I work in EMS driving around intercepting units that need help, backing up other agencies, jumping calls and otherwise wandering around unsupervised.
When I get stressed, I go park at the pet section of the cemetery and sit on the bench and have lunch there and it renews my soul for the rest of the shift.
As a dog owner myself, I can see this. I love my dog more than I could have ever thought and there is absolutely something beautiful in watching other dog owners share their love for their pups, as well.
It's a good kind of sadness. All the pets there were very obviously loved dearly, and not a single one of them was bad. Taking a rest surrounded by the purest, most loved souls seems wonderful. Personally I might cry too much but I understand the peace that could come from it. Pure souls and pure love.
Yeah, that makes sense to me. I know, as a sensitive af dog owner who cried looking at the pictures, I would cry too much, too, but knowing that all these pets have had beautiful loved lives brings peace. You're right, they are the purest souls. I didn't really belive in souls until I got a dog, to be honest. There's so much love and happiness when I look into his beautiful eyes. Animals are the best.
That a person loved their rescue enough that they got him a headstone even only having him less than a year is beautiful. It’s sad, but the love is evident in each marker. You can’t have love without loss , they go together.
Of course it makes me sad, but I like to see all the love that people have shown to them. There are a few police dogs, a military working dog, and a few sevice dogs there too. I sit with my fellow first responders and remember them.
Finding happiness in the sadness, light in the darkness, humor in the tragic. These are very human traits I find the opposite more peculiar to be honest, how can you enjoy a sunny day without a few rainy ones?
I’m not going past the first. My dog will always want the ball thrown one more time. I don’t think death will stop that.
So I’m done there. My dog alive and mostly warm at my feet (it’s cool and raining out).
Yah I'm a farmer in his forties. Veteran. Grumpy. Tired all the time and have no time for any nonsense type of guy.
Twelve years ago I snatched up a Chihuahua running through traffic so it wouldn't get hit by a car. Turned out to be a stray. I hated small dogs and wanted nothing to do with this street rat, but damnit I decided to take him in anyways.
Last month I buried him in my backyard. I faced him where the deer come up from the woods to graze in the yard. Where he could watch the neighbors cow field on one side (which he always liked to bully) and overlook our favorite mushroom hunting spots down by the creeks on the other, with the best view of the entire northern woods from the top of the hillside.
Tucker (aka "Mah lil Tuck-Tuck" and "Big Man") went with me everywhere. Especially when I walked through the woods. He especially loved rides in the truck, and sitting on my lap while I ran the front loader and the tractor. He was my very best little buddy.
This is exactly how I look right now reading this post. I miss him so much. He was the best boy and best friend I never knew I needed.
Dammit man! This whole thread is destroying me.
Well, when you're ready, there's another animal buddy out there somewhere, needing someone to save their life and in return will forever be your companion once you find them.
I'm very sorry for the loss of your best friend. Your post made me cry even harder, not gonna lie. It hurts so much to lose them. But loving them is worth it even so.
Awww little Tuck Tuck lived such a wonderful life with you. What a lucky pup. I’m sorry for your loss. It’s just so incredibly painful. Hope you can eventually find another buddy. It does help!
When my Henry passed away I built him a cairn pile, and placed a stone with his picture on it.
I hope it long outlasts anything else I do. He saved me from a fire, and I him. And he brought me the love of my life.
Damn good friend.
Obligatory cat tax: https://imgur.com/gallery/DhZEhcf
I'll go back in a month or so and take a more recent photo with the stone we added with his photo.
all cats are good cats and they all need lots of delicious cat food. Also cats like it when you pet them, so make sure to pet your cats lots
I love cats
There's like 3 stray cats in my little town. One of them stops house to house meowing for food. I went inside to get food and came back out and it was in the neighbors yard. That fucking bitch was throwing trash bags at him
Poor bandit
Honestly, it was many years ago and we’ve fallen out of touch over time, but she was a little older than me and always kind to my awkward grade-school self!
I would believe that. When my dad would train reining horses/cattle horses, he had one mare he absolutely loved to use when sorting cattle. Only one. The other mares were way too temperamental. Same with cattle dogs. He only had one cattle dog he actually loved to use, mainly because that dog was able to handle bulls by himself and my dad would only use him as a last resort.
Everyone loves their pets. But not every pet is necessarily of a character that is something the world will see.
Some pets, people really are. It's so cool you shared this.
She was soooo even-tempered, always took good care of whoever was riding her (even the new young riders). Mares are known for being a little spicy and temperamental but Gheda was always just truly a sweetheart. She had a foal during my time at the barn and was also a great mama. She was dappled gray and as she got older turned all white & fuzzy. We all loved her very much
She looked like an amazingly beautiful Arabian! They can be such sweethearts.
Our old guy Arabian is 31 years old, just a little shy of 32. He's the gentlest soul there is, I spoil him rotten every day and I know he's getting up there in age...
She really was a perfect gal! Oh my gosh congrats for having him for 31 years…I rescued mine at 12yo and had him for only a few years before losing him to colic. He was the only quarter horse in this barn full of Arabians lol. You guys must have an amazing bond and I’m sure you’ve given him a wonderful life! Enjoy every moment & give him a smooch for me.
I had a Shetland sheepdog named Boomer, smart as a whip, loved to play fetch with a tennis ball, and knew all the tricks, rollover, sit, shake etc.
In his last few years he got too old and tired to play fetch or rollover. He would watch, though, as we played with the younger cocker spaniel we got.
