Our dear Daisy Dog is dead

[Catherine]

All of us at the Reptile Centre are totally in shock. Daisy Dog is our little Maltese/Poodle mix. She was born at the store to Dahlia 8 years ago. Dahlia died of cancer 2 years ago. Daisy has been  our only dog and centre of attention ever since. WE all adore her and she is the sweetest dog ever. She was happy to share her food with Iris the Iguana and even let the rescue pigeon snuggle up to sleep with her.





This isn't the best  picture. I know I have better, but I can't find them tonight.

Someone brought a big dog into the reptile centre. You know this isn't going to end well.  The dog suddenly attacked, grabbed Daisy by the neck and snapped it in his jaws. She was killed instantly right in front of her owner. There was nothing he could do. She was already gone.
None of us got to say good bye. I had taken her favourite blanket home to wash and I didn't get to return it to her. She will be buried in it though. We can take her and burry her near her mother.

This big dog was out of control. His owner clearly doesn't know her dog. This can't have been the first sign of aggression.
We have had some issues with her bringing her dog, but she still brought him in. He wasn't under control.  This isn't a safe dog.

Her answer was to say I will buy you another dog. I think that is such a cold remark. We all feel offended by it.
A lot of you have dogs, what do you think?
Paul was sitting on the floor holding his dead dog and she offers to get him a new one.
What could she have said that would help or at least not seem callous and offensive?

I can't take it in that our little Daisy is gone and I will never again sit with her on my lap.

[LPC]

Oh dear, what a tragedy! Poor Daisy had a sudden and unexpected passing. It will take her a while to adjust and understand what happened to her.

I am so sorry for you and the owner of the centre, as well as for poor Daisy. I am struggling to think of something positive to say - and the only thing I can think of is that at least she didn't suffer a long and painful death. Run free, dear Daisy, on astral fields! May your generous soul flourish in the company of all the others you knew and have passed before you.

Regarding the "caretaker" of the big dog (although maybe I should write "non-caretaker") and her attitude, it is typical of those who call themselves "owners" of animals. Animals are just property to such people. If one dies, just buy another one - like a car. She doesn't understand.

I would have thought a ban on her dog coming into the Centre is in order - and maybe the lady, too, as she hadn't listened to your previous concerns. That should prevent any other animals being attacked in future. I would suggest that other animal centres in your city be warned about the lady and the dog, as she might attempt to go elsewhere. Do you have any photos of them to circulate?

[Catherine]

Thank you.  We are all struggling to comprehend this. She was there at the reptile centre all the time and she loved her life there. It was a dream life, surrounded by love every day of her life.  
You are right, she didn't suffer. It was so fast she wouldn't have known what was happening. 
She joins her mother and an older sister who have gone on before her. 

We just can't grasp that she is gone. It is too sudden for us to take in. Daisy probably can't grasp it either.

I do hope the big dog's owner doesn't try to bring the dog back to the center. I don't want to see it. I don't want to see the her either. You are right that the dog is a danger to other dogs. I  hope she has the sense to muzzle the dog. I would hate to see her at a dog park. If you have a big dog you should be resresponsible.  
At this moment  I can't  think of what her dog looks like. The brain is still in shock.

[Tobi]

Oh what a terrible thing to happen! Poor little Daisy. She did no harm, only gave affection and friendliness and love -and this had to happen to her.

Bless her sweet Soul. I am very sorry.

I have heard a lot about little Daisy in your PMs to me Catherine, and I always thought how nice it was that she had such a great life. But how sad it had to be cut short for her at such a young age.

Some dogs consider tiny dogs as prey. I agree with LPC -that woman and her dog should be banned from the reptile centre. It's practical and sensible to do so.

She may also have been shocked by what happened, and sometimes people say stupid heartless things at times like that. But she needs to address her dog's aggression and get something done about it before there are any more tragedies.

Dear DAISY   Bless you in the next world.

[Catherine]

Thank-you. Daisy held a special place in all our hearts. All the children who came in to the centre are going to be very upset at her loss. Daisy touched so many lives and all of us are going to feel her loss.

She had so many more years ahead of her. We never thought that it could end so suddenly.

The woman is not that responsible. We are helping her with a baby snake and she doesn't listen. I find her to be clueless at the best of times. I think a stupid heartless remark is pretty much in character. We have put up with her for the sake of the reptile.
We are still looking after her baby snake. It doesn't stand a chance if she takes it home. We would never let the baby snake down.

We will have to address the issue of her dog's aggression. I really doubt it was the first time he showed aggression. She is just not addressing the issue. Her child is a problem as well.  I don't know what we are going to do. We are all in shock. We looked after things at the reptile centre on Wed, but no one was talking. We just did what needed to be done carefully and quietly.
It is going to be a while before we laugh.

I just hope our little Daisy Dog is at peace. I still can't take in the fact that she is actually gone. My mind keeps saying that it is just a passing thing and it will all be back to normal on Sat.

Life without Daisy is our new normal. Even the rescue pigeon misses her. He keeps sitting on her bed looking for her.

[Tobi]

I feel very upset about the way Daisy passed, and I am sure Paul is inconsolable, and you must all be terribly upset by this awful thing to happen in such a nice place as the reptile centre.

