h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I too have lost pets. They were like children to me. No, they were my children. They may only be small, weighing barely six onces (or in two cases, sixteen grams) but the hole they have left behind and will leave behind, is gaping. I lost 3 of my beloveds in a very short space of time of each other and I felt like my world had fallen apart. How did I cope? I tried to think of them as they were when they were alive, tried to remember how they smelt, how they felt, how they used to look at me as Mum. I try not to remember at all how they died until I was ready to deal with it. I have pictures and for seven days after the day of their death I have their picture next to a small vase with their favourite flower in it. Crazy, illogical? I don't care. I no longer have a garden, having moved to eastbourne and living in a flat, but we have a fantastic vet who recommended what looks to be a very lovely place of rest for animals. It does my wounded heart good to know that they are somewhere safe, somewhere where they will be looked after in a manner to which they are accustomed and somewhere where I can, hopefully, one day visit them. But no, you never truly get over the loss of your pet. No matter how big or small. Whether it's a goldfish, or a horse, if you truly love your pet it leaves a hole.
(On the day of passing, copious amounts of red wine help!!!)

Grieving is seldom logical, is it?

Nor can we be told what sort of grieving is 'acceptable'.

We all just get through as best we can. Whether we have lost a friend or a family member or a pet who became a member of the family.

All such loss is hard to deal with.

az