” I think he was referring to people in his sentiment, but this weekend his words come to mind as my family morns the loss of our 12-year-old mastiff-shepherd mix, Jake.

We got Jake from an abandoned animal rescue group as a 20-pound pup, and he quickly morphed into a 140-pound gentle giant. Jake embodied the old cliché of man’s best friend; he was the quintessential family companion. Jake wasn’t the sharpest tack in the box, and therefore obedience training was wasted on him, but it didn’t matter: the dog lived to please, and he was easily directed with a stern look or a pointed finger.

Jake was comfortable in any environment. He would sleep on the junky basement couch for hours, but was equally content to lie on a snow bank basking in the winter sun like a polar bear.

Ten days before he died, the vet paid a house call at my request, to assess why Jake was struggling so much to rise. We started him on some arthritis medication, and agreed on a one-month follow-up visit. However, the miasma of melancholy that enveloped him betrayed the dog’s stoicism, and I encouraged my sons to say goodbye on the day he drew his last breath.

I hope Jake enjoyed the kindness we showed him throughout his 12 years in our household. I hope he took comfort in his last meal of homemade pot roast. Finally, I hope that the daffodils I plant in his memory this autumn multiply to fill my garden as his affection and devotion filled our hearts.