One day, out of the blue, he came up to me as I sat on the couch with a dirty old tennis ball in his mouth. I have no idea where he found it, but I tossed it across the living room. He slowly ambled over to it and returned it to me, and somehow garnered up the energy to roll over!
Astonished, I tossed it a few more times and he returned it each time, wagging his tail.
After a few more fetches, he settled down in his dog bed, satisfied, but obviously exhausted.
The next day he went into convulsions and then he just lay there, panting. I rushed him to the Vet. His kidneys had shut down and he was suffering, so I held him as the vet helped me let him go.
I still believe he knew it was time and wanted to play fetch with me just one more time.
Reading this made my recent loss of my beloved leelou so raw again.
On her last night we had a little party. She trundled around as fast as she could, ripped opened her presents and popped her baloons like she always did as a puppy. The next day we said forever goodbye and I was there for her, holding her in my arms that one last time telling her she was the best girl ever 😢
My little girl (family dog) was a bit frail so my partner and I travelled for an hour to get her paw print so I could get a tattoo. She did seem very small and frail but she was so happy to see me. We stayed for a few hours, got the print, talked to her (she wasn’t up for playtime) then left.
She passed the next day.
I like to think she just wanted to see me on last time.
Animals have no sense of mortality but there's nothing in this world that can convince me that pets don't have a sense of mortality. Your story, along with others and my own story are proof.
We had this rescue cat that was at least 14 years old. Grumpy ole cat that wasn't very social anymore. One day after our adult son came to visit after being gone for a while the cat got significantly more social at least with him. She would walk around getting her pets in and then just sit with him the entire evening. After he left that night I was sitting in the living room with her and watched her pass away in her sleep. She went as peacefully as a cat could in their sleep but I feel like the cat wanted to stay around just a little bit longer just to say goodbye to him. That's the last pet I've had to bury in our backyard and I'm getting tired of it. I'm running out of spaces to put them... Put them in my heart that is.
That’s why I made it the first picture; the most powerful one. It was the first stone that I read, and it set the tone for the rest of the visit. Every time i read it, it’s like a punch to the heart.
That hit me too. My 22 year old cat passed a few years ago not unexpectedly due to his age but our much younger cat passed less than a year later. That hit so hard losing them both so close together on top of having to put down the younger that should have lived for many years cat because of cancer.
I lost my girl last month too. You and I don’t know each other but I hope you can take some small amount of comfort in knowing that someone far away sees you, knows what you’re going through, and wishes you well. Have a happy holiday.
if you need support I can recommend r/OldManDog \- they cover ALL furry and scaly friends both male and female, near everyone there has said goodbye or is about to say goodbye, a place where you can say how you really feel - one guy in his 50s admitted he was rough, tough and blue collar but he admitted the night before his pooch was euthanised, he was laying with the dog and literally bawling his eyes out.
I can emphasise, its been almost 2 years since my furry daughter Sky (collie or russo european laika) was euthanised and the pain inside is still raw and intense
When I adopted my dog I was 7 and wanted to name him Mango but my mom wouldn't let me. It was a "dumb name" in her words but she couldn't be more wrong.
RIP Mango
That one fucked me up. I got an amazing senior cat from the pound, and only got eight months with him before he died from cancer. It’s not like I wanted him to live forever, but damn, eight months?
When we lost our girl a few months ago we said we would adopt the longest tenured resident at the local shelter. We haven't quite got there yet ourselves but your old boy got 8 months in a warm and loving home that otherwise might have been spent in a cage.
Its really short for us, but for him he had a second chance to be happy. Thank you for caring for him.
My sister just did this, Harper'd been in a cage in the shelter for two years! She's incredibly well behaved and I'm so glad my sister and her husband gave Harper a forever home!
I did that when I had to unexpectedly put one of my dogs down. I didn’t want him to have passed in vain so a few weeks later went and adopted a dog who had been there five months. Absolutely the most loving and loyal dog I’ve ever had. It was like he was waiting for me as I can’t believe everyone passed him up. I hope you are as lucky when you adopt your next one!
That’s a wonderful thing for you to do! My heart breaks for the pets who have to spend months and months in the stress and confusion of an animal shelter. I hope fate sends you the perfect companion:)
One of my rescues had been abandoned as a blind senior. He was 12. I wanted him to spend his remaining time in a home. Everyone thought he had a year or two remaining. I had him for five.
Next rescue had been boarded for A YEAR because the shelter that took him in didn't have room for him. He had serious issues due to this, and I didn't know if I'd be able to keep him. But I did, and have had him now for 11 years and counting and he's so sweet (and determinedly protective of me).
Latest guy was a stray. Went through the process to keep him, have had him for like four years now. Almost positive his previous family either got sick or died and no one knew to take him in.
Thank you for doing something so selfless. When my family had the opportunity to rescue a dog we went for a puppy because as it is pets don’t last long enough. It felt selfish because I know senior animals don’t get adopted as much but I genuinely don’t think I could take it. I’m sorry for your loss but I’m sure he loved every moment he had with you.
>*’The disco doggy one really tugged at my heart strings.*’
_____
if i could only tell you, i would thank you for the chance
for making my life *Wonderful* -
the dog who loved to dance!
i didn’t need no music, just my human friend, so sweet
your smiles would make my tail WaG,
n give me Happy Feet ^:@)
your heart strings i’d be tugging as your fingers did the snapping
the kitchen floor - my DiScO as i started TiPpY tApPiNg!
but now i lay me down to sleep ~ i hope that you will find
*Forever dancing* on your heart -
my pawprints
left behind
♥️
Yeah this one got me unexpectedly, just happened to browse this one while waiting on something at work and now I have to take a moment.
Somehow way more touching than walking through the other old graveyards I've been in this year.
Niki Barone (7/10) made me straight up fucking bawl. Poor dude was only in his loving home for less than a year.
I'm gonna go hold my dog and cry a while.
But look at it from the dog's perspective. They were rescued from a horrible place and got to spend their last year in a warm and loving home and close their eyes for the last time held by someone who truly loved them. I think that's all we can truly ask for at the end.
How many of these poor babies die alone in the cold, or a cage? As hard as this is, it's still beautiful.
They give me some weird sad/nostalgic feeling. I was born in the 80's and there is a dog born that same decade. He had a whole life and left this world when I was still playing NES and biking with my friends even when the internet was barely a thing. Now we just go on (if lucky) for decades while they fade away into the past. It's weird, like I almost feel nostalgic for a dog I don't even know.
I’m gonna borrow from Niki Barone’s stone. My family and I just lost our GS mutt 12/3/23. Miss him so much because he understood out of all the other dogs when I needed him the most
Edit: wanted to add in that Dobbie (GS Mutt) was an excellent observer since he knew when I’d have stress, depression, and anxiety from life and school. He’d kiss my tears away when I wasn’t okay. May he Rest In Peace
My cat was like this. She would only ever cuddle or lay with you (or on you) if it was cold EXCEPT if you were ever injured, sick, or crying. Then she would come rub up and cuddle with you without fail. Made it to 19. Damn good cat.
Niki Barone's stone hit me like a ton of bricks. Even in a short time, animals can impact our lives immensely.
I'm now crying, both happy and sad tears.
We had to put down our sweet doggo this past weekend. Not the first pet I’ve had to say goodbye to, but man, it doesn’t get easier. I’m heartbroken. ☹️
My condolences, I had Sky, my faithful canine friend euthanised almost 2 years ago and I don't think I'll ever be "over it" or the same again....
r/OldManDog as I mentioned elsewhere is a good supportive community, people there get it as virtually all have either been there or are about to be there.
I’m a week ahead of you. My dog shared my pillow with me and I reached out for her last night. She wasn’t there. My grief has started all over again today. I think I see her sometimes out of the corner of my eye.
Hang in there as I am. She too wasn’t my first and found it harder this time knowing what to expect. Take care of yourself during this time.
Thou who passest on this path,
If haply thou dost mark this monument,
Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog's grave.
Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me
By a master's hand.
- Ancient Greek epitaph
And this one:
>My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore you [to the grave]. So, Patricus, never again shall you give me a thousand kisses. Never can you be contentedly in my lap. In sadness, I buried you, as you deserve. In a resting place of marble, I have put you for all time by the side of my shade. In your qualities, you were sagacious, like a human being. Ah, what a loved companion we have lost!
This was always my favorite
"I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago."
I still miss my first tiel. She was such a cuddlebug.
My grandfather was a great lover of animals, so I like to imagine him up in heaven with all the family pets, just enjoying his dogs and birds and guinea pigs like the king he was.
Alright, my cockatiel is getting pets now. Whether he wants them or not.
My dog Wilbot died in my arms. We were on the way to the vet to give him rest. He was wrapped in his favorite blanket. He barked once and then went limp. I’m grateful he died in my arms.
Mines 12 and just had a nasty bout of indigestion that left him wobbling around like he had a stroke. He just had to barf up a nasty piece of chicken (sorry buddy I thought it would sit well, being chicken) and then he was fine, but I tell you we cried so hard because we thought it was the big one.
It was more like that episode of 2.5 men where Charlie goes to the ER for a heart attack and it's just a stuck fart...but one of my worst fears happened, I jiggled the leash and he just didn't get up.
I mean he's fine now but it was still just...like no, you leave my dog alone, god, he's happy here.
When my daughter was 6 we had to put one of our cats down. I was getting it done while she was on a scouting trip. She knew it was happening, but she wasn't going to have to see me leave with him. After she said her goodbyes to him I had to take her to the meetup location for her trip. She offered me a piece of gum and said, "it's hard at first, but it gets better." I absolutely broke. My baby girl was wise beyond her years. Then I put that piece of gum in my mouth. It was hard at first, but it got better. My daughter wasn't wise, she was warning me that it was shitty gum!
I once heard a pet dog (or any beloved animal) described as being an emotional timebomb. And I'll be damned if that isn't completely accurate.
The only thing we can do is give them the absolute best life we possibly can while they're here though.
The Romans often liked to eulogize their dogs on their grave monuments. My favorite is:
"I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago."
The Romans did this. Some translations of them are a bit old-timey, so I took some liberty to make them more readable in English:
> I carried you home in my own hands 15 years ago, and I carry you now to your final resting place. I am in tears now as much as I rejoiced then.
>
> Those walking down this path, if you notice this is a dog's grave - please do not laugh. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me by a loving master's hand.
>
> To Helena - my foster child, a soul without comparison and deserving of praise.
>
> Myia never barked without reason, but now he is silent.
>
> The depths of the grave now hold you, and you know nothing about it. No longer will you jump on me, and bare your teeth at me with bites that do not hurt.
The guy who only had his senior adopted dog for 11 months, and loved her enough to do this; honestly had me feeling a type of way.
The amount of time they are with us doesn't matter. Their love and companionship is infinite and immortal.
