Devastated- my mum's beautiful young dog killed on Christmas Night

[prayingmantisgroupie]

I don't know if anyone's around, but writing it down may make me feel better. We were all having a lovely Xmas at my mum's, her dog was a beautiful Saluki lurcher cross, only 18 months old. Mum had had for almost exactly a year. My brother recently went to Uni, so this dog really was my mum's baby.
Early evening, my brother took her for a stroll over the recreation ground. Next thing we know, a hysterical call from him. She had run the wrong way, (we have no idea why), straight down the path, and onto a busy road. She was hit and killed almost instantly.
My mum is distraught, I have never seen her so devastated. I was the one who had to tell her Lucy was gone, and then hold her while she howled, "not my Lucy, my baby", over and over again. Brother is distraught too, blames himself naturally.
We have had to come home, as my DD was becoming very distressed, (she is only 3), and to make matters worse, kept asking for the dog. I left my sister, brother and brother's GF looking after mum.
I don't know what to do or say to make it better. I am so, so sad too, I loved her so much. I keep thinking "what if?". Why didn't we just skip the stroll for one day; she could have just had a run in the garden. I am very worried for my mum, she is quite a fragile person generally, and once my brother returns to Uni in January she will be all alone, (parents divorced). I work full time and live an hour's drive away, so can only see her at weekends.
Thank you for reading this, please light a candle for our lovely Lucy tonight. RIP beautiful girl. xxxx

Dear PMG, I couldn't believe it when I saw your post - this is what happened to me yesterday. I was only on here, on the Doghouse, because I am distraught and don't know what else to do with myself.

We had a young lurcher boy. He was lovely. Yesterday at the park he ran off to see another dog, as he always did. I whistled for him (his recall was excellent) and for some unknown reason he ran off in a different direction, out of the park and into the road.

I couldn't have predicted that it was going to happen and yet he was so well attached to me and my family, that he had never before run off in a random direction. It is just very bad luck

Dear Merle, I have only just seen your post - I am so, so sorry for your loss. It's just heartbreaking isn't it, there are no words. Lurchers are such gorgeous, lovely, crazy dogs. Lucy was the third one we had had in the family, and the nuttiest by far, (but also the most loving). If you feel up to it, please tell us more about your gorgeous boy. I am thinking of you tonight and your family. Much love, xxx

Thanks PmG, it helps that someone else has been there and knows how things can change from wonderful, to awful, in seconds. My lad was really well attached to me, so I'd always been confident that he would return when I called/whistled. Something went badly wrong this time. Sadly he (and I) won't get a second chance. I'm finding it very sad at the moment, to think about how lovely he was. Regards to your mum and your brother - we'll just have to take things one day at a time.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to come back to this thread and say, once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who posted their support for my mum and family. Also to Merle, if you are reading this, I hope you are coping ok with the loss of your beautiful boy, and that your pain is easing. I know it never really goes away.
An update: my mum is getting there, very slowly. My brother has returned to Uni and she has been very lonely, although she has lots of friends locally who have been very good to her. She has also been walking some friends' dogs for them. We, (my sisters' and I), all visit as much as we can. Lucy was cremated and mum has her ashes in a pretty little box. She has yet to decide what to do with them; I would imagine she will scatter them somewhere that they enjoyed going for walks when she is ready.
Now on the positive side! Mum has visited the rescue where she got Lucy several times, they were lovely and very understanding and told her to come back when she was ready and they would help her find a new friend. This week she saw a sweet little Patterdale cross Cairn terrier who had been found wandering with a matted coat. He has clearly been neglected, he's got no training, not house trained and seems nervous of men, poor little chap. Mum has fallen for him, so we all went to meet him at the weekend, to ensure he would be ok with DD (3). He was as good as gold, so hopefully mum will bring him home this week. I think she is a bit worried that people may think she is 'replacing' Lucy, but as I said, anyone who thought that, isn't someone I would want as a friend anyway!
I will let you all know how they get on once he has settled in, I really hope it all works out, as mum just loves her dogs so much, this little boy will want for nothing. Oh, and we have named him Little Charley Dog, as he is tiny!
Thanks again everyone for all your support, and lots of love to you Merle. xx

Aw, I hope the new addition helps your mum to feel a bit better :)

aww - thats so nice. I hope the new addition will be mercilessly spoiled to within an inch of his life, sounds like he needs some TLC (sounds a lovely cross too - very handsome :) )

Hi to all and thanks to PMG! Glad to know that things are moving on for your mum and your family.

We are fine and are coping with what happened. I think I was in shock for a week, then it is just day to day coping. We have got two little pups. We debated the pros and cons, but the general view was that it would help. Obviously they are lovely, but I would still like to turn back the clock and be back in the position we were in, just over a month ago. One of the pups is as close to a clone of the one we lost as I could find. Again, there are different views as to whether this is a good thing, but it was good for me. I have worried about what people think, but in the end I've decided to accept that I am; I liked him so much that I am willing to repeat it all over again. Obviously in time this pup will develop into an individual himself - is already.

I have worried a lot about what people might think about the circumstances in which our dog was run over - people who might not understand how he was trained and the fact that this was the first time that anything had got wrong. I have been comforted by the tales of a lot of people about accidents and many 'near misses'.

I am fine now, as they are little and aren't leaving the house. I don't know how I will be when they are older, and when they are running about, off-lead. I am not generally a nervous person - but I'm sure that this will affect me for some time.

Patterdale cross sounds great. My special pup is asleep on my lap as I type. Good luck for the future x

So pleased to hear that Merle and PMG's mum have opened their hearts to new doggie friends. There are so many homeless dogs out there that giving a home to another one or two is a lovely gesture, and although you can never ever suggest it I think it does help heal the grief.

Only just found this thread. So sorry for both your losses Merle and PMG, but glad to hear that some lucky dogs have found new homes. (Pics of my mutt now on my profile).

Don't worry about what other people think. Who cares.