How do you know when it’s time
to say goodbye to your pet?

Over the years I’ve spoken to many people about this…people who were agonizing over a decision yet to be made, or in anguish over a decision that might have been made too soon or should have been made earlier.

 

It’s an excruciating decision, whenever it is made. We shouldn’t have to be in the position of ending a life…it just feels wrong. But our animal companions depend on us to make the best decisions we can on their behalf, and for many people that means deciding when the journey together is over.

 

We look into their trusting eyes and say “It’s ok…if it’s time for you to go I understand.” But we really don’t understand, and we don’t feel ok. We feel terrified, lost and alone, hoping we’ll wake up from this nightmare and see that our furry friend is well and young….the journey just beginning.

 

Sometimes our critters help us make that decision. Your pet may have naturally come to the end of its life, or sadly, lost its life in some tragic way. In other cases, your animal may be so old or ill that it can hardly stand up anymore, and you get the feeling that part of them has already left their body and they are waiting…and ready…for that final release. 

 

But in many cases it’s just not that clear. In the last weeks of Jake’s life he was better one day and worse the next. The reality is that often at the end it’s not a straight downhill slope – there are peaks and valleys, and it’s the peaks that make it so hard to know what to do. We become desperate. Do we hang on? Do we wait one more day? Each day is precious, and we want as many days as we can have with our critters.

 

The truth is that whether we lose our pet on a Wednesday or a Friday, or we put it off for a few more days, it’s going to be as heartbreaking next week as it would be tomorrow.

 

What DOES matter is the relationship you and your pet shared. Did you do everything you were meant to do together? At the end did you know….I mean deep down in the core of your being know….that this journey was complete and it was time to let go?

 

That’s what I knew about Jake. I knew our time together could never be measured in days or weeks or years…it existed in “forever.” I knew we’d done everything we were supposed to do, and even though I’d cry oceans of tears, at least I wouldn’t have any regrets.

 

Losing our beloved pets is hard enough – losing them with regrets is even more heartbreaking.  Love them while you can, so that when the time comes to say goodbye you can do so with a peaceful heart, even if that heart is broken.