Lost my Best Friend and Companion of 14 Years

[Topboss]

I am devastated and am battling to function today.
Last night - My old dog Benson died. He was 14 years old and I have had him since he was a 4 week old puppy. ( He was a German Shephard )
I really feel like I have lost my best friend and am battling to cope with this.
It is amazing how animals creep into our hearts and become part of the family.

[DaftDog]

Sorry to hear about your loss of a faithful old friend.

[ElaineGardiner]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Family pets can feel like family members, as they are always around.

Like any loss remember the good times and be happy to have had him in your life.

When things like this happen to me, i try and remember the funny things that happened, it cheers me up a little.

[Marlo | CW]

Mrs. G - I'm very sorry for your loss.

It's amazing how they become part of the family, and as such, feels like you lost a member of the family.

14 years is a long time - and hearing how fond you are of him, take comfort in the fact that you provided him with a good life

[thepokerkeep]

Sorry to hear of your loss Heather.

Our cat passed away a couple years ago after spending 18 years with us. It was a huge loss, much like losing a child or sibling.

"Shadow" was my cat, she adopted me! When we first adopted her, she was timid and hated females.... since we had 3 girls and one boy, she spent a lot of her time hiding. Her favorite hideout was the laundry room, behind the washing machine. Our girls didn't know that room even existed.... but that's another story.

She followed me around the house like a puppy dog and would sit on my lap by the hour. If I got out of my chair for a second, she would steal it. I can't count the number of times I sat on her! My wife called her my 'shadow', hence the name.

Even after two years, I still look twice before sitting down, just to make sure she's not keeping my chair warm for me.

I feel your loss. But, as others have said, remember the good times and celebrate his life!

[Topboss]

Thanks for all of your kind words everyone. It means a lot to me.
Terry, I can just imagine how much you must have loved your cat and can certainly relate to your story!

[dhayman]

Sorry to hear of your loss, TopBoss. Animals really grow on you, that's for sure. I see the bond that my youngest daughter has with our Pup, and I understand how special that can be. Unfortunately, animals don't live as long as humans, and we all have to encounter this loss at one time or another. I hope you recover quickly; sometimes they say getting a new pet immediately does help the healing process. Again, my condolences.

[Topboss]

sometimes they say getting a new pet immediately does help the healing process

Thanks Dhayman
Luckily I do have some other dogs and parrots but Benson was the oldest and most special to me.
I also put a deposit down on a Neopolitan Mastiff which is quite a specialised dog and costs a fortune...but just my luck - the guy ran away with my deposit and I never got my dog....so I am a bit anti buying another dog at this point in time.

[SlotsAff]

Sorry to hear about your loss - I have 2 dogs and they are referred to by my wife and I as the kids.

When I go on holiday etc, I miss them more than I miss my mum!

Chin up and remember the good times

[Redbush54]

Sorry for your loss.....been there and done that 3 times Hubby said last year after having lost our jack russell that we would never have another. For 3 days we both cried, on the 4th day I started looking, 2 days later we were on our way to pick up Opie. He's a papillon and was 4 months old when we got him. In 11 days we will have had him a year and it was the best decision we ever made!!!! Just this morning when I woke up he was between the two of us, under the covers sawing logs.

[giggles7p]

Heather, I cry with you. I wish i could of saved your baby in the same way you helped to save mine. This is one of the most horrible times in life and so hard to understand. Loss of a loved one is so very hard, but the loss of a beloved pet is even worse.

Your baby is in my thoughts and he will be waiting for you on "Rainbow Bridge".

Always love and never forget.

Love and so sorry for your heart breaking loss.

Pat

[mark-mayer]

Heather I am So sorry to hear about your loss, I can truly understand how you
feel as 14 years is a very long time, and they become a part of the family.
The same thing happened to me when I was a child, and to be honest I never got over it. Since then I don’t have the courage to get a new pet (Dog),
we had a German shepherd too and I know how much it hurts.

Hope you see better days
Mark Mayer
Affiliate Manager<o></o>

[Dominique]

So sorry to hear that - yes, I totally understand how you feel.

We have dogs, cats and parrots. They become part of the family and part of ourselves.

My alltime favorite (I think, when I look at the dog at my feet I start doubting this statement) was a black German Shepherd who was with us for 12 years. I now have 2 Great Danes, both 16 years old while the life expectancy of a Dane is 8 years. It's going to happen one day and they will leave a huge hole in our lives when it does.

