I'd like you all to know that this morning, August 22, 2011 we said our final farewell to our beloved Tibetan terrier, Beringer. He was born August 15, 1996, and came to us eight weeks later as the most precious and adorable puppy we'd ever seen. Over the years he wrapped his furry self around every aspect of our daily lives, and has been for both of us the source of the most exquisite form of love: complete, pure and unconditional. He has always been everything a dog should be: our most loyal and constant companion. He will be sorely missed.
My heart is too broken to say any more at the moment, so this will have to do:
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Just for a few moments, I let my self hate this planet, hate the separation and the pain of loss, hate that there are so many I cant help.
ReplyDeleteThen I think of all the moments I have had that I would not trade kuowing the end. I wipe my eyes, blow my nose, steel my heart to go bck and help that ONE animal, because it all counts and to that ONE, a difference was made!
And what a significant difference these animals make in our own lives, too, CJ!
ReplyDeleteMarty,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss. I know all too well how much our pets mean to us, they are our children, our best friends and companions. They have brought so much joy into our lives and the greatest gift we can give to them is to give them a good life of love and devotion...you have given that to him, and yet the finality of saying "so long" is so hard. I know you will miss him until you are joined again.
Bless you, Kay, and thank you. Beringer was an angel in a dog suit, and I know that now he's flying in Heaven with all the other doggy angels.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to read more about Beringer's last days in Hospice of the Valley's Loss of a Pet forum, here: http://hovforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=6758&view=findpost&p=54791
ReplyDeleteMarty,
ReplyDeleteI am saddened to hear of the loss of your dear Beringer. As I sit and watch my 3 papillons play and rough house with each other, I am reminded vividly of the joy brought to us by many other wonderful pets who blessed our lives. Saying goodbye to that joy filled creature who loved unconditionally is heart breaking. I am sorry your heart is aching. Blessings to you Marty.
Thank you, Mary Jo. Joy is the perfect word to describe what these amazing animals bring into our daily lives. No wonder we miss them so much when they are gone . . .
ReplyDeleteIm sorry for everyones loss. I had been looking for ways to cope with pet loss after our family dog recently passed. His name was Rascal, (Sheppard mix) and like most families he meant so much to my kids. While my wife and I were upset over the loss, we were obviously concerned about the children. I wanted to find a way to immortalize our great friend Rascal, respectfully. I found a great site http://bit.ly/PetMemory which offers different ways to remember and cherish your beloved pet. I eventually decided to go with a Photo Blanket for the kids, with our favorite pictures of Rascal. It really brought out a positive memory for our children. I just thought this may be of use to some of your families as well. Good luck everyone, and know that everything will be OKAY!
ReplyDeleteOh Marty,
ReplyDeleteBeringer was so very cute. Fifteen years is a long time of collecting memories with your beloved pet. I'm sure you remember your kids being young and running around with him. They mark the passage of time....They remind us of how short our time here really is.
I think you did the right thing to put him to rest. We struggled with that decision for our Lab.
I hope it's okay to give you a smile today and share a little story about Beauty but you would have to scale down a bit until you see her picture. Hugs across the miles. I told Beauty to keep her eye out for Beringer I do believe they wait for us. http://www.mjhb.net/?cat=3
Love,
MJ
Thank you for that, David, and I agree with you that creating positive memories for children (and ourselves!)is important. Actually there are many, many ways to memorialize a cherished animal companion, and I'm happy to add your suggestion to those I've listed on my Memorializing a Pet web page, here: http://www.griefhealing.com/memorializing.htm
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss, Marty. Beringer was just as fortunate to have had you for his human family as you were to have shared all those wonderful years with him. I wish for you that in time, memories of your time with him will soften the pain of missing him. You're in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMJ and Ingrid, my dear friends and colleagues, your words are such a comfort to me. From my heart to yours, bless you, and thank you both ♥
ReplyDeleteDearest Marty,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear of your Beringer's passing.
Losing him I'm sure has left a hole in your heart and household.
