I have been completely overwhelmed by it all of the kind messages I have received about Nechung. Quite literally hundreds of them. It goes to show how many people love dogs. The kind words that people have expressed have been very welcome and I thank all of you.
I have not yet got used to her not being here and the house definitely feels different. It could be my imagination, but Luque seems to miss her.
On Sunday evening, which is when the we more or less knew that we would have to take her to the vet for the final time, Luque had growled at her, something he has never done before.
When I returned from the vet without her he looked behind me and then had a long sniff of me. Since then he has been very quiet and he sleeps where she normally slept. When he comes to bed with me he has not been doing his usual dancing about.
Her granddaughter, Carly, I think is pregnant. It will be another 10 days before I know for sure. Judging from her behaviour I think she probably is. She will not leave me alone and always wants to be on my lap.
Mary Grace is also a granddaughter of Nechung but only five months of age.
5 comments:
It will take time to adjust to her not being there, especially when she has been part of your lives for so many years. At least you have the company of the other dogs to keep you busy and your mind occupied.
Not a story relating to dogs, but when i had cats, one of mine was hit by a car on the road outside. She recovered but I think her smell changed as the male cat would no longer go anywhere near her. Before they would snuggle down together, but when she came back from the vets it was as if I had brought a different cat back as far as he was concerned.
Luque definitely understands that something has changed and he misses her. He will have to have his mourning period, too. If she was sick, he would know - dogs can smell sickness on each other and on humans, and know when it reaches critical levels, so that's probably why he is not acting surprised or shocked.
One of our cats was hit by a car, and we made the mistake of burying him while the other cat was sleeping in another room, so she never saw his body. Once enough time had gone by (a day or so) and she hadn't seen him, she started to get upset - she would cry and stomp around by the front door (the door he went in and out of, but she never went outside) and do other odd behaviors. She got a little clingy for a while. I realized she was upset that he was gone, but we had no way to explain it to her, so I just had to be patient and try to comfort her the best I could. It took her a couple weeks to adjust, and now she's fine, but I wish we'd made the transition easier for her, just by letting her see his body and sniff at him for a bit before we'd taken him out to his final resting place.
I wish that they could live longer, the short time they can be a part of our lives is the only downside to loving dogs. She will be with you in memory and spirit forever.
You have invited us into your life and family, we also care about you and John. x
Losing a pet is losing a family member - no two ways about that. One hears them coming down the hall, and then realizes they are gone, and the stab of sorrow hits again.
When my cat died, I was looking forward to a cat-free household, but my cairn terrier was so depressed that I had to get him another cat.
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