Death.  All of us do it.  None of us like thinking about it.

The recent passing of several of our furry friends made me realize it is finally time to touch on this sad and yet normal occurrence in our lives.  It is the one thing we all have in common with every creature on Earth.  We all must die at some point.  What is not so universal is the method of handling a loved ones’ passing and especially that of a furry friend. 

How do we handle our grief?  It is very personal and yes, very real.  People without furry friends in their lives often cannot comprehend how much our dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, goats, horses and others mean to us.  We are chided for being upset over “that stupid cat” or told “get over it, it’s just a dog”.  No, not to us.  Our animal friends are our kids, our babies, our best friends who provide us with unconditional love.  We, in turn, give them care, love, goodies, treats, and presents just like we do our two-legged friends.

We celebrate their birthdays, their graduation from training classes, the birth of their babies and when they win a competition.  So when the time comes for them to leave this earth, we must celebrate their lives and at the same time, grieve for the fact we will not physically see them again in this life.  We will miss their purr, their bark, their kisses and their nutty antics.  This is real, physical, emotional pain.  It hurts and doesn’t hurt any less than when Grandma passes away.  It is even more painful when one must make a hard but necessary decision to end the suffering of a furry friend.  None of us wishes to make a decision we would much rather the Creator make for us.  But sometimes we must.

So if you know someone who has helped a furry friend to the Rainbow Bridge or has experienced the loss of a close and special furry friend; hug them, support them…help them.  Give them a card, flowers, a memorial contribution.  Just as you would if they lost a special human.  The one thing that we humans can do well, should we chose, is empathize with a fellow human who is grieving.  Don’t be afraid to cry with your friend, to let them tell you what has happened or, even not tell you.  We grieve in our own way, but we all need to do it.

Grief is healing and with that healing comes the realization that you really haven’t lost that furry friend at all.  You need only look to your heart’s memories to find them.  And if you look up in the sky on a dark night…see that brightly blinking star –– that’s your furry friend flying free of all earthly pain and watching over you.  He or she is waiting with joy and wagging tail for the day when you too must make that final journey.  It is something we all must do.