CROSSING THE RAINBOW BRIDGE....PET LOSS

I'm going to write a story about dealing with the death of pets---putting off the inevitable, finding a sympathetic vet, surrounding yourself with friends who care and have been through it themselves. I'd like to solicit tales from all of you about your experiences. You may send them to my email jkleven@sailsinc.org. I will use only your pet's name in this blog, so that you will remain anonymous. The biggest problem seems to be WHEN to do IT. We all put the decision off too long, much too often, thinking of our own pain (I'm a murderer), rather than the increasing discomfort of our beloved animal. I'm hoping, through our empathetic writing, to help each of us to pass through this process with less pain and hesitation. I'll confess right up front that I waited too long when it was my Siamese, KoKo's, time. After weeks of lethargy and little appetite, and vet appointments, one Sunday morning, I could stand it no longer and took him to the wonderful folks at Buzzards Bay Veterinary Associates. The first thing they said to me was "You're performing a great mercy". I'll never forget that, nor their gently handing him to me wrapped in a soft fleece so that I could hold him until it was time to let him go---forever.
February 13th I just learned that little Bijou, beloved pet of my friend/cat sitter and advisor Carol, crossed the Bridge a few days ago after a long, valiant struggle with Diabetes. They were both so fortunate to share each other's company for many years-even travelling to Florida by airplane. (Beej wasn't too thrilled with zooming through the air, you can bet!)