Last night I had to put my chow/lab mix dog, Chelsea to sleep - she was 12 years old - blind, could not walk good and very sick. I am having a hard time dealing with the loss. If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate some help with this.

Hi Carol,
Welcome, I'm sorry that you had to put your baby to sleep. I can tell you that there are no words to take your pain away. It is a journey of grief you must go through. It was awful for me when my Moose was hit by a car on Oct 14 I had to have him put to sleep the next day, my life has not been the same since and never will be. So I found this site and I started posting and posting and crying and posting, it did'nt take long to realize there were others that were hurting just as deeply as I was ....am.........I cried for them too I am so thankful for the friends I have made here for I dont know where I'd be without them....probably in a mental ward because it devastated me, it is a good thing you found this site, it can become a life line for you like it has been for so many of us. Everyone will understand each emotion you share and offer words of encouragement and love in it's truest form. Again I am so sorry for your loss you have many years to be thankful for someday you will be able to embrace that I promise. And as your journey begins,,,I and others will be here to listen and help. A sister in lightning strike.... Pamela.........Mooses Mom.

I'm so sorry about Chelsea.

The best advice I can give you is to be patient with yourself, let yourself grieve, come to this website often and share your thoughts and feelings, and read some of the many posts that people who are experiencing the same thing you're experiencing have made.

You're in my thoughts.
Kathleen

I too am so sorry that you had to put your precious Chelsea to sleep. As others have stated, only time can heal your pain and you must allow yourself to grieve. You did THE most loving act for your furbaby that you could ever have done. Your loss and suffering show what a compassionate and loving person you are.

I had to put my sweet Rachael to sleep on October 2nd. The pain was so bad that my husband said he thought he would have to bury me next. However, I can honestly tell you that the worst of it is now for you, but it will get better. Like Pamela and Kathleen said, I lived on this forum and read here everyday. I cried for my loss and cried for others. The more tears I cried, the more I started to heal and accept her absence from my life...for now. When I started offering advice to others, it seemed to help the process also. I discovered that the many caring people here were experiencing the same thing I was...and still am. It seems comforting to come here and post my feelings and read the wonderful heartfelt replies.

Please come here often and tell us more about your precious Chelsea.

Cheri

Carole, I am so sorry that you lost your Chelsea. The only healing I've found is in the passage of time and sharing of feelings. If you have friends or family who understand what you're going through, talk to them. If not (and as many of us have found, grief related to the loss of a pet is not always well-taken by our friends or family), I think you will be comforted by reading and posting here. Expect a lot of tears for a while.

Thinking of you,

Dear Carole,

I am so sorry for the loss of your Chelsea. You must be devastated. It's hard to think clearly right now but in time, you will realize that you did the right thing to end her suffering.

Without LS, I'd probably be in a mental ward, like Pamela said. I just happened upon this website, never having joined any kind of forum before. Since I joined(seems like forever ago but it's only been a week), it's the first thing I do when I get home from work......I run up the stairs and come to this "haven". It will help you. Everyone here knows what you're going through.

Take care and keep in touch ....

Lynn XXOO

So terribly sorry for your loss. I had my Rusty put to sleep last Wednesday and it has just devastated me. You have found a good group to talk to, please don't hesitate to post whenever you need to.

Hi Carol,

I lost my little man a year ago and I still cry sometimes when I think of him. As others before me have already stated, there are no words that can take away the pain you are feeling but know that what you did is most loving thing anyone can do for someone they love. As has been stated here by someone before me, "You took on her pain so she could be without pain". That is the most selfless thing anyone in this world can ever do.

I am deeply sorry for the loss of your Chelsea. The best advice I received when I thought my world was going to fall apart was to try and remember the funny things my guy did that always made me laugh. So, when the pain gets to be really bad and the tears won't stop, think of the funny things that Chelsea did ... I mean the really funny memories you have, and you will find that over time those tears will occassionally turn into smiles. This is really hard to do at first and for awhile it may make the tears worse but what I discovered was that eventually I found myself smiling instead of crying.

Your Chelsea is still with you ... she occupies a part of your heart that is solely hers and will remain hers. Although her physical presence is no longer with you, I have no doubt that her spirit remains with you, watching over you until you both are reunited.

Hugs,
Beth

Dear Carole
I am so sorry for the loss of your dear Chelsea, you must miss her so very much.

There don't seem to be any easy answers as to how to deal with the grief and pain we experience when we lose a dear and special friend. Sharing feelings with others who are going through similar experiences and emotions seems to help me the most.

When I am overwhelmed I come here and I gain great comfort from all the love and support that all the caring people on this site give me.

Would it help to tell us about your Chelsea. You can be sure that we will all listen and care and hopefully be able to offer you our love and support during this difficult time for you.

By thoughts are with you Carole,
with love
jilly

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet Chelsea. I know that the pain is real hard and you did not say but I am going to assume you had to have your girl put to sleep. It is so hard to deal with that but we must keep telling ourselves we did it because we love them so much we could not bear to see them in pain anymore. Letting them go is the hardest thing ever but it is the greatest act of love you can do when there is no other choice. You will need time to heal and plenty of tears go along with the healing. Come and tell us about your little girl.
Ann

Hi Carol,

I'm very sorry for your loss...please know you are not alone. Come here and tell us of your life with Chelsea...talking about her and how you feel will help more than you know. Although we don't have the solution to take away your pain, we understand and share it.

We are always here to listen and there are many wise people here who will offer you comfort, support, and advice as you grieve over the loss of your beloved Chelsea.

You're in my thoughts,
__Jim

Hi Carole:

I'm so sorry for your loss. I cried for you and Chelsea when I read your posting. I wish there was some comfort that I could offer -- I keep coming back and reading about other people's losses for their beloved companions, and even though I cry even more, it is better not to feel alone.

I hope knowing that we share your loss will help ease your grief -- time will help, Karen