Pet loss and grief- Rest Easy Hope

CowboyStar88

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It’s been a very tough couple of days for me. On Friday Jan 9th at 5:20 my sweet Hope passed peacefully besides me. She was 13 years old and was 8lbs of pure joy and love.

What’s crazy is I’ve never experienced such a bond like the one I shared with her. 13 years ago on November 22 2013 my ex wanted to adopt another dog (we had 3 at the time, and only 1 still remains. I kept the dogs in the divorce because it was a stable environment). She found this tiny 5 month old small mixed terrier that was fostered ready for adoption. She was probably about 1.5lbs. We get there go to the cage locked eyes with her she was terrified.

They take us to the play pen to introduce us. Not sure what we were expecting I kneel down and she handler sets her down and this little dog comes to life in the most sassy spunky way. She started rolling around in the leaves trying to play with me. I was hooked we were not leaving without her. It took less than 20 seconds to make that decision. On the way home she sat in my lap as happy as could be (this is what she lived for). We were trying to come up with a name, and I looked at her and I said Hope, we gotta name her Hope.
Why Hope? She never gave up waiting for her happiness, she Hoped for a special bond. We get home and she just slept on my chest content, happy, and loved. I would come home from work and who was it waiting for me? This tiny little dog, what did she want to do? Sleep in my lap. I was her guy, and she was mine. Never could I have imagined this tiny little dog would run my world and provide me a love I’ve never known.

Over the years she got to experience, camping (she had to ride shotgun) she got to experience the beach (her happy place) she would herd all of my friends together to make sure nobody was left behind! Have you ever seen an 8lb herd dog before? Adorable. She loves to travel in the RV she got to experience 4 states and bunch of cool places.

Hope stated to make these noises when I would rub her head I called them love snorts, and she would take her tiny nose and give you nose bumps. She would sleep above my head or right next to me. Everything I did in life revolved making sure I got home to her as soon as I could. I don’t want to go out at night or in the weekends, because I knew she would be staying at the door waiting for me. I cooked her fresh food daily.

The hole in my heart is so massive, nothing makes me happy. I miss her so much. I buried her on my dad’s property and I’m making her headstone so I can visit her whenever. I’m 45 years old and I’ve never felt this much grief in my life. How do I move on? Nothing feels normal, nothing matters, I don’t see any joy in anything. She saved me at some of my lowest points in life. I have 3 dogs still 2 sisters I took in a couple of years ago, and my Miles that I rescued back in 2011. I continue my days for them, but it’s different. I’m sad when I get their food ready, or when I give them treats.

I just want my little girl back.

Rest easy my sweet princess.
 
Sorry to hear, it really does hurt. It will get better with time, just try to focus on the happy memories. When my wife’s favorite Jack passed, she was a mess and still is to some extent. I got a soft blanket made for her with his photos all over it. It helped tremendously.
 
I'm sorry for your loss. It's a terrible thing to go through.

I've never cried so much as when I had to put down my 12 year old German shepherd. That was more than a decade ago, and my eyes are welling up as I type this. I'm almost 62 years old now, and I'll never get another dog, because -

A: I work long hours, and it wouldn't be fair to leave a dog home alone all that time.

B: There's a very real chance I'd die before the dog would, and I wouldn't want to do that to him.

C: I'd probably be dreading his fate every day, and I have enough to worry about.
 
We lost an 18 year old Bichon a couple of years ago. We were emotional for a while around here. We had him cremated. On the day I was to pick up his remains I was doing an appraisal in Plant City, 15 miles from where we live. On my way back home I pulled behind a van that had a Pet Crematory sign on its side. I wondered if it was my little guy coming back home. I followed the van to the vet where he died. It was him. I like to say I escorted him back home. My wife said never again. None of us wanted to feel that pain again. But as things go, she was in the Pet store picking up some dog food for our daughters dog when she made eye contact with a little havanese puppy that was just waiting for her. She came home and we thought about it for a couple of weeks and went back to the store to see if he was still there. He was, so we decided to get him.

If our Bichon was our son, this little dog is our grandson. We love this little one in ways we did not know we could. We figure our Bichon is looking down from Doggie Heaven and thinking "WTH, I never got to sleep in your bed" I think we love this dog in a different way because of how much we miss our first and don't want to miss a day of the joy that he brings.