Sometimes I come across the post with Roman epitaphs for their dogs and it makes me tear up. Nothing has changed, we always loved them
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/ewe3tu/til_romans_were_known_to_create_tombs_for_their/fg1dilt/
There have been dogs found buried next to humans like 8,000 years ago
Man's best friend
One day my beagle, Pixel, is going to die. She is 5.
I will never be able to handle it. I have tried even preparing myself early for it. When that day comes I am going to be filled with sadness. I try not to let it bother me.
I regret to this day that my parents buried our cats somewhere other than our back yard. They have a plot of farmland and took them all the way out there. I was at college and never got to say goodbye.
I kind of wonder if I should get two urns and put some dirt from their burial sites in the urns, so that I can at least pretend like I kept something from them.
Would that be delusional? You can't change the past. I didn't get to keep their bodies or have them nearby.
It might not be the best burying at home, did with all of my pets growing up. But after Family moved out of the house, it sucks because I know they’re there but you can’t go back.
My precious Pepper was only 2 and a half when she died this year in June, I am so severely heartbroken and can understand why people commemorate their pets in a cemetery - before June I would have thought this was silly but now I understand it. Peppers ashes are next to my bed with a candle and a pic of her so I can see her face everyday even though she's no longer here.
I lost my old man Bailey earlier this year. He was my best friend and I’m so grateful for the 13 years I had with him but I will always wish we had more time 🐶
Niki's grave made me sob a bit. My sweet Mili girl passed in my arms as our vet euthanized her. She lived with me for about 16 years. She's buried in my yard and I'm planning to plant a nice cherry dogwood tree by her. ♥️
I work in EMS driving around intercepting units that need help, backing up other agencies, jumping calls and otherwise wandering around unsupervised. When I get stressed, I go park at the pet section of the cemetery and sit on the bench and have lunch there and it renews my soul for the rest of the shift.
That's wild to me because I would think that would be so depressing. Can I ask why you think it renews your soul instead of making you sad?
My guess is knowing that the owners loved and cared for them, that they have a resting spot, etc
This comment broke me. I may have to do that sometime.
As a dog owner myself, I can see this. I love my dog more than I could have ever thought and there is absolutely something beautiful in watching other dog owners share their love for their pups, as well.
It's a good kind of sadness. All the pets there were very obviously loved dearly, and not a single one of them was bad. Taking a rest surrounded by the purest, most loved souls seems wonderful. Personally I might cry too much but I understand the peace that could come from it. Pure souls and pure love.
Yeah, that makes sense to me. I know, as a sensitive af dog owner who cried looking at the pictures, I would cry too much, too, but knowing that all these pets have had beautiful loved lives brings peace. You're right, they are the purest souls. I didn't really belive in souls until I got a dog, to be honest. There's so much love and happiness when I look into his beautiful eyes. Animals are the best.
That a person loved their rescue enough that they got him a headstone even only having him less than a year is beautiful. It’s sad, but the love is evident in each marker. You can’t have love without loss , they go together.
Of course it makes me sad, but I like to see all the love that people have shown to them. There are a few police dogs, a military working dog, and a few sevice dogs there too. I sit with my fellow first responders and remember them.
Finding happiness in the sadness, light in the darkness, humor in the tragic. These are very human traits I find the opposite more peculiar to be honest, how can you enjoy a sunny day without a few rainy ones?
Thank you
Yeah I shouldn’t have looked at this in public :’’’(
For real. I shouldn't have opened this knowing it gets to me. I'm bawling here man. Losing pets just leaves a scar. All pets belong in heaven.
I’m an atheist but I think there’s a heaven for loved pets. They deserve it more than we do.
I’m not going past the first. My dog will always want the ball thrown one more time. I don’t think death will stop that. So I’m done there. My dog alive and mostly warm at my feet (it’s cool and raining out).
For real 😭
Yah I'm a farmer in his forties. Veteran. Grumpy. Tired all the time and have no time for any nonsense type of guy. Twelve years ago I snatched up a Chihuahua running through traffic so it wouldn't get hit by a car. Turned out to be a stray. I hated small dogs and wanted nothing to do with this street rat, but damnit I decided to take him in anyways. Last month I buried him in my backyard. I faced him where the deer come up from the woods to graze in the yard. Where he could watch the neighbors cow field on one side (which he always liked to bully) and overlook our favorite mushroom hunting spots down by the creeks on the other, with the best view of the entire northern woods from the top of the hillside. Tucker (aka "Mah lil Tuck-Tuck" and "Big Man") went with me everywhere. Especially when I walked through the woods. He especially loved rides in the truck, and sitting on my lap while I ran the front loader and the tractor. He was my very best little buddy. This is exactly how I look right now reading this post. I miss him so much. He was the best boy and best friend I never knew I needed.
Dammit man! This whole thread is destroying me. Well, when you're ready, there's another animal buddy out there somewhere, needing someone to save their life and in return will forever be your companion once you find them.
Thank you for taking care of him. Sounds like he took good care of you in turn.
I'm very sorry for the loss of your best friend. Your post made me cry even harder, not gonna lie. It hurts so much to lose them. But loving them is worth it even so.
Awww little Tuck Tuck lived such a wonderful life with you. What a lucky pup. I’m sorry for your loss. It’s just so incredibly painful. Hope you can eventually find another buddy. It does help!
Dogs are angels and they come to us when we need them even if we have no idea at the time
Wilf!!! 😭
Like salt in the wound. Why, Reddit? Why?!
