Dog died.

[Sarah]

My brother's german shepard, Sonic, died, even though he wasn't in the UK, a lot of time was spent with that dog........and he's spent the whole day blubbing. Any tips on how to shut him up?

He was bitten by another dog and caught a disease.
Just to make this topic a bit more worthwhile, do you ever have any problems with pets and cleanliness especially when they are in the house?

Do you think we should be able to learn how to deal with snake bites and other animal vector borne diseases at school?

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

First of all Sarah your brother has a right to grieve over the lose of his dog. And allow him some understanding and compassion.

Just to make this topic a bit more worthwhile,

I am a little taken back with the cold heartiness of your post. Is that what you learnt from Islam?

[bullcat jr.]

That is so sad Sarah 
I would  and  if anything happened to my dog.
You should be extra nice to him for awhile.
Maybe buy him a stuffed puppy in it's place 

[Rubystars]

It can hurt just the same as losing a member of the family, especially if the dog was elderly when it died.

My dog in my avatar died last week at 17 1/2 years old and I'm still grieving as well.

You need to show some human compassion and realize that it HURTS to lose an animal that you love.

[Ari]

I'm sorry for the losses of both Sarah and Rubystars' dogs.  Cut your brother some slack, Sarah.  Rubystars, Mikey was a cute dog.  Hope you get over his loss and consider a new pet in the near future. 

[Rubystars]

I'm sorry for the losses of both Sarah and Rubystars' dogs.  Cut your brother some slack, Sarah.  Rubystars, Mikey was a cute dog.  Hope you get over his loss and consider a new pet in the near future. 

Thank you Ari.

I don't ever "get over" losing any of my animals, but I am moving on with my life. Because of the level of care he needed at 17 1/2 years old, it's unusual for me to not have to care for him like I did before and let G-d take care of him now. Every day I'm reminded of things I don't have to do for him anymore. Hopefully l'll adjust to that soon.

I'm never having another dog again because it's too hard to lose them when they die. After Eva, my ferret, dies, which will probably be in a few years, I'm not having another mammal either. That will also be very hard to go through losing her, because she's very playful and loving.

If I get another pet, it will be a corn snake. While I will undoubtedly love my scaly pet, it will recognize my scent but not form a mutually deep emotional bond that I would form with a mammal. When my future snake dies it will make me sad and I will probably cry, but it won't be as emotionally wrenching as losing an animal with which I shared a deep mutual bond.

[Ari]

Rubystars, maybe after the grieving process you will feel differently, but I don't know.  Good luck in your decision, even if you stick to only a reptile pet.

[Boeregeneraal]

Im sorry to hear that Ruby! 17 years, yes, a true family member.


@ Sarah  . Well, not at the dog, but at Sarah and how she talks of her brother 

[Rubystars]

Thanks Boer. I hope that Sarah's brother will be all right too and be able to feel better soon.

[Boeregeneraal]

don't worry about him. He'll be alright.

Corn snake eh? Interesting! Big change.

[Rubystars]

Rubystars, maybe after the grieving process you will feel differently, but I don't know.  Good luck in your decision, even if you stick to only a reptile pet.

They're wonderful when they're young but when they're old you have to make all sorts of decisions about how long to let it go on and being responsible for the quality of another complex being's life like that, at the end stages, can be very stressful. I decided on no more dogs after Mikey about 4 years ago and I haven't changed my mind.

[Boeregeneraal]

Rubystars, maybe after the grieving process you will feel differently, but I don't know.  Good luck in your decision, even if you stick to only a reptile pet.

They're wonderful when they're young but when they're old you have to make all sorts of decisions about how long to let it go on and being responsible for the quality of another complex being's life like that, at the end stages, can be very stressful. I decided on no more dogs after Mikey about 4 years ago and I haven't changed my mind.

that's completely understandable Ruby!

[newman]

Ruby,

I know it's gut-wrenching to lose a pet but the 15+ years of love and joy are worth the pain (as bad as it is).

I hope you get another warm-blooded pet. A big ginger tomcat like mine is great. Fixed-up toms are really affectionate and the ginger type especially so. Cats can live past 20 too.

[Sarah]

First of all Sarah your brother has a right to grieve over the lose of his dog. And allow him some understanding and compassion.

Just to make this topic a bit more worthwhile,

I am a little taken back with the cold heartiness of your post. Is that what you learnt from Islam?

I hope to teach my brother not to grieve to the extent that he does over the dog.
We both love animals.....very much indeed. Though most of ours are abroad.

