How do I help my grieving dog

[Debkline10]

I lost my beloved Sampson last week suddenly ( I am heartbroken) but I am noticing that 2 of my other 3 dogs seem really down in the dumps as well.... Sadi, my 8 yr old Shih Tzu/poodle mix and Sampson were best buds and Gabe, my 14 yr old Chocolate lab never liked to go outside without Sampson, ( now we have to walk out with him ) They just seem so sad..I know this will pass but until then I sure would like to know what I can do for them besides love on them, that's a given.... Sadi has actually been looking for him, they played ball together and we buried his ball with him, I know she can sense something when she's outback...thanks in advance for reading my post .
Proverbs 12:10

[Ellen038]

I know Sampson would love for you to reduce a dog in his honor. I often feel overwhelming sadness because I can't seem to hold it together. I hate to think that my dog sees me so upset. He was always very in tune to my feelings. Like you I was home with him everyday. I think that is why you and I are having such a hard time with the loss. Our counselor told us that writing a letter to your pet is very therapeutic. She also mentioned writing special messages on balloons and releasing them is helpful. As crazy as it may sound my husband and I talk to him and kiss his pictures we have in the entry way and kitchen. We have a memory board going around for our family and friends to write fond memories on and we will put his picture in the middle framed in our home. We also plan to plant a tree on his birthday which is later on in the year. Maybe some of these ideas will help you honor Sampson. I'm glad posting on here has helped some. Sending healing prayers your way.

[Debkline10]

I am so sorry to hear your loss also, they ARE like our kids and unless you have had one or more in your life there is no way one would know how we feel.. As I told Jerry I am home with them all the time, Sampson followed me everywhere, all 98 lbs of him, even waited at the bathroom door. I am grieving terribly as I know you are. When I see my other 2 dogs look for him it makes it worse.. But in time this will pass , I will have nothing but fond memories of my Sampson.. Thank you for commenting, as I said above writing does seem to help and in Sampsons honor we will rescue another dog a couple months out :) As I told my children I will always have a least 3 furbabies , that's just the way it is!

[Debkline10]

Thanks for commenting...honestly it's probably me more than my other dogs, we just lost Sampson This past Saturday and I'm having a hard time, it was just so sudden .. When I see Sadi looking for him and Gabe waiting for him to go outside it makes it worse for me, .. Thank goodness all but one of my kids are gone, they would think I was crazy, but they do know I love these dogs, I am home all the time with them, ... Writing like I did, telling my story helps me , I'm sure a lot of people don't know how to respond .. :)

[Ellen038]

I'm sorry to hear your family is going thru the loss in your family. To me my dogs are my kids. We lost our dog a week before Christmas and we have been devistated ever since. We saw a grief counselor and she was able to help us a lot. Our other two dogs didnt seem to grieve until we got a puppy a month ago. That is when we noticed one of our two remaining dogs was taking it hard. After a couple weeks he started to act normal again. I think time is the answer. Everyone deals with grief differently and there is no set time that you should stop grieving. Everyone in our family seems to be managing ok now except myself. The dog we lost so suddenly was my everything. We were SO close. I know in time it will get better even tho it may not feel like that at the moment. There are some online pet grief counselors who may be able to offer you some helpful advise. They are free. I'm here and can listen if you want to talk. One thing that I found that helped my husband and I was having memory beads made with the fur from our dog. This way we have a piece of him with us always. As strange as it may sound it's helped bring some closure to us.

[Jerry_NJ]

I saw your post last night, but as I do not have an easy answer I passed it by.  Seeing no input this morning I make my only and obvious suggestion:  let time heal.  I know it helps us humans, and with the dog's simpler mind I think it is easier for them than us.... don't let you other dogs make your suffering worse, enjoy them and let them distract you.

Get a new toy for the grieving dog and get it to play with you throwing the toy - maybe a ball, or maybe better if it is something different.  Some of our dogs liked to chase a small (8" diameter) hoop sent rolling like a wheel.