My Australian Shepherd mix, Buttercup, died on Saturday afternoon, 2/16/13, at home. She was 9 years old and a diabetic. We knew it was coming...it was just a matter of time. If she had been suffering, we would have had no choice but to take her to the vet and have her put down, but because she wasn't suffering, and was not in pain at all, we let her live out her last days at home. It was so hard to say goodbye.

I was asleep when she passed away (I work overnights, and because I was asleep, my family waited to break the news to me when I woke up to get ready for work). Because it was so cold here, we opted to cover her body and leave her in her house for the night so that her body would be preserved for the next day, so that I could bury her after work and church the next day.

I buried her after we got home from church Sunday afternoon...it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I know that I will eventually heal, but right now, my heart is hurting. She was such a good dog...I could not have asked for better.

David
So sorry for your loss of Buttercup. It sounds like her last days were comfortable, and that's a wonderful gift.
I personally know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet. My heart goes out to you.
Mark (and Bicky)

Hi, David, please permit me to add my sincerest sympathies in the physical loss of your beloved Buttercup. Losing a companion is never easy regardless of the circumstances or how long we are blessed with the privilege of their company. I hope you are comforted in knowing that your beloved Buttercup transitioned home to the angels in the place she loves the most: her home surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells, and the loving comfort of her family.

David, this grief journey is filled with many different emotions that can overwhelm us all at one time - - it is a journey that is frequently referred to as horror roller coaster ride. It is a journey that will not be reconciled in an hour, a day, a week, a month or even 6 months, for you are now faced with the enormous task of enduring all the "first withouts" (the first hour, first day, first week, first month, first vacation, first holiday, etc.), and all the "this time yesterday, last week, last month, last year". It is a journey that can only be traveled one day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time, in your own way and in your own time. Although clinical professionals now recognize that the physical loss of a beloved companion is as painful as the physical loss of a human family member or friend, and the grief journey is identical, sometimes those who are closest to us geographically and emotionally do not always understand the extent of our grief. I hope you are surrounded by family and friends who do understand, but always know you are among friends here for as long and as often as you need us.

In the midst of all the deep sorrow, David, I hope you will come to know that the love bond you and your beloved Buttercup share is eternal - - it is not restricted to the physical laws of time and space. Your beloved Buttercup's sweet Living Spirit is forever with you in your heart and your memories - - she is always and forever a heartbeat close to you.

I know there are no adequate words in any language that can soothe the seering pain of sorrow that is in your heart, David. I can only hope the words I share with you will somehow be able to offer you some measure of comfort, support, encouragement, and hope as you travel your grief adjustment journey.

Thank you so much for sharing your beloved Buttercup with us, David. Perhaps sometime you would like to share a picture of her -- but only when / if you want to. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, David, and please let us know how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

I appreciate the kind words. I'd like to share something that has made this situation somewhat easier to bear...and yet I believe that God designed it this way.

Several months before Buttercup passed away, a stray dog started showing up on occasion at our home. He appeared to be in good shape and seemed to be hungry, so I would set food out for him. Because Buttercup lived inside of a fenced back yard, he never got in to see her, but he would meet her at the fence, always wagging his tail. Because she was also nearly blind as well as a diabetic, she would smell him near her and sometimes snap at him, but not always. He would sometimes lay down beside the fence close to her. He's a pretty large dog, a cross between a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd. He's a gentle dog, with a lot of puppy left in him. He's really a big baby. Because of his size and color, I named him "Bear."

The week that she really started going downhill, he knew something was wrong. He would lay down at his usual spot at the fence, but she would not go over to meet him as usual. He whined, wondering what was wrong, I'm sure.

She passed away while I was asleep, and I buried her the next afternoon after church, since I had to work overnight that night. When I got in from work the next morning at 7:30 am, Bear met me at my truck door before I could get out, and he put his paws up on the entrance to the door and laid his head on my left shoulder and whined. That just broke my heart. He was mourning for her as well.

I didn't know why this dog showed up at our home in the first place, but I'm glad he did. Actually, I believe that it was part of God's plan. He has never left us in the past several weeks. He's a good watchdog, alerting my wife and daughter to anyone coming around while I am at work as a Corrections Officer. Though I miss Buttercup, Bear has helped me to heal probably more than I would have otherwise. I've decided that he needs a home, and he needs us. I've checked him for a microchip, and there's not one, nor did he have a collar when we first saw him, so we think he'd be a good addition to our family.

I just wanted to relate that story...animals grieve just as we do.

Hi, David, thank you so very much for sharing with us how you're doing, and this very touching story of your beloved Buttercup and Bear. I very much agree with you that God and His angels sent Bear to be a companion for your Buttercup, and to be a source of comfort to you and your family when she returned home to the angels.

You are so right that animals also grieve, and I am so very proud of you and your family for giving Bear a Forever Home with you. Buttercup is also very proud of you, and is nodding her head in approval as she keeps her loving vigil over you from her heavenly home.

I hope today is treating you and your family kindly, David, and that you will have a peaceful evening filled with your beloved Buttercup's sweet Living Spirit to comfort you. Please know you, your wife, your daughter, and Bear are in my thoughts and prayers, and please let us know how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam