Was he saying goodbye?

[Xensgirl]

Have any of you had bizzare things happen when you have lost your much loved dogs?  I would be really interested to know.  Heres the weirdest thing that happened to me, although it seemed strangely comforting at the same time.

25th February 2003 - the day I had been dreading for the past two years had dawned.  I was taking my 16 year old Cocker, Bramble to the vet and I knew in my heart he wouldn't be coming home.  He had a severe heart murmour; kidneys were failing; he was incontinent; he was also deaf and had cataracts.  Over the past few months ulcers had appeared in his eyes and the vet and I just could not clear them up.
Before this he still had quality of life and his tail never stopped wagging.  Now though he was in a lot of very obvious pain.  I knew the time had come and I would have been selfish to let him carry on-this was my best friend who had been with me through so much for the past 16 years-one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make and I will never quite get over loosing him.

He fell asleep in my arms and I walked out of the vet totally distraught.  The day passed in a bit of a daze and that evening I knew I had to go online to send some emails.  I was on 'dial up' then, logged in and went into Google first to look at a couple of things - so I was already online.  I went into Outlook Express to send the emails and a window came up I had never seen before that day or since.  It said "your provider does not accept your password" ....but I was already online, so it had already been accepted!  I tried to put the password in about 10 times but no way would it take it.  I gave it up as a bad job and switched the computer off.
The weird thing in this story is this.....my password was "Bramble......."

[merry]

Ooh! that is a bit bizarre, I went all "goosy" at the last paragraph.  He does sound a very much loved dog though

[clairep4]

Very strange, you never know with these things but I tend to think there's something in it myself.

I had a strange thing about 3 years ago. It was the anniversary of my brother's death. Bella was only 6 months and she'd never met him.

Andrew had been in a reggae band called the rhythmites and I had a CD of theirs. We had all our cds in a big rack, hundreds of them, and Bella had never been at all interested in them, but this day of all days, she went over and pulled one out, dragged it to the middle of the room and dropped it there. I went to put it away and it was the rhythmites CD...

She's never pulled any other cds out so it really was a one off.

[Lilly's Mum]

It was hard to read your post about Bramble, it made me cry. We lost our Benson on August 31st 2002, and I still cry when I remember him leaving for the vets with my husband.

[Lilly's Mum]

sorry hit the wrong button with my stoopid sling! Anyway as I was saying it took us five years to pluck up the courage to get another dog, and now in the space of a year we have two!!!

When Benson was alive, he was very attached to my Aunt. One day he was pacing a lot and wouldn't settle, he kept going to the door. After about an hour or so of this I received a call to say she had passed, I think he knew.

Angela xxx

[KatieJean]

I do think sometimes strange things happen for a reason. Perhaps we don't give our animals enough credit.

[skyesmum]

I really trully think that our animals are just wee angels with furry wings who are here to help us and have been here before... I'm sorry if that sounds soft, but I don't just believe it because it sounds nice and comforting - I actually believe it in my heart... 

[*Jay*]

I had Brook put to sleep on a Sunday morning 4 years ago. Sunday evening I was awake in bed and I heard doggy footsteps coming up the hall - clear as day. I only had Brook, Vegas & Dallas at that point and Vegas & Dallas were on the bed with me.

I know he comes to visit too as occasionally Vegas will look at the floor at my feet (where Brook would lie) and he lets out a low growl and his tail wags. I also occasionally have very vivid dreams about him (where he is alive) and in the morning, it actually takes me a few minutes to realise that he is no longer here and that really upsets me for the rest of the day. I get a lot of psychic readings done and I have been told that those dreams are his way of coming through to me to let me know that he is fine. I don't know how true that is but I really wish they would stop!! I now tell anyone doing readings for me that if anything comes through about a dog then I dont want to know  

[Xensgirl]

This is very interesting - I am pleased I am not the only one who's had 'experiences' when we have lost our dogs.  I believe Bramble was telling me he was OK when the computer played up like that - I loved him so much....(getting tearful now!)....I lost my Weimaraner, Jazz 15 months after Bramble (its just awful isn't it, gut wrenching grief) a few weeks later I found a patch of grey Weimaraner hair on the living room carpet, right in the middle, spread around, like when she used to get on her back and roll around!  I had obviously vacuumed loads of times since I lost her.  Very strange.......although I now have Rio and Blue (bless them) I still feel Bramble and Jazz are with me.  I hope so. 

