Death of a Dog- Saying Good-Bye to a Beloved Family Pet

Anyone who has lost a beloved pet knows how hard it is to say good-bye. A pet can become like a child to many people, and losing them can cause a heart-wrenching ache, deep down inside that never completely goes away.

It eases with time, and life becomes bearable again…until something reminds you of your loss, and brings the pain back as if it had never really been gone.

We lost our dog, Beffy, in 2008. She was a part of our family for eight wonderful years, making us laugh everyday at her silly antics. Beffy was a mutt by birth, but a purebred at heart. Her love for us was unfailing, as ours was for her. She knew our moods well, and was always there to give comfort to any member of our family who needed it.

Beffy died on a mid-November day…the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was mild. It didn’t seem possible that such a beautiful day could bring such a tragedy into our lives. But it did. We decided to bury her at my father’s house, since we live in the city, and he has a large backyard that backs up to a cornfield, with the perfect spot for her where berry bushes were growing wild.

As we were leaving our home for the 40 mile trip to my dad’s, clouds started gathering in the sky, and snowflakes began to fall. The sight of the late day sun struggling to peak through the clouds was the most beautiful thing we’d ever seen.

By the time we reached my dad’s house, darkness had arrived and the snow was falling heavily. We carried Beffy, wrapped up in her favorite quilt, to the spot my dad had waiting. Dad, my husband Tom, and our sons, Dustin and Larkin, took turns digging her grave. The snow was falling so fast that we were all covered with it within minutes, but we hardly even noticed.

Beffy was laid to rest in her quilt, and also her leash. How excited she used to get when we got it out to take her for a walk—she couldn’t sit still long enough for us to snap it on her most times. So we thought it was only right that she should have it with her always.

My dad made a wooden cross with her name on it…he knew we were hurting, and his thoughtfulness meant so much to all of us. I don’t think he even realizes just how touched we were by this loving gesture of his.

As we all walked away from Beffy’s grave, it was snowing so hard that we could barely see where we were walking. But that in itself was fitting, we all agreed. Beffy loved snow, and loved to bury her nose in it as she played…so it was a comfort to all of us to know that we said good-bye to her on her favorite kind of day.