Coping with Pet Loss: Comfort & Healing Tips

Join me as I share a personal and emotional account of losing our beloved family pet, Foxy. I'll walk you through the journey from her vibrant life to the endearing bond she shared with my daughter, Jasmine, and her transition alongside my father's memory. This episode acknowledges the profound impact of losing a pet and offers solace to those who have experienced or are experiencing similar emotions.

5 Key Lessons:

1. Unconditional Love: Our pets provide unwavering affection and companionship, often becoming integral members of our families.
2. Grieving Together: Sharing the emotions tied to loss with loved ones can help in the healing process and honor the cherished memories.
3. Making Decisions with Compassion: Understand the options available for post-life care for pets to ensure their dignity and respect in their transition.
4. Creating Lasting Memories: Celebrate the life of your pet through photos, videos, and shared stories to keep their spirit alive in your heart.
5. Finding Comfort in Connection: Imagine loved ones in heaven welcoming our pets, offering comfort in the vision of their joyous reunions and shared love.

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Thank you for joining me for this emotional episode. Be sure to tune in next week for a discussion on menopause with Carin Luna-Ostaseki. Until next time, take care.

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🐶 #PetLoss #Grief #Healing #CreateTheBestMe #Family #LosingAFurChild #FurChild 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Personal Loss
• 0:47 Foxy's Life and Bond with Jasmine
• 2:28 Foxy's Health Struggles
• 3:29 The Day Foxy Passed Away
• 4:16 Coping with the Loss
• 5:03 Arrangements and Cremation
• 5:49 Remembering Foxy
• 8:07 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

Transcript

0:05

This episode is very different from my normal content, but I feel like I might not be the only one who may be going through this kind of loss, or perhaps you might have been through this and understand my pain and maybe this loss that I'm going through right now hit me harder because this month, the month of March is the anniversary of my father's death. My father passed away March 4th, 2019, a day after his 72nd birthday. So my father's birthday was just a few days ago, March 3rd, and on March 3rd my daughter's dog and best friend Foxy passed away. Foxy was born on September 29th, 2012. That's exactly three months before Jasmine's birthday. The bond these two had was one that would make your heart melt. I think Foxy knew when the first time she saw my youngest daughter, Jasmine, that this was going to be an amazing friendship. Jasmine does have two older siblings, but one lives in another state and her brother lives an hour away. So growing up with Foxy is as close as Jasmine has come to having a sibling in the house. I think to in today's world, we don't see our pets as pets or as some organizations might refer to them as property. These amazing pets are family members. They may not speak to us in a language that is understandable, but if you've had your pet long enough, you've established ways to understand each other. When you don't feel well or you're frustrated with the world, our amazing pets have an a way of helping us feel better to see the world from a different perspective. And as I always tell my youngest daughter, a dog will always be there for you, even when it's owner is not the best dog owner. Dogs have this unconditional love deep inside them. They're always looking for ways to make your life better and make you feel better. Heck, you can accidentally step on your dog's paw, kick them, yet they have this amazing way of forgiving you and always coming back to make sure you're okay. Foxy had always been a sickly dog who would go through days when she would not eat, and then after several days she'd begin eating again. A few years back we took her to the vet and discussed Foxy's eating situation had been an ongoing thing since she was a puppy, and while you could hear her tummy grumble, there was nothing we could do to make this dog eat. The vet recommended removing seven teeth. She felt Foxy's bad teeth were the root cause of her eating issues. So several thousands of dollars later, Foxy continued to have eating issues. Nothing changed except she was missing seven teeth. About two months ago my husband and I noticed Foxy was acting like an old dog. Both her parents live with us in the home and they don't act like old dogs. Why is Foxy acting old? We just let Foxy be Foxy. Foxy's mom CoCo is the first dog I've ever owned, and she's still alive. So when Foxy passed away, I had no idea what to do or who to call, let alone try to comfort my 12-year-old daughter who lost her best friend and was insistent on going to school. In fact, it didn't hit me until I sent my daughter off to school, and I gave my dogs their treats, that morning. I accidentally grabbed three treats and put one back. Then I looked at the two dogs, CoCo and Teddy. I usually give Foxy her treat first because she looks so cute when she stands up and walks in her hind legs. I always tell Teddy Foxy first and Foxy wasn't there. That's when I realized she was gone and I had no idea what to do. If you've ever been in that situation, or perhaps maybe someday you're in this situation, let me start off by saying, take a breath, because losing a fur child is painful. They're not property, they're family. Secondly, decide if you're going to cremate your pet or bury. In my situation, I knew I had to make a decision really fast because when my daughter returned from school, she would want to know what is going to happen to Foxy. Because Foxy died in her crate and her bowels began to release, I knew I needed to call a service to help me. I knew burying Foxy at a pet cemetery wouldn't be something Jasmine was comfortable with because we'd have to drive out to the cemetery so she could visit Foxy. So I chose to cremate Foxy. I contacted a local service. They came out to my home, carefully, pulled Foxy out of the crate, allowed me to look at her one last time, as they carefully placed her in the van and transported her. The transporter informed me that, they would contact me within eight to 10 business days to arrange dropping off her remains in a pine box. When Jasmine got home from school, she asked her father if he had tossed Foxy in the garbage. Her dad informed her that I arranged to have Foxy cremated and she would be home within a couple of weeks. Jasmine walked into my office and thanked me for caring for her best friend and cannot wait, for her remains to return home to us. It was during that time that I knew I needed to stop what I was doing, and even though I didn't feel like I was emotionally ready to talk about Foxy's death, I knew Jasmine needed it. We talked about what an amazing dog Foxy was and how she used to greet Jasmine at the bottom of the stairs every morning and at the garage door when she arrived home from school. Jasmine told me it didn't feel right to have Foxy not greet her that day when she returned from school. We talked about how Foxy is in a better place because she's no longer suffering from stomach issues she had been dealing with for over 12 years of her life. We talked about how she was the best friend Jasmine could ever have had, even though she's no longer here, the photos, the videos, the memories, and that unconditional love will always live in our hearts. Then I told Jasmine that Grandpa Garcia, my father received the best gift ever, he got Foxy Jasmine's best friend and dog, to keep him company in heaven. Foxy took with her the love you gave her, I'm talking to Jasmine and is sharing that love with grandpa. We both cried, but felt that the tears Jasmine and I shared were tears of sadness, but also happy tears knowing Foxy is hanging out with my father. I feel confident that taking the time to talk with a loved one who is also feeling that same, feeling of loss due to losing a pet is very important because it helps both people to honor and share what that amazing fur family member meant and how she made our lives better with her unconditional love. If you were caring for a sick pet, or your pet suddenly dies and you don't know what to do or you don't know where to start, contact your local veterinarian as they can give you names of services that can help you with options that feel right for you and your family. Again, I know this week's episode is different, but I thought I'd share something our family is currently going through. I hope you enjoyed this episode. It has been very difficult for me to talk about this one. If you'd like additional information or resources, or you just wanna see more pictures of Foxy, you can find them at createthebestme.com/ep106. And if you're like me dealing with common symptoms that come with perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, you have to come back next week as our guest will be Carin Luna-Ostaseki. Who is the founder of Hot or Just Me? She will be here to discuss all the amazing products and tools she's gathered to make your menopause journey more manageable. So you'll have to come back next week. Thank you for joining me during this emotional episode. Catch you next week. Bye for now. You are more than just a pet. You are family. Your love, loyalty, and joy will never be forgotten. Run free, sweet, Foxy.