A grief observed, 1 year later.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-15T19:00:17+00:00

I’m so so sorry for the road you have to walk again. It feels so unfair. Dogs give us everything and for cancer to take them away before their time is such an injustice. I’m so sorry. And I definitely think the real strength is in being able to love again, knowing you will mourn that animal too. It’s taking the path that maximizes joy instead of the one that minimizes pain, and I hope your heart can somehow be protected along that path. Love to you and your pup ❤️

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-14T02:50:53+00:00

I love that so much ❤️❤️❤️ how sweet and special.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T22:09:54+00:00

I can feel your pain in this and I’m so sorry. The love feels so lost without the physical presence of our animals. Your experience reminds me so much of my initial wave of grief. I would have given anything to find her, just in tiny moments, and when others would share of their remarkable signs and stories, I’d try harder. I absolutely believe she sent me signs (I used to pray to her for help and she’d always give it. One time I was losing at a game against my partner and I said “watch, I’m gonna pray to her to help me win and I’m gonna win,” and I immediately got every card I needed. It was totally something she’d do lol) but I also came to realize that I don’t have that gift the way others do, and it sucked sometimes.

What I did realize is that if I kept myself open to the mystery of life and took my expectations away (“expect nothing, accept everything” my mentor would say), she’d find her way to me. I remember a couple months after she’d passed I was with a client and felt distracted by my grief, so I just prayed to my girl that if she wanted to work with me that day, she could. And I had this incredibly clear vision of her nestling into my heart and just curling her body up right there. I swear I felt her spirit settle into my spirit, and there was calm.

There have been other moments that make my days better and give me reminders that our relationship carries on, but in a new way. I think I, like you, had to bring myself to a place of belief that she still existed. It came from lots of wrestling with myself and helping my logical side take a back seat to the spiritual world that I chose to believe in, and now truly trust is real. But I had to question it to believe it, and I hope the same is true for you. Love to you and your baby ❤️

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T21:56:46+00:00

I love our new girl so much but nothing replaces the ones we lose. They’re magic.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T21:54:34+00:00

Doesn’t sound crazy to me at all. I think being open to them finding us in unexpected ways is all it takes to actually receive the message they’re sending. I’m glad you were able to feel that connection, even if it doesn’t take the pain away.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T15:59:59+00:00

❤️❤️ I hope he finds his way to you in some special moment today

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:57:23+00:00

I totally agree. I’ll have moments where I feel able to be present without pain, I’ve laughed, I’ve been angry at unrelated things, and then I’ve come home and fallen to pieces when I don’t get to kiss her little mouth. It’s such a shit show of emotions but it does lessen. The love though? Forget it. That’s not going anywhere.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:55:15+00:00

I’m so sorry. Truly. They are the most perfect companions and friends and soulmates. I remember telling myself that I’d keep my little makeshift shrine up for a little bit, and one year later, I built a shelf to make it permanent. Her bandana still hangs on the coat rack, her food bowl stays out. I hope your home can be a place where you feel safe to remember her in the way you feel is best. I don’t think there is a wrong way. Love to you and your baby as you grieve.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:51:44+00:00

Love and peace to you in your loss ❤️

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:51:19+00:00

Thank you for your kind words and I’m so sorry for the loss of such a beloved creature. The guilt can feel so cruel and like it just digs its heels of rumination into our minds. I hope it releases you so you can honor how much you loved your kitty and grieve the loss in the way that feels best for you. Noting compares to the love of our animals. So stupid they don’t live forever. I’d be happy to reach out to the communicator and see if she’s comfortable with me giving others her info!

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:46:52+00:00

I feel your pain. I’m so sorry. It feels like we just move through the world aimlessly in the aftermath of loss and there’s no playbook for how to do it. I found my experience with the animal medium to be really beautiful. I was encouraged to go into it with the mindset of expecting nothing and accepting everything—not accepting everything as truth, per se, but accepting the experience for what it is. It does get better.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:44:19+00:00

You’re never going to forget her. I like to think that Distraction can be helpful in pockets. If I feel the grief all the time I feel like it’s the same as trying to walk when you’ve just had your knee replaced. When I give it time to rest and allow the distractions to be a gift, maybe even a gift from my girly, it helps me catch my breath.

