The loss of a pet is hard for us all but if you’re a senior who lives alone, a pet can be a lifeline and its loss can be devastating.

I cried a lot yesterday. My little dog Kita passed away on her big round doggy bed after giving me 15 years of love and devotion. I’m lucky to have had her. She was always glad to see me in the morning or anytime I came back home even if I had been gone just a little while. She had lived a good life here on the two acres. She loved to run and play with Shawnee, our little Chihuahua. They were the best of friends.

Through ten grandkids pulling her ears and stepping on her tail, she never nipped at them. She was truly a gentle spirit. Each morning when I came up to my office to work, she’d follow me and sleep on her pillow I put in the opening of my closet. There she’d stay until I was ready to come down and then she’d follow me down and want to go outside to play. Loyal . . . love . . . companionship . . . and joy. That’s what she gave me. Her loss has only begun to sink in.

Seniors, Pets, and Loss

While I’m still young enough to get out and about and have lots of family that visits, losing Kita makes me think of the homebound seniors who don’t have anyone close except for their pets. It must be the next worse thing to losing a spouse or a child. Feeding them, walking them, talking to them is the highlight to many a senior’s day.

I was so lucky to have so many years with Kita. But to be honest, the longer you have a pet the harder it is to see them go. I am so blessed that Kita didn’t suffer much at all. She had three pretty bad days, then kept to her doggy bed and after three days she stretched out in a comfortable position and just slipped away. I am so grateful for that. Had she been sick longer, I might had made the decision to have her put down. What a horrible thought! But for people who love their pets many times it’s a decision they feel they have to make.

Pets and Love

Right now the pain is still fresh. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll think about all the good times I had with Kita. Right now I just feel her loss. I am just so thankful I had her and that God has seen the wisdom of giving people animals to love. Perhaps their passing prepares us for losing a loved one. Perhaps the love we feel for them prepares us to love each other just a little more. I look back on my 61 years and recall all the pets I was blessed to share my life with. As an only child, I cried on their necks, I played with them in the creek and frolicked with them in our yards. Each one’s passing was so very hard to take. But I do know the lives they shared with me has made me a better person.

Thank you Kita for your love and devotion. We’ll continue our joy someday beyond the clouds.