What am I going to do?

[OwnedByJezebel]

Every time we get another one, I think to myself, "so, you are going to be the next one to break my heart." I guess you could avoid it all by not getting them in the first place, but I can't bear that thought, either. We do it anyway, in the meantime life is so much fuller and enjoyable until the inevitable comes.

The Power of the Dog
by
Rudyard Kipling

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passsion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart to a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-term loan is as bad as a long--
So why in--Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

[deeogie]

My eyes welled up after reading through this whole thread...which is honestly the main reason why I try to avoid the RIP forum here....I cannot bear the thought of losing Lucky! I now know, I am not alone when I think about how painful it will be. I know it will hurt to breathe....I will not want to eat or drink and all I will want to do with myself is feel empty and tired....
I agree, too, that the day you pick them up and place them into your heart, it is safe to say ..." you are going to be the one to break my heart!!" Knowing this....we still have them....Knowing everything....we still have them. Probaly because the joy and love we get from them overpowers these dark thoughts and feelings.
I am 42 and thankfully have never experienced a death of someone who's close to me yet. Both parents and immediate family are all still living! The only time I came close to death was when I had a car accdent about a yr and a half ago....that's it. I always say there is NO pain to measure the loss of your children....but now I have Lucky to add to that list!

[mom2dogs5]

Wouldn't it be wonderful to think that one of your purposes in life on this earth is to give the unconditional love that you do to these grand little dogs that we take into our homes and hearts! The joy and memories that they give us, also unconditionally, will always outweigh the grief of losing them........and there will always be another who needs desperately what only we Yorkie lovers can give.....joy to their little lives!

[Britster]

My mom made a comment to me like this the other day... she said: "God, what are you going to do when you lose Jackson?" We had been talking about death for some reason... I think we saw a movie or something. My heart sank at the thought of it... you know it's inevitable, and you know you're going to lose them and you hope they live a LONG life but you just never know.... that's why I really don't take him for granted. He means everything to me and we do *so* much together. I know that when I look back, I will have thousands of photos, hundreds of videos, thousands of posts on YT (lol) and the gazillion memories in my head.

Nothing will compare to the loss of my 6 year old brother a few years ago. That, besides losing your own child, is probably the worst thing you can go through. A perfectly healthy young little boy with his whole life ahead of him taken in an instant... nothing will compare to that pain, so I know I will be able to handle death "better" from now on, but of course it doesn't make it easier.

I just try and not worry too much, and just live everyday to the fullest. Jackson leads an amazingly fulfilling life and I think he knows how much I love him.

[violet voon]

I would want to thank all of you for sharing your thoughts, I know I'm not alone in this...life moves on, I can choose to live happily or

[joeys mom]

I know the thought of losing one of our furbabies is heartbreaking, but I would like to warn each one of us of something that would be worse that the loss of one of our babies to death and that is to our pet BEING LOST. Even though the heartbreak of losing them is terrible, we know where they are. We can grieve and try to put on foot in front of the other and move on. However, when our guys are missing, you can never go through the grieving process because we are still looking for them hoping for a miracle. So I feel for me at least, I don't think about the what if's that could happen when their time comes as I do with the what if's that can happen if I open the door and let the guys run in the backyard without a leash on or someone standing out there with them, keeping an eye out. Reading on YT this is the way most of the little guys go missing. They are let out right before bath time and don't have on their collar, so no ID. They have been let out hundreds of times before this and no problem, but somehow a space gets in the fence somewhere, and they are so good to find it. Sorry to add a different view on this post, but believe me, a missing baby is just as gut wreching as losing one. I have done both.

[citygirl123]

I wasn't going to post on this one, but kept thinking about it and so had to come back.

I was out in the backyard today with my puppy waiting for him once again to "do his stuff." As I walked under our apricot tree, I could see the flowers slowly being replaced by tiny bulbs which form the apricots and lots of brand new green leaves. And I thought...so the cycle begins again...

I thought about my cat "Kitty" who we had put down right before Christmas, she was only 8 but had kidney disease. Who knew that would happen when I took her in at 12 weeks. And here I am again with a 12 week old puppy and so the cycle begins again...

I can't think about the final days of this dog any more than I would of a newborn baby. God has a plan for each living thing and each day of life. I trust him with the plan. In the meantime, I plan to thank him for each day of my life and for the days of joy this animal will bring.

Some people have the ability to suck joy out of life and moments by posing such questions as "what if" or "what will you do when." That is their thing...take the high road with higher thoughts...The Lord knows the the plan, we don't need to dwell on it.

[violet voon]

Originally Posted by joeys mom

I know the thought of losing one of our furbabies is heartbreaking, but I would like to warn each one of us of something that would be worse that the loss of one of our babies to death and that is to our pet BEING LOST. Even though the heartbreak of losing them is terrible, we know where they are. We can grieve and try to put on foot in front of the other and move on. However, when our guys are missing, you can never go through the grieving process because we are still looking for them hoping for a miracle. So I feel for me at least, I don't think about the what if's that could happen when their time comes as I do with the what if's that can happen if I open the door and let the guys run in the backyard without a leash on or someone standing out there with them, keeping an eye out. Reading on YT this is the way most of the little guys go missing. They are let out right before bath time and don't have on their collar, so no ID. They have been let out hundreds of times before this and no problem, but somehow a space gets in the fence somewhere, and they are so good to find it. Sorry to add a different view on this post, but believe me, a missing baby is just as gut wreching as losing one. I have done both.

...this is why I still cry over my 1st cat after so many years..someone must have taken her away, I couldn't find her