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JadeIcing

Well-Known Member
Joined
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Location
rocky hill, Connecticut, USA
While this isn't about grieving one rabbit it is about the loss of different animals the last part is what I want everyone to keep in mind. I will be posting this in my blog.

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Right now I am grieving on so many scales. I feel like I am wrapped up in it. How do I get out? Part of me feels bad because I feel like I should be grieving for Sam and while I miss her the grief isn't for her. It is for my boys, and knowing that I will lost Brit.

I got my boys in large part because of Amy. She got Merlin and Mace, they belonged to her but oh my god I fell in love. I had always wanted a guinea pig but seeing Merlin my heart sang and I wanted guinea pigs so bad. When the chance came up for my first two boys Skunk Boy and Peanut Butter Cup (nicknames) I jumped it just had to work.

Than I lost Sam just before they were to get here. Oh god did I hurt but I just kept making plans for my boys. They got me through even when I just wanted to curl up and die. I named them to honor Sam. Samuel Elijah and Logan Jake.

Some how things came about and Amy had to rehome her two boys. I won't go into details but it was such a rough time and lots of things happened but I got my boys. I got my Merlin that had stolen my heart before I met him. He had a lot of issues and I knew he was my miracle piggy. He was my little man. So special so unique. Don't get me wrong I loved all four of my boys but Merlin was my baby.

The first year since I lost Sam came but I made it through planning for the boys gotcha day. I had them to feel joy for and some how Apple made her way to us and helped us celebrate.

I fought so hard to get Merlin to make it that I was in shock when Mace got sick and in less than 24hrs I lost him. How could that happen he was the hulk of guinea pig world. I lost my big boy, my husband lost his friend. He didn't make it a year but he made into our hearts and will never leave there.

The second year came and I made a project in Sams memory that helped me heal. I did so much better than most thought.

The first anniversary of Maces death was hard but I was bound and determined that I would celebrate the joys of having the rest of my crew here with us alive and healthy. I celebrated Apples birthday, I made plans to celebrate Connors bday and Dallas's gotcha that Monday afternoon. I woke up that morning and Elijah was gone. I doubled over in pain. How? Why? No time to grieve because we could see we were losing Logan. His heart was broken and he took his last breath in my arms as I cried no over and over. Within hours I could tell that Merlin was having another round of his problems. I fought so hard to keep him alive. To keep him with us but no he to left us just a few days after his second gotcha. In one week I lost the all my guinea pigs. It hurt to lose them because there was so much wrapped up in them. I thank God that when I had the chance to meet Amy I brought Merlin to see her because some how I knew that if I didn't she wouldn't get the chance to see him again.

Now it should be three years of them being with us but that didn't happen so instead of grieving for Sam I grieve because even though my boys should be with me they are not.

Now as the days draw closer to a day that should bring so much joy I am grieving for a loss yet to come. Yes Brit is here and I have told myself for months that every day is a gift. She is past the life expectancy for her breed by several years. Yes I have the knowledge that our time is numbered but some how that feels harder. I know that it may be the last time she curls up in my lap and rubs her face into me. It may be the last time I call her BritBrit and she nuzzles my face. She has been such an amazing dog. For 15 years she blessed our family. She lived through a lot of painful losses. Lady, Sandy, Cocomo, Princess, and she also joined us because of a loss, my sweet innocent Molly Marie. Brit has lived with us through losses of so many dogs and now we are losing her. How can we let her go? Yes we will do right by her even when it breaks all of our hearts.

So I cry, and I grieve. I have said so many times to so many people yes this is painful, yes yet again my heart breaks but in the end the joy that each one of my animals brings me is 10x worth the pain that the losses bring. So love and value the animals in our life because while we may have long to live they only bless our lives for a short time.


 
JadeIcing wrote
So I cry, and I grieve. I have said so many times to so many people yes this is painful, yes yet again my heart breaks but in the end the joy that each one of my animals brings me is 10x worth the pain that the losses bring. So love and value the animals in our life because while we may have long to live they only bless our lives for a short time.
This is so true. I don't know what else to say to you because I'm sure you've done laps around all this already in your mind. I can only commend you and your family for being so strong and so loving in such a painful time. You're extraordinary. I don't know what else to say.

I knew what this thread and the post in your blog was going to be about and I clicked around the forum all morning not wanting to bring myself here to read it. Even after I clicked on the thread I wasn't sure if I wanted to "go there". The truth is, my 3 bunnies are healthy and happy, thank God, but you just never know what will happen tomorrow or even the next minute.

Kirby is turning 4 this summer. He is my heart bunny and I love him like I gave birth to him myself. Fear still grips me in the worst ways possible when I think of even the possibility of losing him. I don't know what I would do, honestly. I don't even want to imagine it. All I can do to shake myself out of those thoughts is remember he is here with me now and I should enjoy his love and his companionship for as long as I have him, and be thankful for that.

I think you are right -- the joy our animals bring far outweighs the pain we feel when we lose them. I'd like to think that our animals go knowing they were loved and had a good life, and we can find some comfort in that.
 
:bigtears:

Sometimes I think I should have got involved with tortoises as they live so long, but then I'd only worry about what would happen to them if they outlived me :(

I guess we should be thankful(?) that we feel this way, as it's what makes us care and bring love to our babies lives., but boy, it does hurt!

Thinking of you, Ali :hug:

Jan
 
kirbyultra wrote:
JadeIcing wrote
So I cry, and I grieve. I have said so many times to so many people yes this is painful, yes yet again my heart breaks but in the end the joy that each one of my animals brings me is 10x worth the pain that the losses bring. So love and value the animals in our life because while we may have long to live they only bless our lives for a short time.
This is so true. I don't know what else to say to you because I'm sure you've done laps around all this already in your mind. I can only commend you and your family for being so strong and so loving in such a painful time. You're extraordinary. I don't know what else to say.

I knew what this thread and the post in your blog was going to be about and I clicked around the forum all morning not wanting to bring myself here to read it. Even after I clicked on the thread I wasn't sure if I wanted to "go there". The truth is, my 3 bunnies are healthy and happy, thank God, but you just never know what will happen tomorrow or even the next minute.

Kirby is turning 4 this summer. He is my heart bunny and I love him like I gave birth to him myself. Fear still grips me in the worst ways possible when I think of even the possibility of losing him. I don't know what I would do, honestly. I don't even want to imagine it. All I can do to shake myself out of those thoughts is remember he is here with me now and I should enjoy his love and his companionship for as long as I have him, and be thankful for that.

I think you are right -- the joy our animals bring far outweighs the pain we feel when we lose them. I'd like to think that our animals go knowing they were loved and had a good life, and we can find some comfort in that.
I am a bit of a downer right now.
 
:bigtears:i think you speak for all of us who love and treasure our furry companions. when i look back i wonder where i got the strength to do the best for them when they most needed it. we have to grieve when they leave us. and one day, we will look back and realise that they brought out strengths we didnt know we had.

take comfort from knowing that you have done so much to give your furry companions a wonderful life.:pray:
 
:pray::grouphug

The best thing we can do is to help these other creatures have the best, longest lives possible, and when we do that, we are making the world a better place.
 
I'm so sorry for all your recent losses :(

I often think when I am grieving a pet, why did I bother getting them when it is just so painful when they die? Then I look back on our time together and think, nah, it was definitely worth the pain. My dog is around 16 or 17, and we don't know how long we have left, I can't see her making it past a year, it is going to be so hard when she is gone, I can't remember a time when we didn't have her :(
 
I'm sorry for what you are going through, Ali. :tears2:

Many times when I lose an animal very close to my heart I want to shut down emotionally and never get attached to another being ever again. Then I remember exactly what you put in the last part of your post. The joy and love is worth the pain in the end. Hurt is a natural part of loving something, it's bound to happen eventually. Having a close bond with an animal is such a beautiful thing. They color those black and white days, which I'm sure we've all experienced before.
 
I posted this awhile ago but since than we lost 3 more. I just want to make sure people see this.

RIP Hannah Celeste Montana, Dallas Jinx Jones, and Lindsay.
 
I am sooo sorry for your losses.

"So I cry, and I grieve. I have said so many times to so many people yes this is painful, yes yet again my heart breaks but in the end the joy that each one of my animals brings me is 10x worth the pain that the losses bring. So love and value the animals in our life because while we may have long to live they only bless our lives for a short time." Jadeicing


This is soooo true. I am doing steers for 4H again this year and knowing what is to come hurts sooo bad but I know in the end that no matter what their time with me was special and I gave them the best life possible.

My peanutt is going to be two durring shows this year. He has become my buddy and I can't imagine life without him. so thank you for these words

Crystal
 
I totally feel your pain as all us here on the forum. I ALWAYS think of my sweet Shae and NEVER wanted to lose her as soon as I did. WE DID, i mean. My whole family still thinks her and how sweet and beautiful she was. I can't ever replace her :( She was irreplacable.
Sorry for all of all your losses in what seems such a short time, I can't imagine. I've lost one and I can barely handle it, my heart is still heavy for her :(

I'm deeply sorry for all the pain you've been enduring for the loss of your beloved pets.

Thoughts and prayers.
 
Part 2

OK so I wrote this on May 27 2010. A day or so later Brit died. She went on her own and very quikly. The following month a bunny I loved but didn't belong to me passed away. The month after that Montana got sick and while we tried to save her she left us as well. Somehow the grief while strong there was a peace. She left the way she entered our life on her own terms. A down word spiral seemed to be taking hold of my life, of my heart. August came and no losses part of me thought finally some peace.

Than came September so much to celebrate my moms birthday the 28th, my husbands on the 30th and October 1 would be my birthday and anniversary. On September 27th my world came crashing down. My sweet, goofy bunny Dallas Jinx Jones died. Suddenly and unexpected. We tried to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary but of course it was hard.

We went to a reptile expo October 2nd and ended up with a little aft that we called Harlequin Jinx. A little over two weeks of having her and she started showing issues. I was so scared that she wouldn't make it. She went up and down but seemed to be getting better.

November comes and I kept praying things would change. Than my grandmother's dog Lyndsay, my dogs sister got sick and died on Nov 6th. It was a shock to us all.

Harli started to to take a turn for the worse once again. She never got better and than on Dec 14th she was gone.

Wow what a year right? It has to get better right? Tell me it gets better? Yea right.

On January 15th my little viper gecko Quinn Mallory died. Than on February 14th my moms bunny Levi Gene died as I have said before my pets aren't just mine. My moms aren't just hers.

We added more and have plans to add more. Some how during this time we thought our losses had ended for awhile but on September 28th we lost Rocky. My mothers first bunny and my first foster.

So once again I end with this... So I cry, and I grieve. I have said so many times to so many people yes this is painful, yes yet again my heart breaks but in the end the joy that each one of my animals brings me is 10x worth the pain that the losses bring.

So love and value the animals in our life because while we may have long to live they only bless our lives for a short time.
 

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