Yes it's a well trodden path that you are on Azz and you will have to go the distance at your own pace.
You have come to the end of a chapter in your life that has made a big impression on you but it's not the full story.
What the future holds for you in the doggie world who can say!
You don't know what canine buddy may be waiting for you around the corner one day.
Then it all starts all over again.
Time alters many thoughts.
So never say never.

I seem to console myself by cuddling my other animals , when we lost a bunny in september first thing i did after her remains were dealt with was cuddle my remaining bunnies, i took her companion out the cage gave her a cuddle and told her i was sorry.


fortunately i,ve never been present when a dog has been pts my sister went with our retriever and dad with our collie cross but i still cryed when i saw there collars and leads.My parents dog was 7 when he was mauled to death by a badger i was 3 and according to mum i cried myself to sleep for weeks.

I remember having pet dogs whilst growing up and of course they passed. The on ethat really sticks in my mind was Jaikei. I had her from Birmingham Dogs' Home in January 1997 and she was about 12-18 months old. She was fear aggressive towards men, fiercely protective over children and completely loopy.

She was insider my head - she knew what I was thinking and when. I knew what she would do, how she would react to different situations and when. We really were soul mates.

She died on Monday 29th November, 2004 - we think after a heart attack possibly caused by her not eating because of colitis and her muscles (including her heart) gradually getting weaker.
She died in my Dad's arms at his house. I felt so guilty because I was out shopping with my Mom at the time.

My Son, Oscar was only 3 months old when Jaikei died. Although he loves our current dogs to pieces, he kisses Jaikei's photo every night before bed.

It was over 3 years before I considered getting another dog. I knew I wanted one desperatly but couldn't bring myself to get one. I eventually brought Zane home at about 7 weeks old in February 2008.

I think about Jaikei every day. I sometimes think that had she not had colitis and could keep eating, possible sh could even be alive now and had a much longer life. But then I know it was her time to go.

I also know that my dogs will let me know when they've decided it's their time to pass. It's my duty as their owner to help them pass if necessary. Yes it will hurt and I'll feel horribly guilty and sad, but I would feel much worse knowing that I'd selfishly kept a dog alive just to satisfy myself.

Each time I think about this topic, I decide that when I've lost the dogs I have there won't be any more. But I can't live my life without dogs,. It's not normal for me. I cannot live without the norty spark they have, without the mischief, the sneakiness, the silly games they play and the happy-go-lucky attitude they have that I wish more of us had too. So I knwo there will always be dogs in my life - most likely until I can't cope with them. once I get old and can't look after dogs, I will then hopefully enjoy family members' pets.

I lost two dogs last year, although they lived with my dad, it broke my heart.

Tara, my first dog, was my childhood family dog - and I still felt a tremendous bond with her as my mum's dog (my mum died 7 years ago) and my dad and I were heartbroken when she left us, it was right for her to go though, she was 15 and ready. I was incredibly sad, but it felt right, she was an old lady who had a wonderful life with us.

The second dog I lost was on Christmas Eve last year, Taffy dog, he was my stepmother's dog (my dad re-married after my mum passed away) and although I didn't know him as a pup or young dog, I loved him very very much. He was quite a character! I'm still not really at peace with him going, he had a lot of health problems as a young dog which although I didn't see made him very close to his mum. He wasn't old, only 12 and went from being perfectly fine playing in the snow to being put down because of lung cancer a couple of days later. Our hearts broke, and my dad and my stepmother haven't had another dog since, they say they can't go through the heartbreak. I was very upset as he was the reason we chose collies for our family dogs, he was a gent, and I didn't feel the time was right for him, but his body disagreed.

I don't think you ever get over losing a pet or a loved one, it will always take a piece of your heart away with you, it does get easier everyday, and eventually you can look at photos and think about them and smile not cry.

Thinking of all who have lost people and pets xx

When I lost Max 9 years ago to cancer I remember feeling how Azz is feeling if I can't have him I don't want any dog it took me 31/2 years to get over him. He was young just turned 4.

Then came Zanta accidental mating BernerxNewfie and I did everything wrong with her and we didn't gel and she went back to breeder within 8 months to be happily rehomed. That was another blow and set me back.

I got to a point where I knew I needed a dog in my life again and Bernese was the breed which I longed to own. Along came Ollie he had his issues which we now know why. He was a ticking time bomb health wise and we were dealt another cruel blow when he became ill around this time last year and by February 2011 we had to say goodbye to him again 41/2 years old. This time I knew I wouldn't leave it as long at first I looked at rescues but I needed another go with the Bernese before I become too old. It has taken us a long while to reearch breeders wait for end result of mating and we will have our new pup by Christmas.

I still grieve for Ollie terribly some days worse than others a certain song a place we might visit where he had accompanied us sometimes no known reason. It has got a little easier but as with Max the guilt sometimes kicks in and I have to give myself a good talking too that at the end and while they were ill we loved them we tended them we gave them the vet care they needed and in general we looked after them well and gave them plenty of love even before they were ill.

I am worried and will be paranoid for quite a while with new pup but he is our ray of light and hope and I am hoping and I am sure he will heal our wounds.

Losing different dogs has affected me in different ways.