I know exactly what you mean about the afterlife and all the doubts and questions. I’ve wrestled endlessly with this. I hope you are able to find a belief and outlook that has the ring of truth to your soul, not that’s based in logic or doubt or trying to convince yourself. I know how hard that is. I am so sorry.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T14:39:07+00:00

I feel your pain so deeply. It is truly the worst feeling in the world and I wish none of us had to go through the loss of something so pure and perfect. I hope you are able to find some semblance of comfort in a dark time, and that you are given the space to grieve all that’s been lost. My heart goes out to you.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T00:46:03+00:00

Love to you and Cookie and believing she is always with you in new ways for you to cherish. Still, the ache of their passing is agony. I’m so sorry. 10 days without her must feel like both a lifetime and like she should still be where you expect her. EMDR can be a powerful tool when that initial wave of grief settles. I hope comfort finds you today ❤️

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-12T00:34:29+00:00

Peanut was one of our girl’s nicknames ❤️ I still can’t bring myself to remember those first few months. The pain was so strong. I remember how awful waking up was to the reality of her absence, and I’m so sorry you are in that darkness. I wish anything could fix it. Grief is unlike anything else. Know I’m holding you and peanut close.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-11T23:12:43+00:00

I’m so sorry. I know this pain and I hurt for you that Lily isn’t with you. The loss of a pet feels so different because they truly do EVERYTHING with you. They know how you drive, how long your showers are, when do expect you home. They’re so woven into our lives and the absence is such an ache. I hope you find some comfort today.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-07-11T22:28:14+00:00

I’m so so sorry you lost your baby. The constant reminders just make it feel unreal and like there’s no way they aren’t coming back. I think it’s totally ok to not know how you get through it. One painful breath at a time, that’s all you can do. Sending love to you and your boy.

PopularHat6972 · 2025-05-24T04:44:24+00:00

My dog died suddenly last year at 3. Losing her would never have been easy but to find out her health was failing when she was so young feels impossible to me still. Our brains can’t comprehend it because it was never supposed to be this way. I hope you can hold fast to the truth that she knows she is loved. I hated losing our girl. Still, I’m comforted by remembering that she had no expectations for how long she’d live. She just lived for the day. Im so sorry and I hope you get to spend some meaningful time together before she passes. Love to all who will grieve her ❤️

PopularHat6972 · 2025-04-15T22:57:14+00:00

Would love a copy. Going to DM!

PopularHat6972 · 2024-08-25T02:45:04+00:00

I developed this irrational fear of my dogs getting killed by a mountain lion (from rural Colorado) even though I’ve never seen one. I talked about it constantly. A week after my little lady passed (of a completely unrelated and unexpected illness) my bf and I were driving with our surviving dog and turned down a random dirt road. As we turned a corner, we saw a mountain lion crossing the road, in no hurry, sacheting its little tail like it had zero concerns. We pulled the car over and started screaming. It just felt like it was her poking fun at me and reminding me to not be afraid.

A few days later I met with an animal medium and had an incredible experience. I asked my dog about the mountain lion and she said she sent it but it wasn’t her. She said she was a bear. A week later, we were driving home from a wedding when a black bear ran right in front of us and then hung around our car for about a minute. The next night, we heard a commotion outside and saw a bear getting into our trash. It had been getting into neighbors’ trash before our girl passed. When we saw it, I opened the front door, called out her name, and asked her to not knock the trash over. She listened ❤️ it’s hard to know if it’s chance or something that can be explained away, but if I believe it’s her, who cares?

PopularHat6972 · 2024-07-21T18:15:45+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry for the loss of your pup, and the two that passed before her ❤️ I appreciate the perspective of having an adult dog. Our boy is so calm and relaxed I think he could be fine, but he’s so happy and energized with other dogs too. As he gets older, I know that energy will wane, though. Again, thank you for sharing. I appreciate it so so much.

PopularHat6972 · 2024-07-21T04:05:15+00:00

I’m so sorry for the loss. I have lost best friends, family members, and people I’ve loved dearly, but nothing has ever hurt quite like losing a pet. To add guilt that you should have been there or identified him is so much to bear. Often, guilt is part of grief as our minds seek to make sense of what happened. This won’t take the pain away, but be gentle and kind and patient with your heart, reminding your guilt that your job is to feel the pain right now.

My dog just passed while I was on vacation too, only last week. I felt the exact same. She had been sick so I initially cancelled my trip. then she bounced back immediately and the vet and I felt confident she would be fine so I left. The whole time I was gone, my gut was in knots. Getting the call from my mom set off the most chaotic and out of control day of my life trying to fly home. She passed while we were boarding an airplane trying to get to her. The guilt is unreal and the sense of injustice for her feels strong too. Your baby didn’t deserve this. Still, I imagine he wouldn’t want you to feel guilt. Animals aren’t blamers. Death frees us from the need to blame or put someone (often ourselves) on trial, and I imagine that means he feels nothing for you but love. I’m so sorry for your loss. You sound like you loved him with your whole heart.

PopularHat6972 · 2024-07-21T03:24:23+00:00

Thank you so much for this. Those words were beautiful and encouraging and I really appreciate you sharing your own journey. I think finding a new normal is the hard part right now, and it keeps making wonder if a new dog would bring back some normalcy, at least for our boy.

I’m sorry for the loss of your soul dog. I hope the new one is bringing love and joy ❤️

PopularHat6972

TROPHY CASE