My First Dog 's Death

There is one loss in my life that affected many aspects of my life for many years, the divorce of my parents. I was in barley entering the first grade and the tender age of five, soon to turn six, when my parents spent their last night as a married couple. I do not have many memories of my parents as a couple but I do remember the day my Daddy left. He was a policeman and I watched as his cruiser drove away from our family home. I remember my mom crying and not being willing to console me or explain to me what was happening. All I knew is there was a fight, my dad left, it seemed different than other times when he left, and my mom was crying. Everything about my life changed in the blink of a five year old’s eyes which is what makes this loss so significant in my life.

When my families first Portuguese Water Dog, superb Sonoma, passed away, it was one of the most downcast days in my life. Sonoma was hard to replace, she was joyful, trustworthy, obedient, and just about the most wonderful dog you could ever meet. Sonoma lived a peaceful but much too short, ten year old life. Right up until the end of her life she was one of the most healthiest dogs around, so when a tumor burst in her pancreas it took our family by utter surprise. By the time we got to the Animal hospital, which had the unmistakable scent of sterile hallways and stale air, it was unfortunately too late to save our precious Sonoma. Which left our whole family with what felt like massive stone rocks in the pits our stomachs. While our family was melancholy about Sonoma's death it was also bittersweet. It was bitter of course, because you never realize what you have until it's gone. The sweet part of Sonoma's passing was that this end of something, was also the beginning to a new puppy, a new puppies life, and a new friend.

When I was a child, I dreamt about being a doctor helping others. I knew at the early age of 7 that I wanted to make a difference in others’ lives. After the death of my mother in 1999, I slowly changed my mind about what I wanted to do with my life. I told myself that I would do whatever it took to help bring justice for families that go through what I went through with the death of my mother. As I was going through college I realized that criminal justice wasn’t for me after working in the field. I sat there one day wondering what I would do next and I realized I have a passion for helping others; and I love babies, so why not use that to my advantage. That is how I ended up here at Southern Careers Institute pursuing a career in the

“My Glioblastoma is going to kill me, I’ve discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it’s a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying. There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal. I want to live, I wish there was a cure for my disease, but there’s not.”

Laying on the bed very still, my mother and I were slowly becoming aware of his fate. Pros: He had already experienced an amazing life that contained priceless memories. His old age was also taking a toll on him, as crawling out of bed each morning was exhausting. Cons: I had known him for as long as I can could remember. Every road trip, every bike ride, he had been right by my side. Just letting him go was hard. I could feel the saltiness of my tears stinging my cheeks as they cascaded down my face, but a decision was imminent. I told him he was a good boy one last time, and while the vet injected the poison, I watched my closest family members tail slowly wag for the last time.

We all lose someone we love at one point. I lost my elderly, sluggish, heavy yellow lab. But even though there were a lot of negative aspects about him, I still loved him. And I found it hard to get over his death and move on. My dog was a part of my family, my brother, my companion.

This book helps with coping with the loss of a dog, and moving on. A little girl pines for a dog, and so her parents get her one, which is a black and white mixed breed names Lulu. The little girl’s mother and father teacher her how to care for her new best friend. Over the years Lulu and her young master become the best of friends having all sorts of fun. Over the years, though Lulu gets older and older until she’s so old that they cannot have the fun times they once had. Lulu gets older and sicker and passes away. Some time has passed and the young girl get’s a puppy. She finds room in her heart for Lulu and her new

This is not a dying dog story, rather a dying cat story. When I was about 15 my little sister adopted a little kitten named “faithful”. At the beginning, I actually kind of liked the little thing. I remember holding it and thinking how cute it was. I hoped it would stay that way forever. Unfortunately, it did not. I learned at a very early age that kittens grow up into evil cats. God bless you if you are a cat lover, but I just do not have that spiritual gift. I digress; when the cat grew up I was outside playing catch with my dog, but this particular time I was using a tennis ball and bat. I would throw it on the ground and then wait for it to bounce and then hit it with a bat. I was doing this for a solid 5 to 10 minutes when my sister’s

Grief is like weather. Some days are cold, wet and stormy, while the other days are bright warm and sunny. Today like most days its storming. I lost my heart, my life, my boyfriend to five bullets 1,327 days ago. Not only have I lost all hope but I forgot how to love so deep. Experiencing the passing of my boyfriend was never easy. I knew the love was always true from all the wonderful times we had, to the phone calls, until the funeral. I knew he was always the one who had my back. Dealing with the death of my boyfriend Dante’ was never easy but his spirit presence helps to persevere though life daily challenges.

On the way home my dad was telling me that she wouldn’t eat, drink and she couldn’t even get up to relieve herself. He said that she had completely given up. Depressing huh? Well when we got home I could not think of anything else to do but lay down next to her. After about ten minutes of being with her my dad said my mom was on her way home and when she got home we would take Malea to the vet to put her down. For the first time in my life, I never wanted my mom to come home. As sad as I was, inside I knew that it was better to put her down then let her suffer all because I wanted her.

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

Last year in December was the best month ever. After my first dog died, I always begged my parents for a dog. I was sure at one point we will have a dog. My parents always thought about getting another dog, but never decided. I became mournful about the situation. Until one day we were at Pets Smart to look of cat food. We bumped into a lady who my mom works with. My mother who is certainly very outgoing started to talk to her for a long time. She asked us what we would think about adopting a dog. On that day, I did not know that a few years later that dog will make me the responsible person I am today.

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 looked at my dog and made eye contact with his large brown eyes. Time seemed to slow down as I read his eyes like an open book. I still remember the look today, while I was laying on the couch next to him. It was the most terrifying sight I’ve ever seen. My dog, my best friend, and the only thing to trust me with everything calmly could show that he had accepted death. For me though he was still could wagging his tail for us. The night I saw this was October 22nd at 8:02 PM. This dog changed my entire perspective on life. He was a dog that could instantly make a room bloom as a flower would, but with joy. He loved life and those around him and that caused us to love him so much.

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