We also always have one little dog each, and when George's passed away last year it wasn't 3 days before I got him another, a rescued Maltese.

So many perfectly deserving dogs and puppies out there whose lives are doomed unless someone sees their potential and brings them home, I never can stand the thought that the one who could have been a perfect match will meet his maker while we cry over the one we lost... so I start a search and rescue mission soon after our losses.

I don't know about your part of the world, but here there is a rescue organization for just about every conceivable breed and you can almost always find a pup of your choice that ended up in rescue due to some mishap. It feels good to rescue these innocents, and it makes for a very special bond.

After so many good years with you, your dog has stepped aside and made room for another to find a good life with you. Dogs are all about companionship and love, and I am sure your old friend would not want you to miss that.

It'll never be the same, and it doesn't need to be. It's not a replacement, I know nothing can replace your old companion. But it will be a new beginning and a new bond between a person and a best friend.

I hope you have pictures, when I look at pics of my dogs who passed long ago I find they still live on in my heart. And there is plenty room for the old as well as the new.

[giggles7p]

Beautiful post Dom

[Topboss]

Thank You so much for your lovely post Dom and you are 100% correct.
Maybe when I am feeling up to it, I might just go to an animal shelter...the problem I have is that I always want to bring them all home with me though as I can't bear to leave any behind...
My whole life I have brought all the strays home. My mom and dad eventually gave up moaning about it and eventually just built more and more rabbit hutches, dog kennels etc to house them all.
Luckily my husband also loves animals so puts up with me too.

Thanks to everyone for all of your posts. Once again it makes me realize what good people the GPWA have on their forum.

[Chips]

My condolences Heather. I know how you feel, I lost my best buddy after 14 years and have not the heart to replace her. That dates back to 1997 and I've not been able to bring myself to getting another puppy since... To those that are not pet owners, they would not understand. I have been a dog lover all my life but still miss this special one that saw me through a lot of issues and a messy divorce.

[Cobus]

Hi Heather,

So sorry to hear about your loss!! And reading all these posts just make me think back of my old buddy as well.

Got her when I was still in high school and begged my parents to take her in (one of the teachers couldn't keep her anymore and wanted to "get rid" of her). So we took the little doggy in (still not sure what kind of dog it was, kind of a mix, but VERY cute).

She ate what we ate, and even had to have some tea at night before she went to bed. She used to watched ALF (remember that, about the little alien?) on TV and when the episode was finished, she would go outside to sleep.

Well, after 12 years she was getting very sick and very old and my mother decided she'd rather not have her suffer. She called the vet to make arrangements for the next day (to put her out). While she was on the phone, my dog sat next to her "listening" to every word. Now I have to mention that my dog was VERY scared of the vet and would start to shiver whenever we try to take her

Anyway, the next day my mom found her outside in her little box - she passed away in her sleep. Even when she was that old and fragile, she was too scared to go to the vet and would rather pass away at home.

Animals - very intelligent creatures!

Anyway, just wanted to share my story and, Heather, we all feel your loss. I will always remember the saying that goes "This, too, shall pass", but we know how you feel right now and my heart goes out to you.

All the best

Cobus

[Topboss]

Cobus, Thanks for sharing your story too, and it is so weird that you mention that your dog passed away in her box because a very similar thing happened with Benson, because over the past week we had watched him literally slipping away before our eyes but he would just not give in and seemed to be fighting it. It was so bad during his last days that my hubby and I used to carry him to his favorite spots in the garden - one was near the front gate where he used to like to sit and watch the cars going by. He could not walk at all and during the afternoon before he died he lost control of his bowels and started vomiting and this is when we eventually knew that he was now in pain and we had made the decision to have him put down the following morning. That day I had sat with him for most of the day and was just chatting to him the whole day ( you know the usual kind of stuff one says to dogs ) and at one stage my hubby came out and saw me crying and in front of Benson he said " Heather, We can't let him carry on like this, I think tomorrow we are going to have to put him out of his misery" I just nodded but cried even more.
Needless to say, the same thing happened, when we woke up in the morning he was gone.
As sad as I am - one part of me is so relieved because I could not sleep last night, knowing what had to be done today.

[Erica]

Hi Heather,

So sorry for your loss

Dogs have always been an important part of my family and it's devasting to lose such selfless and loyal companions. My thoughts are with you!

[universal4]

Oh dear Heather....I am so sorry to hear of your loss....

You guys are often in my thoughts....but even more so today.....

Just give a yell any time you wanna talk......

Rick
Universal4