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Though I’ve yet to lose my first dog, I’ve given a little thought to some of the ways in which I will mourn.
There needs to be some kind of public, ritualized gesture. I know that much.
Perhaps if we’re still lucky enough to belong to a regular dog park community, we will post a simple flyer. The Bows may not be in the running for the Most Congenial Pups at the park, but I want to think their absence would be noticed…
I can think of a few favorite spots that could benefit from a commemorative park bench, but that’s probably out of our league.
My dear friend Maggie, and one of Bowdu’s oldest “aunties” going back to Taiwan days, recently lost her first dog, Torres. As a writer, grad student, and blogger, she naturally turned to her space online to mourn. We’d like to help her honor Torres by inviting you to read her blog entry over here.
You don’t need to have known the dog or the owner to acknowledge when a pet eulogy rings true. And never should you feel compelled to respond if it feels at all forced. If you care enough to read, you already know and understand how important a pet can be, and how necessary it is to memorialize the magnitude that always outstrips the brevity of pet years.
Our dog park has a website. One of the pages is “In Memoriam”. It is akin to the “Rainbow Bridge” entries on other websites.
Some vets will ask if you want your pet’s remains cremated. In many cases, you can choose to have the cremated remains returned to you in a special wooden box. Sometimes the remains are accompanied by a “paw print” of the pet.
A collage of favorite pet pictures or a special picture of the pet is also an option.
Depending upon your religious or spiritual tradition, you may want to do a mourning or “releasing” ritual.
There are websites that address grieving for the loss of your pet.
Since pets are frequently considered “members of the family” , you can let family members and close friends know about the death of a pet.
Just some thoughts.
I do plan on cremation and a “releasing” ritual… but that would be more of a private affair, since it’s apparently illegal in many locales to just scatter ashes wherever you want.
My confession: That’s one law I’d be quite ready to break.