‘Someone Seen My Puppy?’ The DOs and DON’Ts When You Lose Your Pet.
Well, it does get painstaking for all pet lovers when you’ve got to find your missing “best friend”. Especially if it’s a little pet like my puppy ‘Angelino’ was when he vanished. There is always the dilemma of, did it happen just out of the blues, or did someone run over my pet or maybe it’s the thought that probably someone made money out of my little darling. My S.O is nowhere near being a dog lover and in fact I’d comment her to be a dog hater. So I had a thought or two about her being my prime suspect. That said, whether your roomie is a dog lover or not, there are many things that do come across your mind when it gets down to the point that your pet is missing and there’s no hope of getting it back. Here’s a guide on what not to do and what to do and why, from first hand experience.
1. Do not think of the worst.
Yes! Your “best friend” is not dead; crushed by a pet hater or slipped into a sewer line, simply believe it DID NOT happen so. I tried entertaining such thoughts when Angelino went missing and to tell the truth, that simple thought alone killed my spirit and I had to drink myself out of the sobre moods. It did not get better until I heard my neighbors puppy barking over the fence and I was like, yeah, he must have met a nice human being who couldn’t leave him wandering. From then onwards I trained my mind to believe that Angelino met the best pet keeper there ever was; other than me –I must add, and guess what, it gave me the air of getting along with day to day life. Up to today, I haven’t named any of my pets “Angelino” because in my conscious, the owner of that name liveth!
2. Do Not Blame Yourself.
Was it your fault really? Absolutely no way! I mean you are a real pet lover, aren’t you? That’s why you went looking for one in the first place. Even if that fateful morning you forgot to keep the doors shut and your pet slipped away playfully, or even if you didn’t keep a close eye on it and that pet hater got a chance to lure it away to rid it off. People screw up things every once in a while so it’s not your intentional fault.
The moment you accept that you weren’t at fault you allow yourself to heal and nevertheless, that conscious of what happened will never allow you to do the same mistakes again. But if you don’t keep off blaming yourself, trust me you’ll never believe in your capabilities of keeping a pet and that’s how you’ll gradually turn into another pet hater.
3. Do Not Quarrel Your Suspicious Partner/Roomie.
He/she could be a pet hater that’s why it’s natural for you to cast a doubting eye on him/her. Or else he/she could be a pet lover but often too careless that’s why it ought to be him/her who left the doors open and your pet slipped away. All that is a possibility, but never ever let it appear to them that you are settled on them being the ideal suspect.
I already said my S.O is a real pet hater, and to be honest I have never cleared my doubts about what part she might have played on that fateful morning, but I have never let her feel like I was ever suspecting her. I grieved for days. Then one evening she came to me and held out a present box to me. Guess what I found in there? Yes! Your guess is right, my pet hating S.O had bought me one of the cutest little puppy. Well it was unbelievable, and to be honest with you our bond just got stronger than before.
My point is, when you grieve for your missing pet, everyone around you will most likely grieve with you, and what happens next is better when you don’t show that you are suspecting someone than when you show it.
4. Allow Yourself To Grieve.
Tears break free all human attachments, for good or for worse. When we go to see off our best friends for a long time we shed some tears because it’s hurting to see them leave, but we must let go anyway since we want all the best for our friends. Likewise, when we loose our loved ones we shed tears because it’s hurting, but we must let go anyways since we can do nothing about it.
Therefore I recommend you to grieve well enough, once those tears dry up, you will let go of your “best friend” for good.
5. Find a New Pet Not a Replacement.
Once that kennel, that cage, whatever it is your pet of choice inhabits gets filled up with a new one, life begins to get back on track. However, you must never force your new pet to behave like your old one. I don’t mean you should do different things to what you used to do to your old pet either, give the new one same treats; maybe hype them a little bit, but don’t you force it to react in same manner as the old one.
Forcing a new pet to fit the shoes of a lost one will definitely kill the thought I encouraged of never assuming that it’s actually dead. Most likely, the new pet will never act or fit into the ideals of the lost one. So you end up with thoughts of a dead pet and a new one you have right there which doesn’t impress you. On the other hand, you don’t make your new pet a replacement of the lost one and you end up with two pets; one which lives in your heart but physically far away, and a new one right before your eyes which is acting in a funny way but which you like very much for everything it does.
6. Cherish The Memories.
For all the love you had for your lost pet, don’t let the good times fade away. Search for those photos you picked while hugging it. Keep them on a safe album. Look into them from time to time and make everyone around you know how much you miss your lost pet. Your pet is your best friend, cherish the memories of every single moment you spend with it.
Hope you learned something. Can’t wait to write a review of some of your feedback on my next post, keep your comments coming through please, if you get the time.
Don’t you forget to follow my account for more engaging topics about pets. We are all the same; pet lovers, let’s share the love.