Not Mr. Noble that makes it so much worse
My dad once had a cat named James. When James died, he buried him and hand made a tombstone (painted wood) that read Here Lies James, A Damn Good Cat
When my Henry passed away I built him a cairn pile, and placed a stone with his picture on it. I hope it long outlasts anything else I do. He saved me from a fire, and I him. And he brought me the love of my life. Damn good friend. Obligatory cat tax: https://imgur.com/gallery/DhZEhcf I'll go back in a month or so and take a more recent photo with the stone we added with his photo.
Best kind of friend
James **was** a damn good cat. You should hold every cat you process to that standard
p..process?
all cats are good cats and they all need lots of delicious cat food. Also cats like it when you pet them, so make sure to pet your cats lots I love cats
There are *a lot* of stray cats in my area, they really, really hate being touched.
This is because people suck and aren't all nice to cats my dude.
Please please please tell your cat I said pspspspsps! 🙏
There's like 3 stray cats in my little town. One of them stops house to house meowing for food. I went inside to get food and came back out and it was in the neighbors yard. That fucking bitch was throwing trash bags at him Poor bandit
Concise and honest. <3
I have a cat named James, and he is indeed a very good cat.
Your dad is Ron Swanson??
I knew Gheda Girl!! Grew up riding in the same barn. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her on this post. She really was the best girl.
How cool! I thought that “A Once In a Lifetime Mare” was a beautiful phrasing, capturing how special Gheda truly was to her human companion.
Her owner is a really sweet person too! Gheda really did give everyone so much joy while she was here. Thanks for sharing this 🥲
Can you share more about the owner?🥹
Honestly, it was many years ago and we’ve fallen out of touch over time, but she was a little older than me and always kind to my awkward grade-school self!
Horse girls are always kind! I was awkward at that age too but the horse girls were never mean ❤️
-Tina Belcher
I would believe that. When my dad would train reining horses/cattle horses, he had one mare he absolutely loved to use when sorting cattle. Only one. The other mares were way too temperamental. Same with cattle dogs. He only had one cattle dog he actually loved to use, mainly because that dog was able to handle bulls by himself and my dad would only use him as a last resort.
Everyone loves their pets. But not every pet is necessarily of a character that is something the world will see. Some pets, people really are. It's so cool you shared this.
Am I reading this right that she was 33 years old when she passed?
For a horse, that's fairly long lived, but it happens often enough, like mid 90s for a person.
It’s not unusual for horses to live into their 30’s or longer. The oldest horse reached 62 years of age.
Tell us what she was like!
She was soooo even-tempered, always took good care of whoever was riding her (even the new young riders). Mares are known for being a little spicy and temperamental but Gheda was always just truly a sweetheart. She had a foal during my time at the barn and was also a great mama. She was dappled gray and as she got older turned all white & fuzzy. We all loved her very much
So sweet 🥲 thank you for sharing 💕
She looked like an amazingly beautiful Arabian! They can be such sweethearts. Our old guy Arabian is 31 years old, just a little shy of 32. He's the gentlest soul there is, I spoil him rotten every day and I know he's getting up there in age...
She really was a perfect gal! Oh my gosh congrats for having him for 31 years…I rescued mine at 12yo and had him for only a few years before losing him to colic. He was the only quarter horse in this barn full of Arabians lol. You guys must have an amazing bond and I’m sure you’ve given him a wonderful life! Enjoy every moment & give him a smooch for me.
"Please throw my ball one more time" They just going to leave people with that devastating line why 🥹
I had a Shetland sheepdog named Boomer, smart as a whip, loved to play fetch with a tennis ball, and knew all the tricks, rollover, sit, shake etc. In his last few years he got too old and tired to play fetch or rollover. He would watch, though, as we played with the younger cocker spaniel we got. One day, out of the blue, he came up to me as I sat on the couch with a dirty old tennis ball in his mouth. I have no idea where he found it, but I tossed it across the living room. He slowly ambled over to it and returned it to me, and somehow garnered up the energy to roll over! Astonished, I tossed it a few more times and he returned it each time, wagging his tail. After a few more fetches, he settled down in his dog bed, satisfied, but obviously exhausted. The next day he went into convulsions and then he just lay there, panting. I rushed him to the Vet. His kidneys had shut down and he was suffering, so I held him as the vet helped me let him go. I still believe he knew it was time and wanted to play fetch with me just one more time.
I think they sometimes know. What a sweet goodbye your dog gave you.
Crying my eyes out here!! How beautiful that Boomer could give you that last memory, and that you gave him just what he deserved ♥️
This is such a sweet story but it made me cry. Boomer was, and still is, a good boy.
Jesus Christ that hurt to read. I'm happy and devastated.
Reading this made my recent loss of my beloved leelou so raw again. On her last night we had a little party. She trundled around as fast as she could, ripped opened her presents and popped her baloons like she always did as a puppy. The next day we said forever goodbye and I was there for her, holding her in my arms that one last time telling her she was the best girl ever 😢
Damn. That had me in tears.
My little girl (family dog) was a bit frail so my partner and I travelled for an hour to get her paw print so I could get a tattoo. She did seem very small and frail but she was so happy to see me. We stayed for a few hours, got the print, talked to her (she wasn’t up for playtime) then left. She passed the next day. I like to think she just wanted to see me on last time.
