Just Finished Burying My Best Friend

[Benny]

Bazooka,

My thoughts are with you. I know as do so many of us how the loss of a four-legged family member can rip you apart. It's a horrible, indescribable feeling that no one who has not shared that love can come close to understanding. Yes, I said that you have to have shared that love; See, anyone who owns a dog knows what it is to receive that kind of love... When you can give even some of it back to them, that's a mark of someone special.

I know the Rainbow Bridge story is a tearjerker. I am of the belief that it is so not because it is sad... It's certainly not! but because we are grieving.. because we know that while our friends, our family members such as Zeus are there and are no longer hurting but are once again young, vibrant, and healthy, and for that we are happy, but we are at the same time sad that we can't be a part of that with them, sometimes not for many, many years. We are not sad for them, we are sad for ourselves. We don't know how we're going to go on when those parts of our lives that they filled are no longer filled except with memories. I cried like a baby when I had to put my shepherd down. I'm going to again (hopefully many years from now) when I have to do the same for my mastiff.
The thing about Rainbow Bridge, though, is hope. Rather than sadness because we've reached an ending, we have hope, because we have something to look forward to. There are lots of stories out there about how it's not Heaven if our dogs are not there... I think the reason there's a place for the dogs on THIS side of Rainbow Bridge is that it's not Heaven for THEM unless we're there with them. Their lives are so short...but they never have regrets. They live their lives to the fullest... they cram every second of living that will fit into their lives.. and then they go somewhere to wait for the person who will make their eternity whole for them.

My advice? Don't let Rainbow Bridge make you sad. Be happy for Zeus. Know that he's playing and content... and he'll be waiting, years from now, when you show up to cross with him. Celebrate his memory... Remember the happy times. The sad ones now will slip away in time. You won't stop missing him, but the missing becomes bearable after a while.

Rest in peace, Zeus.

Blessings,
Bill

Thanks for that, Bill

The bold part is especially true. It was, without a doubt, his time and the last thing I'd ever want was for him to suffer. I think I've been in denial this past week, because I knew his time left was short last Thursday when he was playing a little rougher than he should have and his back legs quit working. We made him lay down, gave him a pain pill and were planning on taking him to vet for the inevitable and all of a sudden, he shot up and ran up the stairs and into the house.

At least he got to leave on his terms and not ours or the vet's...For that, I'm very thankful.

Sorry to hear, I can relate...years ago when by brother got ready to go
to Nam, Dad got be a black cocker spanniel, the best huntin dog that was,
an my best friend....She would fight with muskrats, groundhogs an coons, an
I often had to run help her, she would fight to the death an often came out
bloody, she just wouldn't quit!!! Years later I went into the Army an when I came
back from basic, she was a different dog, she aged rapidly while I was gone, an
looked so sad, I swear she had tears in her eyes as she slowly came to me. A few
months later Dad called an said she got into it with a big groundhog in the swamp
an it got her jugler an she bled out. He killed the groundhog but got there too late.
I felt guilt that I had always been there, an this time I wasn't...I was hardcore Infantry...but cried for 3 days. She was 77 in dog years, an her name was "Peppy".
Hang in there.

Sorry to hear about Peppy, but yes, dogs just have that affect on people...If you've never known the unconditional love of a dog, you'd probably read this thread and think we're a bunch of crazy people.

Damn dust is in the air again.


Thanks again to those of you I didn't quote also.