You may want to prepare yourself financially for the death of your dog. That way, you can make decisions at the vet as to whether expensive treatment should be carried out or not. Photos: dpa
When her dog died, parish worker Christine Mick placed an article in the newsletter of her Catholic congregation.
"In doing so, I also was trying to make the topic of 'mourning for a pet' somewhat public," the 56-year-old resident of Saarbruecken in south-western Germany said.
In her church, special mourning services are held for people who have lost a pet. For many, the death of a pet is no less painful than when a person passes away.
Why is this the case? Naturalist and author Elli H. Radinger has an explanation: "It's because a part of our family, a part of our life, has died. It's that simple." In her book titled Abschied vom geliebten Hund (Farewell to a Beloved Dog), the 71-year-old wrote about mourning for her Labrador, Shira.
Radinger knows one thing: Preparation helps. This does not mean starting to think about death when the pet is still a puppy. "But it helps when one is aware about the end and so one experiences life with the animal all the more intensively," she says.
Financially and in terms of organisation you should be prepared for the death of your dog.
"You should set aside enough money for eventually having to pay for expensive special nutrition, physiotherapy and medications, and when at the veterinarian to be able to make a decision, independent of the cost, about whether a treatment should be carried out or not," Radinger advises.
Then there is the question as to whether the creature can be buried in the owner's back yard or in a pet cemetery – or be cremated by an animal mortician.
The most important thing, however, is to spend a lot of time with the dog at the end. But taking care of yourself should also not be neglected.
"One must try to be stable, both in health and spirit, in order to help the dog and be able to get through everything," the author says.
You have to decide whether your pet can be buried in your own back yard or in a pet cemetery – or be cremated by an animal mortician.
Those who know their dog well and can read its mind will also recognise the right moment when to let it go, says psychologist and dog trainer Alexandra Wischall-Wagner of Vienna.
"If you're a well-rehearsed team then you know it, and the dogs show us as well when they can go on no longer," she said.
Clear signals are when the dog no longer greets the owner, or stops eating. Radinger filmed her Labrador Shira when she was doing poorly. This was also meant to make it clear to her that life for Shira had become too painful.
The film served months later to help her counter her own nagging self-doubt.
Radinger advises talking openly with a veterinarian about the right time to let go and asking the right questions. Is my dog in great pain? How high is its quality of life? Can it still lead a "normal" dog's life? Such questions must be asked and in the end, a decision reached.
After a dog dies, owners in many countries are faced with the option of burying their pets in the back yard or in a pet cemetery. You may even be able to have your dog cremated and take home the ashes.The farewell should be undertaken together and in quiet.
"We owe it to our dogs to make the final hours as nice as possible, that we don't hand them over to the veterinarian but are there for the final breath," Wischall-Wagner says. "At best, in a trusted surrounding."
Depending on their age, children should also be part of this – if they want to.That time heals wounds is something that Radinger experienced after many weeks of mourning, anger and despair.
She advises people to take all the time they need in this phase. "You only know inside yourself when you are ready to experience life anew," she says.
Of course, you'll never forget the dog you loved. But at some point even the toughest pain and the worst mourning will be overcome. "And then it is worthwhile to take a leap and a new beginning and simply trust in love and life itself." – dpa/Katja Sponholz
