Comment on Revisiting the place where your animal companion died or is buried by Joan.
Our beloved dog had been killed while with our pet sitter, on her 500 acre ranch. She had tethered him to a tree and walked away for a few minutes – long enough for him to escape and likely taken by a coyote. We decided to return about five and a half months afterwards, on what would have been his birthday. She wanted to cut the tree down but we asked for her to keep it so we can keep it as a memorial. We have hung various pieces of artwork – one of which was stolen! We continued to visit on various milestone days but not sure how often we’ll go back. After the ornament was stolen, we took it as a sign that our baby doesn’t want to be there. So we created a new honoring tree in our own yard. I will still return on the anniversary of his death though, as one way to continue to remember him.
Recent Comments by Joan
Pet loss anger: How to cope when you can’t stop feeling angry
It’s been 8 months since our dog was tragically killed because our pet sitter was careless. We dropped him off, healthy and happy. When we went to pick him up he was gone, likely killed by a coyote. We’re still devastated. After the shock started wearing off I started feeling the emotion of anger, which was new for me. I’m still angry but I’m ok with it, at least for now. I’ve been experiencing all of the other emotions too so I figure this is just part of the journey towards healing. My therapist says it’s ok to feel angry, especially because of the circumstances of what happened. I don’t anticipate it taking over my life, I hope.