www.1001TopWords.com |
My Dog Died !
Pets provide an unconditional love that requires very little on the part of the human. Animals are so special to those of us who love them. We miss them when they are no longer with us. We grieve for them in ways which are just the same as grieving for a human loved one. Whether the end comes through old age, illness, sudden death, or euthanasia, the death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness for children and adults alike. Yet pet owners are often inhibited in their very real grief, even if the animal was considered a fully-fledged family member, a child's favoured playmate, or an older person's loyal and faithful companion. Pet owners in grief are largely misunderstood and can even be ridiculed by friends and by society in general. Some people don't want a pet because they do die ! It's understandable to be reluctant to expose yourself to death but, at the same time, we become immeasurably more human because our animals die. When we live with animals we're more in tune with the rhythms of the planet from day to night and from season to season because our companions make us more aware of the changes around us. Our companion animals teach us about the simple gifts of a beautiful day, a good meal and a gentle touch. The death of a pet can make us wrestle with our belief structure - a natural part of the grieving process. Whether grieving an animal or human, we question our beliefs and many people find their belief structure becomes stronger when they ask themselves hard questions. Others find an new way of acceptance. We use some kind of visualisation during our grieving process, imagining our loved ones in a beautiful place of peace and tranquil beauty, filled with light and flowers. Many of us see out deceased animals in this same place. This can be helpful and can provide some peace for those who are grieving. And we learn from our animals. Animals aren't afraid to die, they show us that the end of life can be faced without fear. They can teach us to accept death as an opening for love and wonder. Allow yourself to grieve in whatever way is appropriate for you. The loss of a pet is real grief and causes us to travel through the stages of grief - denial, anger, depression, guilt, and acceptance. These stages must be lived through for the mourning process to allow full healing. Susanna Duffy is a Civil Celebrant, grief counsellor and mythologist. She creates ceremonies and Rites of Passage for individual and civic functions, and specialises in celebrations for women. http://celebrant.yarralink.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
West Highland WhiteTerrier Grooming - Key Considerations Whether you intend to show your Westie, or keep him for a household pet, the first key to West Highland Terrier grooming is to start while he is a puppy. Are You Feeding Your Cat The Right Food? What should you feed your cat to make sure he or she will have the necessary nutrition? What is the ideal mix of food to help your cat live to the limit of it's life span? Flea Control for Pets Flea control can be a very hard thing to do especially if you live in areas where fleas are largely populated. Weather has a lot to do with fleas and trying to keep them outdoors and off of your pets can be very challenging. How To Adopt A Shelter Cat - Your New Cat Will Thank You For Reading This Article If you are thinking of adding a feline to your family, consider adopting a cat from your local animal shelter or humane society. The animals have been carefully screened for adoptability and have usually been worked with to enhance sociability. Materials for Snake and other Reptile Cages What kind of materials should you use when constructing a reptile cage? This question was posed to me once by someone wishing to build their own reptile cage. They were particularly asking about pine and cedar as they had heard these were no good. But it did raise the question about what are the best materials. Canine Bloat What is Canine Bloat? Your Guide to Cat Breeds For the first 8,000 years of their relationship with humans, cats pretty much took care of their own breeding. People kept them for one purpose - hunting rodent - and they are already perfectly designed for that. More than 100 years ago, however, we began systematically breeding cats to appeal to our aesthetic tastes. Hair length, color, coat pattern, as well as head and leg proportions contribute to the "look" of specific breeds.Look at enough cat bodies and faces, and you'll see two distinctly different types. Goldfish Outdoors How do you build a goldfish pond outdoors? Dog Obedience Training Basics The most important things in dog training are consistency, keeping dog's attention and understanding your dog.To get the respect of your dog you must be consistent. You should make a set of do's and don'ts for your dog. Follow these guidelines to the letter, if a dog does something desirable always reward it, if a dog does something bad punish him or her appropriately. In dogs world consistency is a sign of a leader. You will make your training my easier and effective by being a leader who the dog respects and follows.Ninety percent of your dogs training