Sorry for your loss CBS88. I wish you all the best. Whatever dog you may get in the future will benefit from the love and the time you had of Hope. Good Luck
 
Sorry for your loss. I really understand what you’re going through......it’s such a brutal kind of pain. We had an amazing Samoyed who unfortunately passed young, at only 9, and I remember feeling exactly what you described: walking around numb, like the color had drained out of life for a while. It’s truly incredible how deep a bond we can form with an animal.
 
I am very sorry to hear this. My heart feels for you as we all have had similar experiences. It is never easy. I had a similar attachment to a little dog we adopted that only lasted two years. She had kidney issues which required daily subcutaneous fluid treatments and she never complained. Her strength and courage were impressive. I will never forget her.
 
Yeah sorry to hear it. I've lost my mother, my 13 year old lab, and my 15 year old cat all since August. 2025 sucked.
 
I can only imagine the pain......I'm almost 42 and have never had a pet long enough to die of old age, but me and my spouse have two cats that are both pushing 11 yrs old, had em both since 6-8 week old kittens, and the thought we could be without one or both of them in the not too distant future is, just devasting to even think about. I'll never forget 4th of July 2020, we drove 5 hours to the beach for the weekend, first time we ever left them alone for more than like 12-16 hours at a time. I couldnt enjoy myself at all, worrying about them the whole time.
 
It’s been a very tough couple of days for me. On Friday Jan 9th at 5:20 my sweet Hope passed peacefully besides me. She was 13 years old and was 8lbs of pure joy and love.

What’s crazy is I’ve never experienced such a bond like the one I shared with her. 13 years ago on November 22 2013 my ex wanted to adopt another dog (we had 3 at the time, and only 1 still remains. I kept the dogs in the divorce because it was a stable environment). She found this tiny 5 month old small mixed terrier that was fostered ready for adoption. She was probably about 1.5lbs. We get there go to the cage locked eyes with her she was terrified.

They take us to the play pen to introduce us. Not sure what we were expecting I kneel down and she handler sets her down and this little dog comes to life in the most sassy spunky way. She started rolling around in the leaves trying to play with me. I was hooked we were not leaving without her. It took less than 20 seconds to make that decision. On the way home she sat in my lap as happy as could be (this is what she lived for). We were trying to come up with a name, and I looked at her and I said Hope, we gotta name her Hope.
Why Hope? She never gave up waiting for her happiness, she Hoped for a special bond. We get home and she just slept on my chest content, happy, and loved. I would come home from work and who was it waiting for me? This tiny little dog, what did she want to do? Sleep in my lap. I was her guy, and she was mine. Never could I have imagined this tiny little dog would run my world and provide me a love I’ve never known.

Over the years she got to experience, camping (she had to ride shotgun) she got to experience the beach (her happy place) she would herd all of my friends together to make sure nobody was left behind! Have you ever seen an 8lb herd dog before? Adorable. She loves to travel in the RV she got to experience 4 states and bunch of cool places.

Hope stated to make these noises when I would rub her head I called them love snorts, and she would take her tiny nose and give you nose bumps. She would sleep above my head or right next to me. Everything I did in life revolved making sure I got home to her as soon as I could. I don’t want to go out at night or in the weekends, because I knew she would be staying at the door waiting for me. I cooked her fresh food daily.

The hole in my heart is so massive, nothing makes me happy. I miss her so much. I buried her on my dad’s property and I’m making her headstone so I can visit her whenever. I’m 45 years old and I’ve never felt this much grief in my life. How do I move on? Nothing feels normal, nothing matters, I don’t see any joy in anything. She saved me at some of my lowest points in life. I have 3 dogs still 2 sisters I took in a couple of years ago, and my Miles that I rescued back in 2011. I continue my days for them, but it’s different. I’m sad when I get their food ready, or when I give them treats.

I just want my little girl back.

Rest easy my sweet princess.
I’m so sorry. I know how awful it is. I’ve been there bro too many times. I feel your pain. My Labs gave unconditional love.
Mine still hasn’t healed even after years. Just know you’re in my thoughts and you’ve got mates here…
 
Losing a companion animal is brutal. They take a part of your heart with them
They really do. I lost one in 2017, and now I have three more sitting in the room with me. One is 15, so I know that day is likely closer than I want to admit. No matter how much I try to prepare myself, I know I never truly will.

After these three, I’m not sure how much heart I’ll have left. :( (edit - but I know every piece was worth giving)
 

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