Two that died tragically had me almost collapsed and then not moving from the sofa for 2 weeks.

Losing younger ones from illness left me feeling numb and mentally shattered, always wondering if I could've picked up on things sooner that would've made a difference to the outcome (probably not).

Then there's losing my oldies, you just know that day is going to come and the thought of it can overshadow the enjoyment of their last years, they are so much a part of you.

Losing my Rocky recently brings it all back. The first day I cried myself silly, the 2nd day I ate & drank myself silly! Now it's the numb stage and the unexpected tears when driving or in the supermarket.

For all that I'd still always have dogs despite the pain at the end.

I lost my boy Claude 2 years ago almost to the day and I still miss him bitterly and cry tears for him at unexpected moments. He was my frist rescue dog, a big black greyhound x deerhound lurcher who had had a miserable start to life and was frightened of everything, ate from bins because thats how he used to get his food, and had former breaks in his ribs from abuse that you could feel if you ran your hands down his sides.

I was at medical school when i got him and he saw me through every exam, every break up with a boyfriend, every disaster. He moved house with me, followed me everywhere and rewarded me with pure unconditional love. When i finally graduated he moved the length of the countr with me to my new job.... we were driving for hours and it was a hot day. When we stopped at motorway service stations strangers came up to compliment him for being such a happy looking dog and I was so proud of him.

I was out when he collapsed but my mum was with him and i remember the sick feeling when I looked throught he glass door to the house to see him lying in an odd position on a blanket. I just knew looking at him I'd have to make that awful decision. I remembered promising I'd be with him right to the end the day I got him and now here we were.

He was the first dog I'd actually been with when they were put down, I felt I owed it to him. And bless him he was so trusting as I held his wee head and watched his eyes close, big brown eyes looking up at me as he drifted off. The number of times he'd done that with me in life, just dozed off in my arms. He slept on my pillow every night.
It was the hardest thing and I miss him every day. I look for him in every dog I meet but he is absolutely irreplaceable. After he died I was so sure i could hear him scratching at the door, or running around my feet on a dark morning excited for his walk. The silence without him was unbearable. I've had rescue dogs since... but as much as I love all of them, they will never be Claude. I like to think he's somewhere, waiting...

Tears in my eye's reading these stories, but an important subject, I think!
Mont (husky) was my first dog, I lost him at 7yrs in very tragic circumstances , I went for a nice long walk with him on my day off work..... the afternoon I was burying him........... some
b******** had been putting poisoned meat out ( probably for wolves) and Mont found some)
It took me a long time to get over it and 3yrs later I can still cry, thinking about him. Mont used to come everywhere with me.... he was my constant companion.... and left a huge hole.. I didn't want to go walking in the mountains anymore, it wasn't the same. I made a huge mistake afterward and rushed into getting a another dog.... who turned out to have huge fear aggresion problems, which made loosing Mont even worse, as I went from a dog who I could take anywhere to a dog that I couldn't take anywhere. We didn't keep said dog.
And then I adopted Jed at 3mths. and then Maisie (bc) a year after(altho I've also had heartache with Maisie, when it turned out that she has a serious neurological disorder, that is degenerative)
There is nothing written in stone about grief..... each person handles it in different ways...... for me I only started to get over Mont when I got Jed...... but even now a certain song.... seeing another white husky.. can make me burst into tears.
I decided after that I will always get dogs of different breeds colours, etc, that way I can never compare.
When another dog does come into your life... they don't replace the one you lost............
but they can help you get over the loss.......

It is a devastating experience, and I personally find that it hits me differently each time.

The very worst was when I lost my Hal. The pain inside was so intense I literally felt that I had been kicked in the guts, it was dreadful. What made it worse was that it could have been avoided - he had to be put down - and I shall blame myself for ever more, as I knew my dog better than anyone else and I should have KNOWN that he was not OK, even though the vet said he was.

The best advice I always give is to get another dog if your circumstances allow and you feel "up to it", but if you don't, don't shut yourself away from meeting other dogs - I derived a huge amount of pleasure meeting all Hal's doggy chums in the various pubs we frequent, interacting with the shepherds next door to us, and generally still mixing with dogs and doggie people. It helped me to move on and I never felt I was being disloyal to Hal.

This and having him buried in my garden overlooking the fields where he had had 10 years of joy was a wonderful way to help the healing process along.

Think this is a great idea to share experiences, I am very emotional after reading all your posts because I know the pain you feel.

4 years later I still think about my penny every day,
And every now and then I cry myself to sleep,
At the age of 16 it was time for her to go
16 years together a childhood spent with her,
And a life without her unknown, nobody could of
Wished for a better companion, so faithful and good
Natured, she was beautiful. I never spent a night without
Her, when she got too ill to get up the stairs I slept downstairs.
She looked at me through tired knowing eyes when it was time
For her to go and I told her she had been the best dog and I
Loved her more than anything in the world.
The only thing more unbearable than going in
The vets room with her was the thought of her being there
Without me when they put her too sleep. So I was strong for
Her and I held her so tight in my arms with my head pressed to
Hers as she slipped into another world and mine fell apart.
From my experience the pain doesn't go away you just
Get used to it. Love you my beautiful girl one day we'll be
Together again xxxx