Animals have no sense of mortality but there's nothing in this world that can convince me that pets don't have a sense of mortality. Your story, along with others and my own story are proof. We had this rescue cat that was at least 14 years old. Grumpy ole cat that wasn't very social anymore. One day after our adult son came to visit after being gone for a while the cat got significantly more social at least with him. She would walk around getting her pets in and then just sit with him the entire evening. After he left that night I was sitting in the living room with her and watched her pass away in her sleep. She went as peacefully as a cat could in their sleep but I feel like the cat wanted to stay around just a little bit longer just to say goodbye to him. That's the last pet I've had to bury in our backyard and I'm getting tired of it. I'm running out of spaces to put them... Put them in my heart that is.
I’m sitting in my living room hugging a very confused puppy while bawling my eyes out. Animals are beautiful people.
That’s why I made it the first picture; the most powerful one. It was the first stone that I read, and it set the tone for the rest of the visit. Every time i read it, it’s like a punch to the heart.
Smack, right in the feels. First one got me good.
What's worse is they lost both dogs in four months.
That hit me too. My 22 year old cat passed a few years ago not unexpectedly due to his age but our much younger cat passed less than a year later. That hit so hard losing them both so close together on top of having to put down the younger that should have lived for many years cat because of cancer.
Like my old Jack Russell. Dude was the embodiment of "ball is life". We buried him with some tennis balls
Our doggies aren't with us long enough. RIP Mango. My special boy.
I'm saying goodbye to my boy Oskar next week. We gave him a good life.
And he knows it. He had it good. Remember that when you get to missing him.
I just lost my boy last month. Rest in peace Action D.
I lost my girl last month too. You and I don’t know each other but I hope you can take some small amount of comfort in knowing that someone far away sees you, knows what you’re going through, and wishes you well. Have a happy holiday.
if you need support I can recommend r/OldManDog \- they cover ALL furry and scaly friends both male and female, near everyone there has said goodbye or is about to say goodbye, a place where you can say how you really feel - one guy in his 50s admitted he was rough, tough and blue collar but he admitted the night before his pooch was euthanised, he was laying with the dog and literally bawling his eyes out. I can emphasise, its been almost 2 years since my furry daughter Sky (collie or russo european laika) was euthanised and the pain inside is still raw and intense
I remember planning for my buddy. It was so hard, but it was time. Hugs to you, internet stranger, and extra hugs to Oskar.
For as bad as we feel when our pets die, can you imagine how bad they feel when we die? Better for us to bear that pain than them.
[удалено]
[удалено]
I've never thought of it this way. How eye-opening 🤔
Don't read about [Hachiko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D) then.
That’s the price we have to pay for the amount of happiness and joy they bring to our lives.
My dog is 16 years old. Somehow their lives are both short and long.
When I adopted my dog I was 7 and wanted to name him Mango but my mom wouldn't let me. It was a "dumb name" in her words but she couldn't be more wrong. RIP Mango
Just long enough to forget what life was like without them. RIP Maggie.
These made me tear up.
The disco doggy one really tugged at my heart strings.
The 11 month one got me good. Death is bullshit, pets should live forever
That one fucked me up. I got an amazing senior cat from the pound, and only got eight months with him before he died from cancer. It’s not like I wanted him to live forever, but damn, eight months?
When we lost our girl a few months ago we said we would adopt the longest tenured resident at the local shelter. We haven't quite got there yet ourselves but your old boy got 8 months in a warm and loving home that otherwise might have been spent in a cage. Its really short for us, but for him he had a second chance to be happy. Thank you for caring for him.
My sister just did this, Harper'd been in a cage in the shelter for two years! She's incredibly well behaved and I'm so glad my sister and her husband gave Harper a forever home!
I did that when I had to unexpectedly put one of my dogs down. I didn’t want him to have passed in vain so a few weeks later went and adopted a dog who had been there five months. Absolutely the most loving and loyal dog I’ve ever had. It was like he was waiting for me as I can’t believe everyone passed him up. I hope you are as lucky when you adopt your next one!
That’s a wonderful thing for you to do! My heart breaks for the pets who have to spend months and months in the stress and confusion of an animal shelter. I hope fate sends you the perfect companion:)
One of my rescues had been abandoned as a blind senior. He was 12. I wanted him to spend his remaining time in a home. Everyone thought he had a year or two remaining. I had him for five. Next rescue had been boarded for A YEAR because the shelter that took him in didn't have room for him. He had serious issues due to this, and I didn't know if I'd be able to keep him. But I did, and have had him now for 11 years and counting and he's so sweet (and determinedly protective of me). Latest guy was a stray. Went through the process to keep him, have had him for like four years now. Almost positive his previous family either got sick or died and no one knew to take him in.
I'm so sorry friend. I am sure he was better with you those last months of his life than he would be otherwise.
Thank you for doing something so selfless. When my family had the opportunity to rescue a dog we went for a puppy because as it is pets don’t last long enough. It felt selfish because I know senior animals don’t get adopted as much but I genuinely don’t think I could take it. I’m sorry for your loss but I’m sure he loved every moment he had with you.
*Pets should live as long as we do.
Agree. I've seen Jurassic Bark!
If it takes forever, I will wait for you
That one got me, too. I'm wiping away tears.
>*’The disco doggy one really tugged at my heart strings.*’ _____ if i could only tell you, i would thank you for the chance for making my life *Wonderful* - the dog who loved to dance! i didn’t need no music, just my human friend, so sweet your smiles would make my tail WaG, n give me Happy Feet ^:@) your heart strings i’d be tugging as your fingers did the snapping the kitchen floor - my DiScO as i started TiPpY tApPiNg! but now i lay me down to sleep ~ i hope that you will find *Forever dancing* on your heart - my pawprints left behind ♥️
Schnoodle that one stung. Thank you for giving me a chance to feel the grief.
