Yesterday I decided to hurry up and mow the lawn so it would be done for the holiday weekend. I had my little rat terrier, Pearl (aka Moo) tied out. I was mowing near her, and she moved and her tie out got caught, and it broke her neck instantly. I scooped her up, felt for signs of life, then tried to blow air into her nose-she was already gone. I feel SO terrible that my stupid mistake cost her her life. I miss her so much already-I would let her in the am, and she would race up the stairs, and wait for me...then I would get a blanket and she would crawl under and cuddle with me. I can't stop blaming myself!!!
We buried her with her favorite pillow and her "raggy bone", and my girls put their things with her too-(they would use hair scrunchies for fancy collars for her) They have been telling me its not my fault, and they seem to be taking it better than I am, and they are only 10.
Maybe I just neede to tell someone how horrible I feel-I know that that 10 seconds can never change.
2006-09-01 02:19:42 · 21 answers · asked by dmkharleychic 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
the key word is mistake...you didnt do anything on purpose,remember that! we all do things that we wish we hadnt.i had a dog and while cutting a tree in my back yard she ran under it and was killed..i kicked myself in the butt because of that but like yours it was just a freak accident.you will miss your dog and you may cry over the death but dont blame yourself.talk to people about it.if it was a child u wouldnt just bury and forget.remember all the fun you had and later when you feel like it you can get another.i kind of feel like dogs know how much we love them and i knowshe knows you did.also,be thankful that it was quick and she didnt suffer.....good luck...u will be ok
2006-09-01 02:35:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I pretty much know exactly what you are feeling. When I was six, I was trying to put a leash on our relatively new pet dog. Unfortunately, not knowing what I was doing, the dog was strangled by the leash and died. Even though that was thirty years ago, it still haunts me to this day. I get that pit in my stomach when I think that I caused the death of essentially a member of the family.
It must be worse for you as you have had a lot of memories with your pet, and you are older and appreciate pets better than some six-year-old kid can. Certainly don't listen to the callous remarks of "it's just a dog" as your pet was truly a member of your family. I feel deeply sorry that this has happened.
There are all sorts of pop psychology advice that's out there that would say that you need to leave this in the past and move on with life. However, I presume that you know that it's not that simple. I think that it would be wise to have some grief counselling with a trained professional. There are lots of specialists in the field that deal with issues just like this.
I suppose that I could throw in my two-cent amateur advice. From your description, it sounds like you have a lot of fond memories of your pet. Do not let go of those memories. Otherwise, your pet's life will have had no meaning, and that should not happen.
I wish you well as you (and I suppose myself included) deal with this kind of loss.
2006-09-01 22:19:06 · answer #2 · answered by Ѕємι~Мαđ ŠçїєŋŧιѕТ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am so sorry that you and your family are going thru something so painful. I know how absolutely heartbreaking it is to lose a pet. They are part of your family. Not everyone unfortunately will relate to how you feel about your pets, and will also not relate to how awful you feel about what happened. The best advice I can give you is to first - IGNORE INSINSITIVE PEOPLE LIKE (BILLY) who responded to you. also, I know that you may feel like it would be somehow unfare to Pearl but try to bring a new pet into your home as soon as possible to help with yourself and your kids. I lost my Black Lab (Dakota) 8 months ago and I can not begin to tell you how much she meant to me and always will. I felt like the only way our family would start getting over the saddness would be to bring a puppy into the home again. We now have a chocolate lab (Belgium) who is now 7 months old. She has helped so much with our pain from loosing Dakota. I will warn you though that having a puppy is much more work than my 12 year old lab was:):) Worth every second of the work!!:)I still miss Dakota with all my heart, but Belgium definately filled a very lonely place in our home. We choose a chocolate lab instead of a Black lab purposely so that she wouldn't remind us too much of Dakota. Just a suggestion, so that you do not feel like you are looking at Pearl everytime you see your new friend. Do not blame yourself, I can not imagine how terrible the pain of what happened is for you. Ignore those around you that can't understand your feelings and try to focus on something that will make you smile. Good luck, and God Bless:)
2006-09-01 10:29:07 · answer #3 · answered by Inspired! 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Accidents happen, hon. Don't blame your self about that. Getting over losing a pet, no matter how it happens, is really hard. It takes time, just like losing any other kind of beloved in our lives. Getting a new pet in about two months is a good idea. It really helps. Talk about your loss with your family and friends. Keep focused, though, ONLY on your grief, which is healthy and good, NOT on any morbid guilt feelings that remain from the accident. I missed my pet the most at night, when I went to bed and he wasn't there at my feet. It took me months after he died before I stopped saying good night to him.
2006-09-01 09:31:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Personally, I hate power mowers and have been using a push mower all my life. Those power ones scare the heck out of me and accidents do happen.
Some people may laugh but I think you need grief counselling. Your self-blame will eat at you if you do not get a chance to really talk this out with a counsellor.
Your children will get over this more quickly than you will, especially if they have a new pet to love and take care of. You will always honour your old friend Moo. Rest assured, she does not blame you.
2006-09-01 09:28:22 · answer #5 · answered by grapeshenry 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am very sorry to hear about your loss, but accidents do happen, and sometimes tragically, like in your case. Do Not keep blaming youself for the death of your dog.If you do, you will develop emotional problems, and it can eat you up. There is no question that you love your dog, and would do anything if it would bring her back.Death is never easy to accept, but after a period of mourning, you must go on. When you are ready, get another dog.
2006-09-01 09:26:40 · answer #6 · answered by WC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
man thats horrible. It took me around a month to get over the loss of my dog, and he died of natural causes at 14. If I were you I would clean up all her toys and stuff and put them in a box somewhere because seeing them now will only make you depressed. When your finished greiving you will be able to look at that stuff and think of the good times you had. Also if the tie out was defective, contact the manufacturer, so other dogs do not suffer.
2006-09-01 09:32:01 · answer #7 · answered by evancds 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is so sad. When our pets die in accidents there is an overwhelming sadness there. It will just take time to feel your grief. It was just an accident, so don't beat up on yourself too much. I have lost several pets to accidents so I can empathize how you feel. I don't mean to sound callous, but I think one of the best ways to help you get over it is to buy a new puppy. You will always have your fond memories of the pet you just lost but instead of putting your heart energy into the feeling of loss you can put your love into the new pet.
2006-09-01 09:28:01 · answer #8 · answered by SunFun 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I feel awful for you, how terrible.... everyone makes mistakes and obviously you had no idea that could have happened. Hopefully everyone reading can learn from what happened. I know some of the most responsible dog owners in the world that have all made mistakes and sometimes they end tragically.
2006-09-01 09:30:49 · answer #9 · answered by ontario ashley 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm so sorry for you. Don't blame yourself - she had to die someday and by the sounds of it it was fast and painless. She probably didn't feel a thing. That would be better for you than years of suffering if she got sick. These things happen and you'll just have to take the time to grieve and get over it.
Hope you feel better soon.
xx
2006-09-01 10:29:21 · answer #10 · answered by pinklady23 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