Grieving the Loss of a Pet

Socks at Belfast Common

In the two weeks since saying goodbye to our beloved dog Jenna, Socks and I have gone on what I refer to as “healing” walks almost every single day. To say Socks has been a little neglected in recent months would probably be an understatement. Neglected might be a little harsh, but since caring for Jenna’s needs required so much of my time and energy I often felt bad that Socks wasn’t getting the attention he needed and deserved. Now though, he is getting all the attention and I hope it’s helping his little heart heal. I know it’s certainly helping mine.  The first couple of days were most definitely the hardest, but thankfully the sky was the blue, the sun was shining, and the air was warm, which made it a little easier to put on my sneakers and get us both outside.

As I mentioned, I’ve been referring to our walks as healing walks. While I realize that sounds a bit cheesy, I truly believe it has helped both Socks and I way more than sitting inside staring at Jenna’s empty bed and longing to hold her and pet her just one more time. I can only imagine how confusing it must be for Socks, or any dog who loses a pack member, to have her here one day and not the next. For the most part he’s done really well, though, except for the time I came home from a quick trip to the grocery store and could hear the most heartbreaking howling coming from inside as I walked to the front door. It brought tears to my eyes and I immediately realized that the human members of our family aren’t the only ones grieving the loss of Jenna, but Socks is too and with a little time and a lot of love we’ll all continue to heal together.

 

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