To be fretting about my dogs

[TheoriginalLEM]

i have two wonderful dogs. one is 8 the other just 3 or 4. They keep me sane and one in particular is my soul mate. He sticks to me like glue, talks to me and sleeps in my bed.

What am i going to do when i lose them? i know they are not children but i know i wont have my boys forever and it scares me.

i suffer from anxiety and depression and they have rescued me from myself.

my anxiety is bad just now. ive been working more which is great and i work with animals sometimes -again, great but it brings it home to me that they are just on loan to us and its breaking my heart.

im being pathetic

[catzpyjamas]

Hey LEM, you are not being pathetic.
Dogs are the most fantastic friends we can have. They love us unconditionally, give us companionship and are more loyal than most humans. However the greatest lesson we can learn from them is to live in the moment. Enjoy what you have now, don't worry about an inevitable future that you cannot prevent and when the time comes, treasure the memories.

[AgentZigzag]

You're not being pathetic at all, but unfortunately it's the price you have to accept to pay for what you get from them.

My anxiety uses my DDs in the same way, it's a threat you just can't ignore, and is usually wheeled out if I'm feeling slightly happy or content just to knock me down a peg or two.

Like catz says, there's nothing you can do but enjoy the here/now time you have with them

[Welshmaenad]

Bless you lovely, it's hard isn't it? My eldest cat, my heart girlie, is nine now and I'm starting to panic about losing her even though she's fit and healthy and doesn't seem her age. She was my solace when I lost my mum last year, curling up on me when she sensed I was sad, patting my tears away (literally - she's quite a cat!).

It's hard to think about but please try to focus on the daily joy of having them and lot let it be tainted by fear of them going. 8 is no age these days for a dog.

[AgentZigzag]

My cat's 17 now (and DDog's 10) so I know she's definitely on her way out, but I rationalise the anxiety by thinking that at least we've known her and she's had a happy life with us.

It sounds a bit cliched I suppose, but true.

[TheoriginalLEM]

Thank you - it is hard, they really are my best friends. Even when im shouty and stressed, one of them (at least!) will curl up on my lap and take it all away. I am not doing very well with my anxiety at the moment and without them i would be lost.

Agent, i wont let my anxiety do this with DDs, it used to but i had to stop it. Now i just worry about EVERYTHING ELSE.

[MackerelOfFact]

My beloved dog died about 5 years ago. He truly was one in a million, I still cry about losing him occasionally. He was just the most loving, trusting, non-judgemental friend.

However when it comes to the end, especially with dogs, invariably they start to be able to do less and less. They look sad and exhausted, and they pretty much ask you to let them go. It's a last act of love to help them along, and it's comforting to know that you gave them the best possible life the whole way through.

You never forget though. I can still feel my boy's wet nose and kisses, his head in my lap, his breath on my hand and his tail thudding against my shins.