Goodbye little Bear

[Catherine]

Bear is the little dog of one of my seniors. I have been looking after them both for several years now. I have been bathing him regularly and keeping him cleaned up. We think he is a Cairn terrier/ Yorkie mix.

He has been failing lately. His sight and hearing are poor and generally he is not as good as he was.

On Friday he looked quite ill. He wasn't eating or drinking or peeing. I suggested that they take him to the vet and on Monday the decision was made to put him down. I think he was dying so they were right. It was only a matter of time and don't think he was too comfortable towards the end.

I am going to miss the little Bear. He was such a cute little dog. He had a spunky personality. I always gave him a treat when I was there and he liked to climb up into my lap and snuggle.

He will be missed, especially by his owner. He has been her constant companion and life will seen so empty without him.

[Tobi]

You must miss him so much Catherine.

Blessings to you dear little Bear. You will be okay where you are! It is so beautiful there, and there are kind dogs and people for you while you wait for your own people to join you.

[Catherine]

It is going to seem funny not to see him. It will be very empty. Bear was a good little dog and he made the old lady's life so much brighter.

I wish him happy times across the rainbow bridge. He has earned them.

[Tobi]

Was it just the old lady and her dog? If so, she must feel so lost without him.
It must have been very hard on her. It is hard enough to lose a good companion when we have the energy to 'bounce back'. But even harder for those who don't generally feel so good, or who are very old.

I know, because my Aunty is in her eighties, not terribly well (can't walk much or get about) and has a faithful old cat, really in her "Earthly sunset". She said when the cat passes, she will not get another one, and she has always had cats. That will be tremendously hard on her.

The only one consolation for those who know they pass to the life in Spirit, is that it isn't so long to wait to be re-united with loved ones.  
My kind thoughts also to that old lady.

[Catherine]

Thank-you for your kind thoughts. I spent time with the lady today and I passed on the kind wishes of everyone who replied and she was very touched that people cared about her and her little Bear.

It is hard. None of her children live nearby so she really is alone. I cleaned up all of Bear's things and bagged them, as they are going to someone who has a dog who can use them. I cleaned up the balcony and moved all the plants around. That is where we kept his pee pads (she is in a high-rise and couldn't possibly take him out). I didn't want her to go outside and see the empty space where they used to be. It looks so different that she won't "see" the absence of Bear.

Then we sat down and had a glass of wine and drank a toast to Bear and talked about him. He was happy with her and she was happy with him. Sadly she will never have another pet at her age. Just like your aunt, she knows she can't take on another animal at her age.

That would be so hard after a lifetime of living with pets. 

I suppose Bear joins all the many other pets she has had in her lifetime. I don't know any of them, but I am sure they will know him and welcome him as they all wait for her.

[LPC]

Run free at the "Bridge", dear Bear! You have the company of others who also are waiting for this lady. When she joins you all, she will be smothered in licks and hugs! Blessings to this dear lady!

[Tobi]

Catherine, please do give her my love. She is not alone in a way. We are all thinking of her here! And dear Bear.

[Catherine]

Thank-you. I will tell her what you have said. It does help her to know that people care.
She has lost all her friends and family at her age. She has her children and grandchildren, but that is not the same.

I am a newer friend and I know I can help, but a pet is different. The little dog was a happy companion who was there for her. He was there for her all the time.
I think she has many loved ones waiting for her on the other side. There are just not so many here now.

I wish there was a way for older people to have a pet and be sure that someone would care for it after they are gone.

[Tobi]

I presume the lady doesn't have a computer or laptop? If she had, she could join us! But I do know there are many 'headaches' involved with having a computer, and it drove me half-nuts when I first got one! There are some aspects to computers and the internet which are very tiring and annoying, and not always easy to work out!

I have an empathy with the lady because although I am not in her circumstances, I do know how it can feel to have nothing at all, and to feel your very last loved one has left.

The help the Cinnamon Trust, and Dogs Trust give to the elderly in the UK is wonderful. It gives them peace of mind and in the case of the Cinnamon Trust, a lot of practical help. I tried to find something like that in the US, to pass on to people on another forum...but couldn't find the same or similar. I have no idea if there is anything similar in Canada?

[Catherine]

Like many of my seniors, the lady does not have a computer and is actually against them. Many older people have rejected computers when sadly the computer could make life better for them. They shut themselves out of modern communication.
I guess in an earlier generation they would be the people who rejected the telephone. If they used a computer they could communicate with family and be part of their lives and not feel so isolated. I think the younger generation does not know how to connect to someone who is not internet connected.

The ones who do use computers fight them because they want to use things a certain way and that is not how they work. Computers can be annoying and frustrating, but I wouldn't want to be without one. I love having a smart phone that uses the internet. I can check on things any time I want. I check when the buses are coming so that I don't stand out in the cold for too long.

I forgot about Cinnamon Trust. They are doing such a wonderful thing. I think when we posted about it, I looked for something similar here and couldn't find it.  I think many seniors would benefit from the help of a group like Cinnamon Trust.  I hope someone here starts a similar group or perhaps Cinnamon Trust will spread from the UK to Canada. They could really help older people with their pets. There is so much need here.