This might not be the case for your animals but in Morocco, there are quite a lot of diseases and animals in general live a shorter life. There is medication and injections for the animals but not for dogs, cats etc because they aren't really domesticated to the extent they are in the west. I have seen a lot of animals die. The number of dogs, even though we've looked after them to our very best, have died......around at least 5 or 6. Some of you are saying that you had your dogs for 15 years!! No wonder you've grieved over them. The dogs we've had have only been around for a couple or so years, before they usually get into fights and catch diseases from other dogs, die when they give birth or stupidly go off into some other farm and drink weed killer from a puddle they think is water! However the dogs that we look after live a lot longer then those which are stray or looked after by other people in Morocco.

I am not cold. I get very attached to the animals and if i got extremely upset about every single one, i'd be a depressed maniac.
There was one time, when i loved this beautiful baby rabbit, and i even used to take it for adventures .........next day it was dead, for no reason except illness . I was extremely upset but at the end of the day it is God's will........animals die.

[Sarah]

That is so sad Sarah 
I would  and  if anything happened to my dog.
You should be extra nice to him for awhile.
Maybe buy him a stuffed puppy in it's place 

Yeah, i was a little more shocked than upset.

I'm sure your dog is very healthy and as long as you keep giving it the love and care which i'm sure you give very well, it'll stay good.  

If I got him a stuffed puppy, he'd be like "Where is the reciept, i'll exchange it for a video game!". He is fine now.

The dog was cute though, he used to play football with us and pounce over the ball in defense whenever we came near.

[Rubystars]

I hope to teach my brother not to grieve to the extent that he does over the dog.
We both love animals.....very much indeed. Though most of ours are abroad.

You can't tell someone else how to feel. Maybe he needs to grieve. If he doesn't grieve properly then it will come out in other ways. It's healthiest to leave him be to let it out.

This might not be the case for your animals but in Morocco, there are quite a lot of diseases and animals in general live a shorter life. There is medication and injections for the animals but not for dogs, cats etc because they aren't really domesticated to the extent they are in the west.

What if they get something simple like worms or an infection? Can you treat that? Last year my very elderly dog got a bladder infection where he was peeing blood but he got some antibiotics and it cured him quickly and then he was okay again for a long time. It's sad to me that your dogs over there wouldn't be able to get easy medications like that, that could help them live much longer for very curable problems.

I have seen a lot of animals die. The number of dogs, even though we've looked after them to our very best, have died......around at least 5 or 6. Some of you are saying that you had your dogs for 15 years!! No wonder you've grieved over them.

Even if you lose a dog as a puppy though, it can hurt.

The dogs we've had have only been around for a couple or so years, before they usually get into fights and catch diseases from other dogs, die when they give birth or stupidly go off into some other farm and drink weed killer from a puddle they think is water! However the dogs that we look after live a lot longer then those which are stray or looked after by other people in Morocco.

At least you try to take better care of yours than other people do.

I am not cold. I get very attached to the animals and if i got extremely upset about every single one, i'd be a depressed maniac.

You can't tell someone else how to feel though. Just because it doesn't hurt you as much doesn't mean it shouldn't hurt anyone else. If you hit your hand with a hammer and cried out and your brother came up to you and said "Why are you making so much noise? It doesn't hurt me!"

There was one time, when i loved this beautiful baby rabbit, and i even used to take it for adventures .........next day it was dead, for no reason except illness . I was extremely upset but at the end of the day it is G-d's will........animals die.

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your rabbit. Yes, animals die, and so do people, but it's sad when it happens.

[Sarah]

It can hurt just the same as losing a member of the family, especially if the dog was elderly when it died.

My dog in my avatar died last week at 17 1/2 years old and I'm still grieving as well.

You need to show some human compassion and realize that it HURTS to lose an animal that you love.

I wouldn't put it to the extent of losing a person. For the dog that has just died there are probably 4 or 5 people dieing of cancer, starvation and aids, you may not know these people but even they should be grieved for.
The dog was fairly young, it had a happy life.

I do realise that it hurts to lose an animal, i've had animals myself and cried bitterly when I lost a goldfish when i was younger......it's just sometimes it is stupid and a waste of time to get wound up on grieving for something that has already been lost. My brother spent his whole day being upset, so what happiness did that bring? What good remembrance of the dog did he feel? Nothing, just the fact that it is gone.

I'm sorry about your dog but honestly, if you've given it a good home and cared for the dog then that is the end of it. Move on.

[Rubystars]

Sarah I think that animals are put on a higher pedestal in my culture than in yours and maybe that's why you don't completely understand. I am very empathetic and when an animal or even other person is sick or in pain sometimes I can feel it too.

I had a relative die of cancer and while losing a person is much worse, losing an animal can hurt in the same way.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

First of all Sarah your brother has a right to grieve over the lose of his dog. And allow him some understanding and compassion.

Just to make this topic a bit more worthwhile,

I am a little taken back with the cold heartiness of your post. Is that what you learnt from Islam?