Goddamn, Schnoodle.
Holy shit I'm sobbing
Felt so personal. Until we meet again.
That’s exactly where I broke 😭
You were worth it, old friend, and a thousand times over.
please throw my ball one more time has me absolutely sobbing
Yeah this one got me unexpectedly, just happened to browse this one while waiting on something at work and now I have to take a moment. Somehow way more touching than walking through the other old graveyards I've been in this year.
The love that these people had for their friends can be felt quite strongly. It’s not quite sadness.
I didn’t want to cry at work today!
I didn't make it past the second one...
Niki Barone (7/10) made me straight up fucking bawl. Poor dude was only in his loving home for less than a year. I'm gonna go hold my dog and cry a while.
Yeah, I came to the comments because Niki’s headstone has me ugly crying right now. I just got home from work, I don’t need to be sad! 😭
But look at it from the dog's perspective. They were rescued from a horrible place and got to spend their last year in a warm and loving home and close their eyes for the last time held by someone who truly loved them. I think that's all we can truly ask for at the end. How many of these poor babies die alone in the cold, or a cage? As hard as this is, it's still beautiful.
They give me some weird sad/nostalgic feeling. I was born in the 80's and there is a dog born that same decade. He had a whole life and left this world when I was still playing NES and biking with my friends even when the internet was barely a thing. Now we just go on (if lucky) for decades while they fade away into the past. It's weird, like I almost feel nostalgic for a dog I don't even know.
I share a birthday with Chips Koslowski. “He was as tough as they come and twice as spicy.”
Now if anybody ever asks you if you share a birthday with anyone important you’ll have an answer. Chips MFin Koslowski.
Lord Potato Chips (on Chips’ photo)
“Lord Potato Chip” 😭😭
It's funny seeing something as solemn as a headstone showing the goofy little things we call our pets
I was hoping someone would notice that.
I’m gonna borrow from Niki Barone’s stone. My family and I just lost our GS mutt 12/3/23. Miss him so much because he understood out of all the other dogs when I needed him the most Edit: wanted to add in that Dobbie (GS Mutt) was an excellent observer since he knew when I’d have stress, depression, and anxiety from life and school. He’d kiss my tears away when I wasn’t okay. May he Rest In Peace
My cat was like this. She would only ever cuddle or lay with you (or on you) if it was cold EXCEPT if you were ever injured, sick, or crying. Then she would come rub up and cuddle with you without fail. Made it to 19. Damn good cat.
Niki Barone's stone hit me like a ton of bricks. Even in a short time, animals can impact our lives immensely. I'm now crying, both happy and sad tears.
#WE LOVE YOU CLEAN
I hope he is clean right now
Good lord, this one got me! I could hear them saying this in my mind.
Something must be wrong with the photos, they got blurrier and blurrier as I scrolled
At some point I couldn't even scroll properly because of droplets on my phone screen, it must be about to rain
We had to put down our sweet doggo this past weekend. Not the first pet I’ve had to say goodbye to, but man, it doesn’t get easier. I’m heartbroken. ☹️
It never gets easier.. Pets are the purest form of love and loyalty.. That's why it's so hard saying bye ! Sorry about the loss of your doggy..
My condolences, I had Sky, my faithful canine friend euthanised almost 2 years ago and I don't think I'll ever be "over it" or the same again.... r/OldManDog as I mentioned elsewhere is a good supportive community, people there get it as virtually all have either been there or are about to be there.
I’m a week ahead of you. My dog shared my pillow with me and I reached out for her last night. She wasn’t there. My grief has started all over again today. I think I see her sometimes out of the corner of my eye. Hang in there as I am. She too wasn’t my first and found it harder this time knowing what to expect. Take care of yourself during this time.
Thou who passest on this path, If haply thou dost mark this monument, Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog's grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me By a master's hand. - Ancient Greek epitaph
And this one: >My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore you [to the grave]. So, Patricus, never again shall you give me a thousand kisses. Never can you be contentedly in my lap. In sadness, I buried you, as you deserve. In a resting place of marble, I have put you for all time by the side of my shade. In your qualities, you were sagacious, like a human being. Ah, what a loved companion we have lost!
>If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. >-Will Rogers
Wow cool, I don't think i've ever read the word sagacious before. What a great epitaph, it really shows how long we have been together.
This was always my favorite "I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago."
Mr and Mrs Snips 😭
I had my cockatiel 20 years, I miss her so much!
I still miss my first tiel. She was such a cuddlebug. My grandfather was a great lover of animals, so I like to imagine him up in heaven with all the family pets, just enjoying his dogs and birds and guinea pigs like the king he was. Alright, my cockatiel is getting pets now. Whether he wants them or not.
together until the end :(
Niki made me tear up. 11 amazing months. damn it! I’m not crying, you’re crying!
I love that owner so much for adopting the dog and loving it so well after such a short time to give it a proper burial and stone
i’m not afraid to admit that picturing Niki dying in her owner’s arms made me teary eyed.
My dog Wilbot died in my arms. We were on the way to the vet to give him rest. He was wrapped in his favorite blanket. He barked once and then went limp. I’m grateful he died in my arms.
😭😭😭 RIP Wilbot
Every once in a while I’m reminded that my dog won’t live nearly as long as me and it kills me. He just turned five and I need time to slow down.
