Essay : The Hardest Goodbye

Then, we had decided to get a new pet to honour our old one and continue to have great memories with our new pet. It is taught to me and Nomi that losing someone so close to us, can affect us as much as losing our own

I was awaken by my mothers frantic crying. Immediatly I broke down because I already knew what that meant. My grandpa was no longer living. We rushed to hospice were his cold lifeless body was still laying in the hospital bed. Walking into that room was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. The moment we stepped into the door our family members were all circled around the hospital bed and all that was heard was weeping and crying. My mother was clearly affected the most by his death because she was the definition of a daddy’s girl. When she saw him laying there she instantly brroke down and rushed to his bedside and began talking to him as if he was alive. I remember her repeadtly saying “ I love you Wedaddy”. The look on my mothers face broke my heart. She had always been the light in a dark room. She was always the person that found a way to put a smile on everyones face. I had never seen her like this and it frightened me. Looking at my garndpa lay there lifeless and realizing I would never be able to get one of his famous hugs hurt

Upon arriving at the house I was greeted by an adorable little Labrador/Pit-bull mix she was very energetic and

Two years ago, I adopted a dog. Barkley was a gift for my daughter, but he has become a big part of my life as well. Barkley is a long-haired chihuahua, just under 9 pounds. Even though he is small, he has stolen a big part of my heart. Having this little dog in the house has filled my life with companionship, unconditional love, and gives my daughter and me something to bond over.

Maxie came into our lives November 20th, 2013. My sister found her on the side of the road. My dad told us that we couldn’t keep her because we already had too many dogs. We put up signs and uploaded posts on facebook asking if she was anyone’s dog. No one claimed her and she began to grow on everyone. Before long, she was a part of our family. We all loved her and couldn’t imagine our household without her. She was this little blessing that found her way into our house and I will forever be thankful to whoever’s dog she was, for allowing us have two years of joy with her.

Tears rolled like liquid glass down my cheeks. I had so many really good memories with Traveler. I realized that love, no matter how much it hurts, is always worth it in memory. Traveler, my happy, loving dog, was gone, but he would’ve still wanted me to be happy. He will always be in my heart, and I think he would have been glad to know all the wonderful things he did, touching the lives of others, even in death.

On her fourth birthday, she received her first pet. It was a black female lab that she named “Scooby” after her favorite television character. She loved this dog and all the puppies the dog brought into her world. In fact, she even blessed her friends and caring families with Scooby’s offsprings. She cherished every day with this dog until sixteen years later when Scooby died of old age.

"He's a magnificent, amazingly prepared pooch," Grannan said. "He plays with my child, he's incredible with the family and he's in this way, so sweet."

"It's OK. Everything is going to be OK." Kind words I never wanted to hear. I had never been in love with such creatures . My three cats would dry up my tears and make my stomach hurt for laughing too much because of their mischievousness. All I can remember about that day are memories I had with my cats leaving me when I saw them for the last time.

My mom kept saying "I have got to go see Fran. I need to see with my brother" My mom ran down stairs to get ready to go, I followed her and just stood there, still paralyzed. She hugged me and said that she loved me. I had never seen my mom so panicked. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and I could still hear her sobbing through the door. I was all by myself, now. I was standing in the middle of the family room as the words "He is dead" pierced my heart like daggers of ice. I was screaming OH, GOD NO, and started to cry uncontrollably. The realization that I would never see my uncle again struck me. After I got myself under control I went and packed my things to leave with my mother. As soon as we were done we were on the next flight to New Jersey.

Everyone at one point in their life experiences some sort of loss. Once you bring a pet into your home, they become part of the family. The unconditional love that you receive from them is the best thing ever. Like a child, you raise them, train them, and no matter what, they will always be a loyal, loving part of your family. So, the death of a pet, for some, can be a traumatic experience. You have so many feelings of loss and emptiness that is unexplainable unless you have gone through it

She is gone but she would want everyone to life to the fullest. Don’t take anything or anyone for

I can still remember vividly the day my mother passed away. My mother passed away at a critical point in my life when I was seventeen years old from a short term illness. She was sick for a week and I remember thinking this could be serious, however, my mother declined to go to the hospital because of the distance and financial hardship. I had loss my father when I was three years old, so my mother was a single mother. I have step sisters and brother, but I was not particularly close to them. Losing my mother was a defining moment in my life for it changed my life irrevocably. I was devastated, but I had to become strong, proactive and it spurred me to choose a new career path.

Among the saddest truths about this lifetime is this: A dog’s life is significantly shorter than a human’s life. I said goodbye to my beloved Miniature Schnauzer, Samson, on March 26th, 2017. He was ten years old. It is an opinion to say that losing a pet is like losing a member of the family. The fact is, though, it is an understatement. Dogs are unique in their own ways. As it is said, “Grief is the price you pay for love.” And I paid a heavy priced that day.

I remember when I was 11 years old and my dog, Happy, was sick with cancer. Since the moment we rescued Happy he was the sweetest, most energetic pet I had ever seen. He remained this way over the many years that we had him, hence, his name. I remember the day we decided it was time to let go. We took Happy to the veterinarian clinic and were taken into a little room. All four of us, my brother, my parents, and I, huddled around Happy as he was lying on the counter. The veterinarian gave us some time to spend with him alone and say our goodbyes. When she returned she asked if we were ready and gave him an injection that would take him away from this world forever. Happy was euthanized due to his illness. As terribly