The best therapy of all - our dogs!!

Time for a bit of thanks to our doggie companions.

Penny had two wonderful little dogs, and they doted on each other. until 5 months ago when she passed away.
I came home from the hospital, and there they were, waiting to greet me. They had a quick check to see if Penny was home with me, then realising she wasn’t, they started living in the moment (as they do - a valuable lesson!!!) and jumped all over me with delight. Then immediately started helping me with my grief and tears.

So here they are – the two poochon sisters:—

Zola on the left, Rosie on the right.

How have they helped?

They are always there, being someone to talk to, alleviating any loneliness, wanting fuss, wanting fun, wanting to take me into the countryside for a walk, wanting feeding ,., sleeping on my bed, etc etc. One major benefit is that when we are out and about, especially Rosie loves approaching strangers, demanding pats, and almost on every occasion this develops into a nice chat. Essentially they try to fill a gaping void in my life.
Whenever I shed a few tears, the little scruffier one, Zola, hurtles onto my knee, stares into my eyes and licks my tears, almost as if she’s saying “It’ll be alright, Dad, I’m here!!”

What they don’t do, is to overthink, regret, mope. They live in the moment, not the past. That’s a great lesson they teach me.

If you’ve got a dog which is a great comfort to you, why not celebrate them, and post a photo on here. If you’ve not got one, consider getting one or two.

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Hi there
I agree with every word you have written as my two babies have also helped me through the worst possible moments in my life.
I never come into a ‘quiet’ house as I see often written on this forum. My dogs are greeting me with their delight at seeing me again from the minute I open the gate, I have laughed at their antics when I have literally been in tears. I have been forced to get out of bed when I have wanted to stay put and die… They take me on long walks into lovely countryside and they watch over me making sure I am with them. At night they are always nearby to cuddle even if I do lose a big part of the bed.
I am blessed with having them as they love everyone and well known locally.
There have been topics on this forum in the past about our dogs and each and everyone of us are proud of the job our furry therapists do to get us through such a bad time. They certainly deserve our thanks 110%.
Pat
xx

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Hi Tykey and Pattidot like you both i have a dog I did have 4 border collies when my husband Peter died they all got me through . I lost 2 last year Merlin and Star and this year I had to have my beloved Misty put to sleep I now only have Drift without them I wouldn’t have survived loosing my husband they were there for me and got me through the days it broke my heart when I lost the 3 of them but go on for my Drift he gets me out for a walk where I meet other dog people and we have chats and pats for him he is my reason to go on and I would be lost without him and blessed to have him. Jenny. Xx

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This is Jack. He is 9m old tomorrow which will be the first anniversary of my husbands lung transplant. Ian died on 31/8 following complications

He did have some time out of hospital and together we picked Jack. We collected him on Ian’s 51 birthday in March.

I am so thankful I have Jack. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hard work (!). Ian would’ve been the dog trainer /walker and there is no doubt if I knew Ian wasn’t coming home we wouldn’t have got him. But to come home to his waggy tail is wonderful. He was my last gift from my amazing husband

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We got our two little dogs a few months before jim died having lost our previous dog to cancer. Jim wasn’t keen on getting another dog but he was so pleased we did when they arrived they turned our lives upside down but gave us so much joy and willow really was a daddies girl. She would sit with jim all the time . I’m sure they knew when he died because they changed over night now 14 months on they follow me every where and willow still sits in Jim’s chair and has one of his shirts in her bed . They are a great comfort I don’t want to be without them.

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