The woman doesn't sound as if she knows how to handle animals. The whole point of that is that she urgently needs to learn! This has to be the biggest wake-up call for her. She needs someone to sit her down and talk to her seriously. That is hard to do when there is still such shock and grief. But even though she may not listen....and may even be defensive and angry....it still would be a good idea. It is her responsibility to grasp hold of -at least -the situation with her dog, or that dog may be in great danger.

As time goes by, Paul may possibly find some comfort in the website, "Do Animals Have Souls?" http://do-animals-have-souls.info/
There are many accounts of contacts people have had 'after death' with their beloved animal companions. All of these accounts show that the animals are OK after they have passed, and never forget the love they share with their loved ones, still here. There is healing and help for them if needed, but most settle into their new state with a sense of unbelievable freedom.
I can also be sure of that, after contacts with my own dog, Misty.

[LPC]

The astral dog team is there if Paul has need of it (to look for Daisy). Our website also supports anyone in need of comfort and reassurance at the passing of a beloved pet. Paul is welcome to contact us if he feels he would like support. Or he may just need time to himself....

Tobi is also very experienced in supporting grieving caretakers of beloved pets and has her own support page. Her replies are always sympathetic and insightful. See http://www.dog2spirit.com/about-misty-and-me.html

[Catherine]

Thank-you for your support and offers of help. Paul has helped so many others with their animals and with the loss of their animals. I think there are enough of us right here to rally around him. You can't give as much as he has without it coming back to you.
If we need your help we can contact you. You are being a great help to me now so I will be better able to help Paul tomorrow.
On Wed I immediately sent for someone that I knew would be a great comforter. She didn't even send a message back. She just jumped in her car and came right over. The rest of us kept things going so Paul could spend time talking to her.

You are right that someone needs to talk to the woman about her dog. I want to be angry at her, but maybe there is something more important at stake. Her dog has killed. We haven't reported it to the city. She could handle this as a mature pet owner and things could go forward for the dog. She can't just carry on as usual. I think it would be safer to muzzle the dog. She certainly needs to talk to a dog trainer and do some work with him.

My fear is that a dog who has killed would find it easier to kill again. That means that other small dogs and small children are at risk. I just know that she will show up again so I will talk to her. I think she will walk in with the dog as if nothing has happened.

[Tobi]

It will be very hard for any of you to be impartial enough to talk to that woman right now. I can understand that. She needs someone to buy her a coffee, and then sit down for an involved talk with her. Someone who is capable of getting the serious message across, has the energy for it, and can try to get through to her that she cannot carry on as before.

A dog has been killed. That is deeply serious.

A better idea than a dog trainer, they BOTH need the services of a canine behaviourist. Dogs take their cue often from us. The woman herself is needing training too. I am not implying that that woman would have wished such a tragedy to happen -of course she didn't -but something that she is doing or not doing, is allowing her dog to run way out of her control.

It is so loving of that person to just ride down in their car to be with Paul and comfort him. His heart must feel so broken right now.

People do rally round when a tragedy happens.

But there is nothing quite like actually finding out about how they are 'on the other side'. I, (thanks to Misty's ingenuity!) -and many others, have been lucky enough to discover that -and while it doesn't stop us missing them very much, it can help healing.

[Catherine]

We are all still in the shock stage, but it is amazing how people are rallying. Paul has had visits and messages and phone calls. We did a very tasteful announcement on the Reptile centre Facebook page. It helps that people are finding out.

Everywhere I look I can see her. When I sat I felt like she was in front of me asking to sit on my lap. I noticed that at times one of us would go and sit on Daisy's chair. I just needed to sit there for awhile.

If the weather stays warm we may be able to bury her soon. That would really help us to have closure. We are going to put her with her mother. They were always together until the mother died of cancer.

It is beautiful how close people are at a time like this. If one of us needs to cry we just do it. We all understand. Paul is surrounded by people who love animals so they know what it is to lose a pet. Most people have a dog and reptiles so they really know. Daisy was the closest thing I have come to having a dog.


I finally remembered where I have the pictures. Here is Paul with his dog. It was a summer evening and we were sitting out in the back enjoying a cold drink and the summer night air.



Here I am with Daisy on my lap and Paco the cockatoo who stayed with us for a few months. He was a very needy bird and needed to be held. Daisy didn't mind sharing a lap with him.



It will take time for all of us. Daisy was a tiny dog, but she had a big personality.

Dealing with the dog owner is going to take time. I don't know who needs to do what.
She was more callous than I realized. Paul was quick. he got to daisy while her heart was still beating. Death was instantaneous, but the heart  lasted about 20 seconds before it stopped. Her first words were, I will buy you another dog.
There was no sympathy or remorse. It was like she broke something and she was willing to pay for it.

Something will have to be done because the dog is a danger to others. It is not going to end well. If she doesn't take responsibility something else will happen.  She has not come near us.
We are however giving her baby snake the care it deserves. If we can pull it through we will. The little guy made it through a shed. 
She has made no effort to say she is sorry or show remorse, guilt or even sympathy for Paul's loss. It is her fault and she is the only one who has done nothing.