I hope your many memories of him and your photos of your beautiful boy will bring you comfort in the coming days.
I will keep you in my thoughts Marty.
with love
Diana xx
Marty, I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your Beringer. It is so difficult when it is time for our pets to leave us, but as we know, they always remain in our hearts and memories. And we are blessed to have had their love in our lives.
ReplyDeleteBless your warm and caring heart, Diana, and thank you. This may have been the most photographed dog I've ever had (thanks to digital photography) and I know I'll never forget that adorable fuzz-face of his ~ and his beautiful tail ~ and his soulful eyes ~ and his perfect coat ~ and ~ well, you get the idea ♥
ReplyDeleteLinda, dear, they are indeed a blessing, and they certainly do teach us what unconditional love is all about. As you say, it is a great comfort to me to know that love like that never, ever dies ♥
ReplyDeleteDear Marty,
ReplyDeleteI met you and Beringer at the same time many years ago. When I saw his name in the subject my heart broke and I did not want to open it.
He will be missed terribly i'm sure. My thoughts and prayers to Beringer and all his wonderful people...
Stephanie Hart
Thank you so much, Steph, my Web angel and fellow animal lover ♥
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Friend,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to read about the passing of your beloved Beringer. No matter how hard we prepare, the pain runs so deep when a family member crosses over to the other side of the circle (as it should). Sending much peaceful energy to you and your family. Continue to acknowledge the loss and remember all the love and lessons from Beringer remain. Thank you for all you do to honor the human-animal bond and letting us share in your grief.
My best,
Doug Koktavy
Author: The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer
Very dear Doug, thank you so much for your heartfelt message ~ and I know you speak from experience. We are kindred spirits, you and I ♥
ReplyDeleteMarty,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss.
It's been forever since I've seen Beringer so I'm remembering him right now as an adorable puppy. I absolutely remember when he joined your family.
I know he was so much more than family and best friend to you. I believe that our pets "over do" the love and fill us up so much with their kindness for this very reason...they have to leave so much love behind because they take some with them when they leave us. Just a little...enough to keep you with them on their journey. But they leave so much.
I'm brokenhearted for you.
Much love and my sincerest sympathies,
Gina
Gina, dear friend, how sweet of you to share those lovely words with me here ~ thank you so very much! Beringer never stopped being a puppy at heart, so your memory of him is accurate! And your assessment of "overdoing the love" is spot-on! Bless your loving heart, dear Gina, and thank you once again ♥
ReplyDeleteDear Sweet Marty,
ReplyDeleteI am so very, very sorry for the physical loss of your sweet doggie Beringer. I hope that God blesses you with some wonderful visits from him to bring your heart joy. Truly our pets our beloved members of are family and that is why we miss them so much.
May God replace your heart's sorrow with His joy.
Lovingly,
Chris Duminiak
Author: Heaven Talks To Children
and God's Gift of Love: After-Death Communications
Oh Chris, how lovely to hear from you! Thank you so much for your loving words, which comfort me more than you can imagine ♥
ReplyDeleteDear Marty,
ReplyDeleteMy heart hurts for you at your loss. Wouldn't it be nice if grief experts were immune to all the gut wrenching emotions of grief? Ah...if only. My thought are with you my dear. Please take care.
Dana, my friend ~ How true your words are. That is one of the great lessons here: none of us is immune from loss and the pain of grief that follows. But it's also the stuff of which empathy is made, and for that I am grateful. I so appreciate your kind and caring thoughts, my dear friend ~ thank you ♥
ReplyDeleteBeringer was so lucky to have you as a mama. I know these beautiful babies are only here for a short time, but they live in our hearts forever.
ReplyDeleteBeringer is your little "angel". I know you two will be together again.
Suzann Yue
Thank you for your lovely words, Suzann. I know you understand this loss, and as you know, I found great comfort in your darling children's book about the death of your own family's boxer dog, Snort ("Snort's Special Gift," http://www.griefhealingblog.com/2011/11/using-childrens-books-to-help-with.html) ♥
ReplyDelete