I hope to teach my brother not to grieve to the extent that he does over the dog.
We both love animals.....very much indeed. Though most of ours are abroad.

This might not be the case for your animals but in Morocco, there are quite a lot of diseases and animals in general live a shorter life. There is medication and injections for the animals but not for dogs, cats etc because they aren't really domesticated to the extent they are in the west. I have seen a lot of animals die. The number of dogs, even though we've looked after them to our very best, have died......around at least 5 or 6. Some of you are saying that you had your dogs for 15 years!! No wonder you've grieved over them. The dogs we've had have only been around for a couple or so years, before they usually get into fights and catch diseases from other dogs, die when they give birth or stupidly go off into some other farm and drink weed killer from a puddle they think is water! However the dogs that we look after live a lot longer then those which are stray or looked after by other people in Morocco.

I am not cold. I get very attached to the animals and if i got extremely upset about every single one, i'd be a depressed maniac.
There was one time, when i loved this beautiful baby rabbit, and i even used to take it for adventures .........next day it was dead, for no reason except illness . I was extremely upset but at the end of the day it is G-d's will........animals die.

Well honestly Sarah you never sounded it. But thats completely up to you.

[Sarah]

I hope to teach my brother not to grieve to the extent that he does over the dog.
We both love animals.....very much indeed. Though most of ours are abroad.

You can't tell someone else how to feel. Maybe he needs to grieve. If he doesn't grieve properly then it will come out in other ways. It's healthiest to leave him be to let it out.

This might not be the case for your animals but in Morocco, there are quite a lot of diseases and animals in general live a shorter life. There is medication and injections for the animals but not for dogs, cats etc because they aren't really domesticated to the extent they are in the west.

What if they get something simple like worms or an infection? Can you treat that? Last year my very elderly dog got a bladder infection where he was peeing blood but he got some antibiotics and it cured him quickly and then he was okay again for a long time. It's sad to me that your dogs over there wouldn't be able to get easy medications like that, that could help them live much longer for very curable problems.

I have seen a lot of animals die. The number of dogs, even though we've looked after them to our very best, have died......around at least 5 or 6. Some of you are saying that you had your dogs for 15 years!! No wonder you've grieved over them.

Even if you lose a dog as a puppy though, it can hurt.

The dogs we've had have only been around for a couple or so years, before they usually get into fights and catch diseases from other dogs, die when they give birth or stupidly go off into some other farm and drink weed killer from a puddle they think is water! However the dogs that we look after live a lot longer then those which are stray or looked after by other people in Morocco.

At least you try to take better care of yours than other people do.

I am not cold. I get very attached to the animals and if i got extremely upset about every single one, i'd be a depressed maniac.

You can't tell someone else how to feel though. Just because it doesn't hurt you as much doesn't mean it shouldn't hurt anyone else. If you hit your hand with a hammer and cried out and your brother came up to you and said "Why are you making so much noise? It doesn't hurt me!"

There was one time, when i loved this beautiful baby rabbit, and i even used to take it for adventures .........next day it was dead, for no reason except illness . I was extremely upset but at the end of the day it is G-d's will........animals die.

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your rabbit. Yes, animals die, and so do people, but it's sad when it happens.

Rubystars, he let it out for long enough. He was making more of a fuss then I knew he felt and wouldn't stop. I can't explain it but i know my brother.
If he does keep doing this though for ALL the animals that he will probably lose, then it won't be good because it is too extreme.

We put antibiotics in their food and stuff, yes. However there are some illnesses where we actually don't know what they are. You don't get a lot of Vets for dogs there.
 

Sarah I think that animals are put on a higher pedestal in my culture than in yours and maybe that's why you don't completely understand. I am very empathetic and when an animal or even other person is sick or in pain sometimes I can feel it too.

I had a relative die of cancer and while losing a person is much worse, losing an animal can hurt in the same way.

I do understand what you mean and that is your culture, yes.

[Sarah]

Skippy sometimes i hide what i feel behind my words. In real life, I do this more.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

Skippy sometimes i hide what i feel behind my words. In real life, I do this more.

Thats something that we all do.

[newman]

I reads in General G.S. Patton's journal that he found the moroccan arabs hideously cruel to animals (I'm not saying you are, Sarah).

He noted many blind horses and donkies because of the arab habit of hitting animals about the head and face with sticks.

[Ari]

Yes, Ruby, but I believe 17 years is an excellent run for a dog, though I'm sure it's still just as difficult to lose him, or even more so.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

I believe it doesn't matter if you have the animal for one month or 18 or 20 years, your attachment to the animal is the same. They each bring something different into your life, and I think many times they fill a need you have. They are honored because of this, and loved without question. And there is always something that stays with you even then that pet as pasted from this world.

A Rabbi once said to me, Never morn over what is lost, because one day it will return.