Pet Stress

by Marsha Vaz

Sometimes one is faced with an unexpected loss of a loved pet. It not only takes a part of you away but also makes you live through every single day without the one who you thought was with you forever.

I had such an experience with my Labrador name Tyson. I picked him up as a birthday present for myself and he was with me for twelve years through thick and thin.

Since I used to live alone and work in the city, Tyson used to wait for me to get home and chew my favourite clothes up, if I was ever late.

As time passed by, he grew older but I was still the same and he eventually gave up the will to live after battling a prolonged hip problem.

Everything felt different after I came home from burying him. All the places in the house where he used to sit, eat and sleep were disturbing to pass by on some level.

It was only after several weeks of me feeling miserable that a friend advised me to join a special community on the internet. This community brought together people who had lost their pets. It felt good sharing my feelings and experiences with them and also listening to their stories. It was reassuring to know that I was not the only one going through this stress.

I also felt at peace when I visited the Animal Shelter and fed the homeless dogs, played with their pups and just sat around most of the day to see them mingle with each other.

No one can ever refill the gap that is created when you lose someone you love however, as everyone already knows that "time is the best healer" and this holds true in my case as well.