Losing an animal that you love: yes, this happened to me more than once. The first that I remember was my dog, McDuff. He was a sweet, white little West Highland Terrier. He was very friendly. But one day he got sick so we had to put him down.

The second pet who died was run over by a snowplow. But there was more to it than that. Daisy Duke was a beautiful, multi-colored cat who loved me very much. She liked to snuggle up with me on the bed. One night, she was playing with my feet, but I didn’t like the claws, so I put her out of my room for awhile. My dad put her outside, which was okay because she liked the barn, and I thought it would be fine for a short time but soon after, she was hit by the snow plow and died. I wish that I hadn’t put her outside my room. I blame myself for that death.

How did I come to terms with it? I just reminded myself that she loved me. It took me sometime to get over her, and I still miss her and I still wish I’d done something differently.
In a dream, Daisy Duke was there, and was trying to say goodbye and that she loved me. In the dream, we were both in my bed. The sun was out, but the back yard was like water with grass floating on top. We just got to spend time time together. it was really special because the dream happened after she died. Maybe we shared a little bit of heaven.

We also had to put down my dog, Sugarfoot. She was a Black Lab, about 13 or 14. When she was younger, she had a mean owner who always kicked her out. When my mom saw that she was freezing and losing fur (my dad loves animals, too). We decided to keep her.I loved her. I tried to take care of her when she had arthritis later in life. I was upset when she couldn’t stand up and I realized we were losing her. On an anniversary of 9-11, we had to put my Sweet Sugar Foot down. I didn’t know this happened and when i came home from school, my mom and dad told me that they had to put her down.I was upset that I wasn’t able to say goodbye.

As a person who studies animals, and loves and cares for animals, and hopes to make a career helping animals, here’s my advice to readers and friends on some ways to cope with the loss of a beloved pet:

1. Even though it takes a while to realize they’re gone, never forget that you love each other.
2. Keep pictures or other symbols.
3.Say “I love you” out loud, like I did also for my other pets, Bilbo Baggins and Mr King.
4.Pray.
5. Get a lot of sleep.
6.Try to volunteer with animals.
7. Help out with animals at shelters, and consider working toward a career in that.

In conclusion, it is hard to lose a pet. But the memory lives on. Keep the happy memories close to your heart. Remember that they’ll always be there with you, even if you don’t see them.