will be getting his or hers attention and keeping him focused on yourself. If your dog cannot focus on you, it will not listen to you, and thus making the commands you give fall on empty ears. I will describe a technique on how to get and keep your dog's attention with few very simple exercises. First, most dogs will respond to their name, so call them and when they look at you tell them "watch". After doing it few times the dog will associate the command with looking at you. After you have perfected the "watch" command, start doing exercises aimed at expanding your dog's attention span. A good technique is to hold a treat with your teeth and while standing in front of your dog give it a watch command. Stand in position for a few seconds keeping dogs attention, then praise. Repeat the exercise until your dog focus on you for about a minute. The more attention your dog can give you the better student it will be.A vital part of dog training is the understanding of how a dog thinks. Dogs, like small children, have a very short attention span. Most dogs can be focused on training for about ten to twenty minutes, after that time they will start loosing focus and will require a small break. A good idea is to make regular training sessions of 20-30 minutes per day. Another important thing is to make the training fun for the dog. Make the dog look forward to the training time instead of dreading it. To achieve this you should always make their effort worthwhile. After every successful command make sure to give them a treat or praise them with very excited voice. The more willing the dog is to train the more effective the training will be!Incorporate these techniques into your training sessions and in no-time you will be ready to proceed to much more complex obedience training exercises. You and your dog will both enjoy the time spent together, your dog will respect you for being a responsible owner and other people will appreciate your dog's great behavior after you are done! Animal Ethics Introduction Comparison of the Cost and Effectiveness of Holistic Horse Care versus Conventional Care After years of practicing both conventional and holistic medicine for horses, I decided to compare the cost, effectiveness, and net results of managing and treating horses holistically versus conventionally. Are You Really Ready For a Boxer Dog? The answer is "no" if you are the type who mostly leave your dog on a chain. Boxers require much of your love, attention and companionship although they are easy to take care of. One Boxer-lover even said to never get one as pet if you work full time! Managing Horse Pasture A major part of a horse's diet is hay or pasture. A horse weighing 1000 pounds will eat about 500 pounds each month. A horse needs roughly 28 acres of non-irrigated, dryland pasture a year if that is the only source of forage. However, a pasture that is irrigated will grow more forage than dryland pasture, requiring less acreage. The amount of irrigated pasture needed for one horse is roughly 1 to 2 acres. Canine Arthritis Medicine Before you decide to give your dog canine arthritis medicine you should understand what arthritis is and why medication will ease your dog's symptoms. Leash Training Your Dog-Take The Time To Get It Done and Do It Right Attempting to train your dog to walk on a leash may feel likeyou're a contestant in a tug-of-war contest. But, it doesn'thave to. If you take a few precautions, use the properequipment, and are consistent in your training routine, thenyour puppy or dog will be an enjoyment to walk all around. Immune System Booster for Your Pets Many chronic diseases commonly seen in pets result from immune suppression. Diabetes, allergies, breathing difficulties, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, recurrent ear infections, and even cancer, are all examples of an immune system gone wrong. Have an Itchy Dog? Consider These Grooming Tips Before Turning To Chemical Treatments Many dogs today suffer from itchy skin caused by a variety of factors. Dogs actually have more sensitive skin than humans, and are often exposed to a variety of irritants in their environment. These grooming tips may help alleviate your dog's constant itching. Apistogramma , Dwarf Cichlids in the Aquarium The real apistogramma's come from southern America, they all have the same characteristics, like a complex breeding behavior, as their large relatives, only their size is different. Besides the apistogramma group there are also some relatively popular dwarf cichlids from Africa, like the Pelvicachromis group. From this group the most widespread cichlid is the Pelvicachromis pulcher, also known as the Kribensis or Purple cichlid. The Cure To Stop A Horse From Kicking I get a lot of horse training questions about stopping a horse from kicking. The kicking habits of these horses range from the horse kicking at virtually anyone to kicking at only the husbands. Bird Cage Stands Like us, birds need variety in life. To be happy and healthy, they need socialization and exercise. This cannot be accomplished if they are cooped up in a cage all day. Birds need time out of the cage to move freely. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |