http://www.care2.com/greenliving/losing-a-beloved-pet.html
Losing a Beloved Pet
Kinsey had dropped dead in the backyard. As I sat and read the words in the email from my client, I couldn’t believe it. I saw the message entitled Kinsey, and thought perhaps she had experienced another seizure. I should have noticed the time - just after midnight - a clue that something was wrong.
As I stared at the screen, my usually calm demeanor felt a shock wave go through it. Kinsey had a pacemaker. She wasn’t supposed to collapse and die. It seemed like an eternity before I could get up and call her guardian. After a morning of sadness, talking with her cardiology group, and shifting from a veterinary to a spiritual perspective, I knew that as in every beloved pet’s death, it was time.
Many people don’t understand the emotion surrounding a pet’s death. Our friends mean well when they tell us to go out and get another dog or cat. But we know it’s not that simple. We have to grieve the part of us that’s gone. Many clients have told me that they grieved more over the loss of their pet then over a human relative’s death. They talk about the guilt they feel from these emotions. From a spiritual perspective, those humans were loved, but they weren’t part of them. They weren’t on this earth to walk life’s journey with them. Their animals were.
All our pets teach us something as they travel through life with us. Sometimes the journey is difficult; sometimes it’s nothing but joy. In either case, their passing can create a grief that takes us to our knees.
Many veterinary schools have grief counselors and pet loss support groups. These caring professionals and volunteers have an understanding of the human-animal bond, and can guide us through the grief process. If your loss is overwhelming, or you would like to talk about your beloved pet, reach out to someone who has experience with human-animal relationships.
And don’t hesitate to reach out to your pet. Sound strange? Science tells us that matter is neither created nor destroyed; it only changes form. All of life is energy, and your pet hasn’t gone anywhere. His physical presence has shifted to a different vibration. Your spiritual paths together are still intact, but you can’t experience this new part of the journey together unless you know it exists.
You may want to try this simple exercise. Think of your beloved pet, and open your heart. Feel the joy of her life, or the grief caused by her loss. While experiencing this feeling, ask for greater understanding. It may take time, but if you continue this process, the wisdom of the situation will come through.
A word of warning is in order. Pure grief is a positive energy state created by the loss of something precious to us. It is not: why did this happen to me or what did everyone, including myself, do wrong? It is not blame. Those thoughts are coming from a negative place. Having said that, you may want to ask for clarity surrounding them. They can illuminate other areas of your life that are being influenced by these beliefs.
Negative thoughts don’t connect us to the help that’s available. On the contrary, they block it from finding us, and create more drama in our lives. So, bringing awareness to these negative emotions is one more way your pet can help you create a more joyful life — even in his absence.
Today is dedicated to Kinsey, whose joyful tail wags and slobbery kisses taught us all about staying positive in the midst of life’s challenges. I thank you for being you, and for all you have taught us.
Dr. Susan Wagner is a board certified veterinary neurologist whose pioneering work acknowledges the bioenergetic interaction between people and animals. She is an advocate for change in the area of interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, and works toward a greater understanding surrounding the health implications of the human-animal bond.
Residing in Worthington OH, she is an active public speaker in the areas of energy theory and healing, spirituality, and the human-animal bond. She especially enjoys teaching about the spiritual nature of animals. Dr. Wagner is published in several peer-reviewed journals. She is also co-author of Through A Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health and Behavior of Your Canine Companion, and was research director for the Through A Dog’s Ear CD series. Dr. Wagner is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University Veterinary College, and a Level IV Healing Touch for Animals practitioner.
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129 comments
add your comment »as a result of the severed spinal cord, I made the correct decision to humanly put her out of her misery. A dog in the wild who had this type of injury would be left for dead and other animals would have killed her. I could not put her through the surgery that might or might not have work and then after 3 months of solitary confinement we could begin physical therapy. She lived 12 full and wonderful years and did survive spinal surgery to remove a tumor last year, but the prognosis was different. I will grieve for my loved one for a very long time and there is a hole in my heart that I can never explain...but not for one minute do I think I made the wrong decision to end her life, quietly, without pain, and with me kissing and loving her as she slipped away.
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Hey Steve, learn how to spell MURDER- not muder. I am sure as my beloved Athena lay on the examine table, unable to move from
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Remember the Terry Shivo Case People?? Well I became EXTREMELY UPSET about it and I CRIED over it quite a lot!! ESPECIALLY when I heard that She DIED!! I CRIED non-stop for SIX HOURS after I heard that She Died!!!
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I Very Strongly DISAGREE with You Roberta M!! And I DID show sympathy towards some People he're!! Putting an Animal to "sleep"just because that Animal is physically Disabled is HIGHLY UNETHICAL and is MUDER ant THAT is something that I feel EXTREMELY STRONGLY ABOUT!!!! And I have had quite a few Friends that we're Physically Disabled too! When Physically Disabled People look beond the're Disabilaty and focos instead on what the're abilaties are and what they ARE capable of,they can get quite a lot of enjoyment out of Life no matter HOW extreme the're physical disabilaty is!!! I had a good Friend Who was PARALIZED FROM THE NECK DOWN and HE got a lot of enjoyment out of Life and had a wonderful sense of Humor as well!
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Stephen L. You are making a mountain out of a molehill. People are entitled to their opinions, just as you want to be. This is a place where pet lovers have come to mourn their pet's passing and you should show a little sympathy.
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And another thing! I will CRY whenever I Damn-Well FEEL like it and NONE of You have ANY SAY in the matter or ANY CONTROL over it eather!!!! And I am SAYING THIS with the Utmost Seriousness too!!
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LIFE IS A SACRED GIFT AND SHOULD DAMN-WELL BE TREATED AS SUCH!!! So why don't You all just GROW UP and realize how Precious LIFE is!!!! I think that You are all being EXTREMELY SELFISH!!!!!
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And I am NOT reffering to People dragging the're Pets around in CARTS eather!! I am reffering to a Pet version of a Weelchair!! A cart that keeps the Animals back leggs elevated so the He or She can get around on His or Her front legs! It's just a common sense thing!An Animal should NOT be put down just because He or She is Physically Disabled!To do so would be HIGHLY UNETHICAL!!And would also be MUDER!!!
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Stephen Hawkings is a HUMAN BEING Shelley B!!!!!You CANNOT just let a HUMAN BEING DIE!!! ESPECIALLY one that is as INTELLIGENT AS STEPHEN HAWKINGS!!! Stephen Hawkings is one of the MOST Intelligent People Who EVER LIVED!!!!
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Thanks for your warm advice Michelle M. I think it is wise and it is very appreciated. I've seen people drag their dogs around in carts and it seems they keep the dog alive more for themselves than for the dog. I do intend to keep my JRT Jake alive for as long as he still wants to eat and can get up. I know there will be a point when his quality of life will be so bad that he won't want to be around any more.
I think the comparison to Stephen Hawking is bizarre!
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