Grieving owner writes a letter to late dog — uncovers quite truth on pet grief
Grief comes in different aspects and is distinct based on the loss. The grief of pet parents is one that is widely undermined or misunderstood. A man named Thomas Shapiro recently lost his Greyhound, Tika, to a health condition, he revealed in a post. A week after her passing, he wrote her an open letter highlighting what life looked like after she was gone. His raw, real and heartbreaking sentiments outline the small bits of grief a pet parent faces and how it is harder to carry than what most people imagine. His words are an echo of comfort to fellow grieving pet owners.
In a previous post, Shapiro mentioned that Tika had two tumors in her liver. Despite the diagnosis, she was her jolly and cheerful self, “doing everything as usual.” They had done a surgery to remove the tumors, which was successful but unfortunately, after the second day, Tika began to fade. “Something had changed. You looked so tired, not quite yourself, yet peaceful,” Shapiro remarked. They learned that Tika’s body was giving up since she was a senior dog and there was nothing they could do. The beloved greyhound spent her last days with her family. A week after she was gone, the bereaved pet parent shared an open letter.
“To my Canadian queen,” he addressed the letter. “It’s been a week without you, and I still catch myself looking for you in every corner,” Shapiro wrote. He mentioned how the “folds in the duvet” made him think she was still underneath. Even after having his other canine, the void was still very much prevalent because no one could take the unique place Tika had created in her dad’s heart. “I still miss when I had both of you to hold,” he wrote. Despite not being too fond of cuddling, Tika let Shapiro hold her a little longer in the last few years. “Maybe you knew our time together was growing short,” he said.
Since her passing, every little thing required that he first accept that his pet was no longer here. “The kids keep asking where you are. This has been the hardest and heaviest week of my life,” the man wrote. He didn’t just lose a dog, he lost a “piece” of himself. “For so long, every part of my world was built around you,” he added. Shapiro continued to recall the little things about Tika that made her who she was. “You were always strongly-willed, doing things only when it suited you. When Kala joined our family, you softened. You let her follow your lead, and in time you became her teacher, her example, her calm,” he recounted.
Even after a week had passed, the grief felt very fresh, yet somehow, there was hope. “Right now it still hurts, but one day I know it will only make me smile,” the pet parent poignantly said. Though life was going on, somewhere, time stopped for Shapiro when he lost Tika. Yet, he moves on, holding Tika in every memory, every corner of his home, every glimpse around him. “You left your spirit in this home, in every memory, and in the little sister who now carries your grace forward. You changed so many hearts, and I know Kala will keep your light shining, one pawstep at a time. She’ll make you proud, just like you made me,” he concluded.
Fellow pet parents shared in his grief, noting how the bittersweet feeling is something they will always want to hold on to. Emma Fish said, “Whenever I pass by a picture of my Wilbur boy, I would give him a boop and say hello. As time passes, the grief sometimes dulls.” Tammy Holowchuck added, “The pain of losing a pet never goes away; it does soften with time. There will be moments that absolutely catch you off guard when you break down, but take those moments and let yourself grieve.”
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