Barry and Clarabella's memorial stones

Barry and his dog Archie. THis is the first dog he loved/ lived with as an adult, and before I knew Barry. I do not have a picture of Clarabella.

At first I wondered as I do when I suffer such loss, Why do we love, when it hurts so much to lose our love. 

But I am grateful to have had the chance to know and have loved Barry. I am grateful for the love of dogs.  The following poem helps me in times like this.

'Tis a fearful thing


to love what death can touch.

A fearful thing


to love, hope, dream:

to be--

to be,


And! to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

and


a holy thing,

a holy thing


to love.

For your life has lived in me,


your laugh once lifted me,


your word was gift to me.

To remember this brings painful joy.

'Tis a human thing, love,


a holy thing,


to love


what death has touched. 

That's a sweet story Alex - of Barry & Clarabella.  I love the memorial stones & I'm glad you all were able to finish up that gazebo & bury the two of them nearby - they'll always be close in memories and hearts.

I have had several dogs & cats - none at the present time.  They all were wonderful companions & I was sad when time came for them to go.  One of ours was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - I heard the breed described once as 'love sponges' - and it was so apt - our little guy certainly was.

Getting through that first year is tough - now accomplished - and my thoughts are with you in your grief.

My first dog was a corgi, a red corgi, not one like Archie. Archie looks like he was an awesome dog. Corgis are like big dogs in little dog bodies. They are very smart and VERY loyal.

We now live with and love Helios. Helios spent the first year or so of his life with a hoarder in a kennel setting. He came to our local shelter where we met. He adopted me when he first saw me. That was two years ago, and he is very much a part of our lives here.

This is Helios:

So sorry for your loss, Alex, and thanks for sharing a lovely story.  Helios is a handsome dude, northwind!

My Charlie is a fox red lab and has my heart...he's a great, devoted guy and just happy to be beside me, whereever that may be.  I'm very content to be beside him as well...

Alex, it sounds like the anniversary was very fitting.  How is Rob doing?

I've never had a dog, and neither have most of my relatives.  My aunt did though and we all loved it.

Chemguy had a dog that had to be put down the first year we were dating.  I still feel bad about the fact that I didn't go with him, but I was swamped at the time and I wouldn't have been able to go inside the building.  It was very much his dog, he got it when he was an older kid (not teen) and was responsible for all the costs.  Unfortunately, I didn't even get to know the dog well, as the dog was put down before the family cat was, so I only saw her outside and she disliked pretty much everyone except the family in her old age.

We've been considering getting a dog (will come after a house, so we still have lots of time!).  I have concerns though, what happens if chemguy is away for work?  I can't go into most pet stores, nor can I take it to the vet.  We also have to get a dog that's as hypoallergenic as possible, but what if I still become allergic?

Chemguy is amused at how attached I was to my goldfish and hamster.  I remember being very upset when they died!  My goldfish was so smart too, I had it trained to do a few tricks and it lived for about 5 years.

Alex . . . thinking of you as you go through this time of grieving in your life - sorry for your losses.

Alex,

thank you for sharing a bit more of your life with us.  I have never heard that Cat Stevens song before -- it is very beautiful

I grew up with lots of animals; I don't currently have any animals.

Even though my boi died two years ago, I still have moments when I think of him and I cry; that shows that I am gloriously alive

My mother has an awesome dog, Mariyah, a Dutch Shephard, who is blind and going deaf and senile, but is such a nice and gentle pup -- she doesn't lick or jump up on you and never bites and she loves cats.

My favourite dog of my life was Bonnie Buddy, a Border Collie -- we'd do things like play hide n seek -- she'd always end up finding us so we tried to trick her by climbing up a tree, but that didn't stop her :3  She learned to play with rocks from a local dog and she bit waterfalls and was an awesome tug-of-war player :3

Its all worth it, I think, sharing my time with these animals...

I know two songs about the loss of loved dogs:

"Bronte" by Gotye (seeing as you're crying allready, this one always makes me cry)

&

"Let Go" by Hank Dogs

I had a beloved dog when I was a kid, she died when I was 12, she was the nearest to a sibling I had, always there, and she put up with much from a child. Mom said my dog thought I was one of her puppies. She was smart and loving and her loss was major  in my life. I still have her picture on my dresser, my sister pup. A black cockapoo.

You have suffered much loss Alex. I'm sorry.

I've only ever owned one dog, an English Cocker Spaniel named Becky. We got her when I was 5 years old and she was a part of our family for 16 years. Putting her down was one of the hardest (and best) decisions I have ever made - I cried so hard.  That was 14 years ago, and I remember it like it was yesterday.

Becky was a wonderful dog and I have many lovely memories of her. I still smile when I think of things like her affinity for frozen food (frozen french fries and peas were particular favourites of hers), and the way that she would sit at the top of the staircase, head drooped over the top step looking really depressed, whenever the suitcases came out.

I'd like to have a cocker spaniel one day, or another cockapoo, or a standard poodle... or a water spaniel, or a springer spaniel... or a labradoodle...

My dad made the decision to have our dog put down. It was impossible for me to understand as a kid. Put a big wedge between me and my dad. It's good that you got to make that decision yourself Somegal. I still remember her sweet face cradled trustingly in my hands at the vet, black eyes gazing at mine, and I kissed her dear little head for the last time. Felt like I was forced to betray her. I wish we could have taken her home after to bury in the yard. I had such terrible thoughts about what happened to her afterward, not knowing where her body went or if they treated it with respect. I would like to have buried her.

That's a heartfelt story Alex.Thank you. I am sorry for your loss of Barry.

 I love dogs. So full of love ,they are.  Now, in an apartment, we can't have one. I wish we could. Any friendly dog would be good, I would love. I don't think I have a favourite breed. My friend has a great dog. He is some kind of terrier, I can't remember the breed. Almost a pug-like face,bulgy eyes with eyelashes (kind of an oscar the grouch face), funny looking but adorable and so smart.When I talk to him, he looks at me with an inquisitive look, his bottom lip overlapping his upper one, cocks his head to one side and his ear stcks up. It's priceless. I wouldn't mind a dog like him.

What a moving story Alex. Soft thoughts as you continue to grieve the loss of Barry. The memory stones are touching and beautiful.

I am also grateful for the love of dogs. I absolutely adore our 2 year old friendly, lovable cockapoo, Jasmine. I am home a lot and she is always by my side. Jasmine and I volunteer weekly at a senior’s care facility. The people there love her. Yesterday while visiting one of our special friends (a 96 year old woman who really loves Jasmine) she saw Jasmine and said “wait a minute until I take my glasses off so you can kiss me”. She does this every week - takes off her glasses and then gets Jasmine to reach up and kiss her face – and kiss some more – this goes on for a while. Yesterday while getting her face ‘washed’ the woman said, “Oh Jasmine, I love you, you know I do. You just make my day”. She thanked me profusely for bringing Jasmine in and we said goodbye until next week. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

It was a tough, but good decision. Of course, I was 21 at the time, so probably had a better understanding of the situation at the time than a kid would have done. Besides that, it was likely only a number of days until she would have died naturally anyhow. She was clearly suffering, so I knew it was time.