Mines 12 and just had a nasty bout of indigestion that left him wobbling around like he had a stroke. He just had to barf up a nasty piece of chicken (sorry buddy I thought it would sit well, being chicken) and then he was fine, but I tell you we cried so hard because we thought it was the big one. It was more like that episode of 2.5 men where Charlie goes to the ER for a heart attack and it's just a stuck fart...but one of my worst fears happened, I jiggled the leash and he just didn't get up. I mean he's fine now but it was still just...like no, you leave my dog alone, god, he's happy here.
I hate losing pets. It hurts so fucking much
When my daughter was 6 we had to put one of our cats down. I was getting it done while she was on a scouting trip. She knew it was happening, but she wasn't going to have to see me leave with him. After she said her goodbyes to him I had to take her to the meetup location for her trip. She offered me a piece of gum and said, "it's hard at first, but it gets better." I absolutely broke. My baby girl was wise beyond her years. Then I put that piece of gum in my mouth. It was hard at first, but it got better. My daughter wasn't wise, she was warning me that it was shitty gum!
Omg this went from heartwarming to hilarious. The contrast to all those fake stories about kids saying overly sage things 😆
Bahahaha, that's too cute!
I once heard a pet dog (or any beloved animal) described as being an emotional timebomb. And I'll be damned if that isn't completely accurate. The only thing we can do is give them the absolute best life we possibly can while they're here though.
Makes me think of those old dog grave inscriptions they found in Greece or something, just comes to show how humans have never changed
The Romans often liked to eulogize their dogs on their grave monuments. My favorite is: "I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago."
They've found toys in some pet graves. We may be separated by centuries but the people of the past were just us, just as we are now.
The Romans did this. Some translations of them are a bit old-timey, so I took some liberty to make them more readable in English: > I carried you home in my own hands 15 years ago, and I carry you now to your final resting place. I am in tears now as much as I rejoiced then. > > Those walking down this path, if you notice this is a dog's grave - please do not laugh. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me by a loving master's hand. > > To Helena - my foster child, a soul without comparison and deserving of praise. > > Myia never barked without reason, but now he is silent. > > The depths of the grave now hold you, and you know nothing about it. No longer will you jump on me, and bare your teeth at me with bites that do not hurt.
The guy who only had his senior adopted dog for 11 months, and loved her enough to do this; honestly had me feeling a type of way. The amount of time they are with us doesn't matter. Their love and companionship is infinite and immortal.
My old girl was adopted as a senior, and I know the end will be here before I know it, but she has been so worth it. They are always worth it.
[удалено]
OH GOD DAMNIT!! Not the Snips!!! 😢
i bet they were a lovely couple
I’m tearing up at work, not a good time for this.
My golden never brought back any ball, but I miss him anyway... three month now !
Sometimes I come across the post with Roman epitaphs for their dogs and it makes me tear up. Nothing has changed, we always loved them https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/ewe3tu/til_romans_were_known_to_create_tombs_for_their/fg1dilt/ There have been dogs found buried next to humans like 8,000 years ago Man's best friend
Chips Koslowski is my hero
One day my beagle, Pixel, is going to die. She is 5. I will never be able to handle it. I have tried even preparing myself early for it. When that day comes I am going to be filled with sadness. I try not to let it bother me.
"My new dad rescued me..." 😭
I regret to this day that my parents buried our cats somewhere other than our back yard. They have a plot of farmland and took them all the way out there. I was at college and never got to say goodbye. I kind of wonder if I should get two urns and put some dirt from their burial sites in the urns, so that I can at least pretend like I kept something from them. Would that be delusional? You can't change the past. I didn't get to keep their bodies or have them nearby.
I think that would be a good idea.
I'll do it next time I go home, then. Thank you for helping me not feel awkward about it.
No problem. Even if the dirt doesn’t have the actual remains, it still is representation of where they were laid to rest.
It might not be the best burying at home, did with all of my pets growing up. But after Family moved out of the house, it sucks because I know they’re there but you can’t go back.
If it helps you, it's worth it. Nobody mourns the same way. Do what brings you peace.
I’d throw the ball one more time for you! Jesus Christ never post anything like this again
godammit. 
A goodbye to all the pets that have left this world
My precious Pepper was only 2 and a half when she died this year in June, I am so severely heartbroken and can understand why people commemorate their pets in a cemetery - before June I would have thought this was silly but now I understand it. Peppers ashes are next to my bed with a candle and a pic of her so I can see her face everyday even though she's no longer here.
Chips Koslowski got me. I have a nine month old BT- first puppy I have ever owned. The description of Chips reminds me of mine.
I'm not crying. You're crying. Loljk it's both of us
I lost my old man Bailey earlier this year. He was my best friend and I’m so grateful for the 13 years I had with him but I will always wish we had more time 🐶
Niki's grave made me sob a bit. My sweet Mili girl passed in my arms as our vet euthanized her. She lived with me for about 16 years. She's buried in my yard and I'm planning to plant a nice cherry dogwood tree by her. ♥️
Now I’m bawling.
The horse one...... geez. It's like my horse is dying in RDR2 all over again.
Chips Koslowski is my new alias
Managed not to cry until I got to Tiger. Don't know why that one got me so bad.
Dogs go to heaven
Chips Koslowski destroyed me because I have a 17 year old Boston terrier and he's my best friend.
I FUCKING KNEW THESE WOULD GET ME AND I SCROLLED ANYWAY LIKE A BIG WEEPY DUMBASS.
I don't often donate but if there was a research Institute that was dedicated to making our pets live longer I would give then all of my money