Keep the stories coming - this is amazing. Our dogs are amazing.....what would we do without them?

You can see a pic of Bramble in Rainbow Bridge..........there is also an old post of a poem I wrote about him somewhere on there too. 

[EmmaA]

After I had Groove put to sleep I was all over the place. We went and collected Eric almost straight away and the first time I thought of Groove and smiled was when I turned my dining chairs over and the felt underneath was absolutely covered in dog hair. obviously Eric was too short for it to have been his hair. I know this wasn't a sign or anything but it really made me smile  it made me feel like groove was still with me and the hair is still there now. I haven't had the heart to clean it off (what a dosser) 

[Countrygirl]

We have had Ellie since she was eight weeks old, she is now three years old and has never gone upstairs in our house.  There is nothing to stop her, but even when either me or OH are up there she stays downstairs.  She doesn't have a problem going up stairs, if she goes to anyone else's house she goes up them.  Spaniel Girl only lives down the road and she is often there and goes up her stairs, my sister-in-law lives just up the road and she goes up her stairs, she has stayed in about 11 or 12 holiday cottages with us and she always goes up and down the stairs in the cottages very happily.

Last Christmas I decided this was silly so I carried her up the stairs and put her down in one of the bedrooms. She sniffed around for about a minute and then went back downstairs and has not been up there since.

My last cocker was called Sophie and her ashes are upstairs in a lovely box with her collar, favourite toys etc. around her.  She is coming with me when the time comes.  Is Sophie telling Ellie that upstairs is her part of the house?

[Roslyn McConnell]

Dill had a fav toy, it was his first toy as a pup and he just loved it to bits and would always go to it when he was stressed out about something, the wee sweetie would even give it to me when ever I was upset and crying (which happens alot in your teenaged years!  ).

One day on a walk I threw it for him into some long grass and he couldnt find it, he was beside himself and when I saw how upset he was I started looking too....for 2 hours!!! Anyways we couldn't find it.

When Dill died about three years later I went a walk to try to clear my head, it was the day after he died and I couldnt stop crying, I was walking through the same park, the grass had just been cut and I saw the old familiar green and pink toy peeking out of a bush, a bit weather beaten and the rubber a bit rotten but the same toy..... I didnt know wether to laugh or cry.....I think I did both.

[tiamaria]

Well i went to look at the litter of pups yesterday, i was quite happy with what everyone had told me about the breeder etc over the last few weeks and had spoken to him many times. Anyway we didnt go to pick a pup as they were only 4 and a half weeks old and didnt have any personalities etc, so the visit was just to see mum and pups and of course ask questions, and for the breeder to meet us.

We knew he lived in the same place as charleys breeder, but as it is such a big place didnt think anything of it.  We put the postcode in the sat nav and set off without giving it a second thought.  My partner remarked how it was taking us a weird way and not one he would have used, anyway about 15 minutes left on the journey time, he commented on how we went down the same dual carriageway when we went for charley, then road for road were the same, as i still remember the road where we went, the sat nav took us down the same road, then asked for us to turn down her street - i felt sick to my stomach!! We ended up passing her house, where the breeder lived about a 2 minute walk from her house on the next estate.

The weird thing is i had a couple of breeders that were due pups at the same time, and had to make a decision on which breeder i wanted a puppy from basically on what felt right, both were reputable well respected breeders/showers whose dogs were equally stunning and who basically ticked all the right boxes, and i followed my heart and went with this one.

Do you think i was drawn by charley's approval for me to get another cocker and that i had made a good choice or just life's way of kicking you in the gut on what was supposed to be a happy day for us?

 

[Xensgirl]

Think positive!! I think it was Charley's way of saying 'this is the person to get one from mum' 

When you have your new baby you won't have to go down "that street" anymore Tiamaria - me, Rio and Blue wish you all the best with your new baby.....and might see you in the show-ring!!?? 

[debrand]

Maybe we imagine things but I'm not so sure. After losing my wee man last week I went out last night to meet Jet, a black Cocker who needs a new home. I have had mixed feelings about what to do but our home seems ideal for Jet and when I went to see him he was a real pet. Like Barney but not like him and very friendly and happy to meet us all.
Last night I went to bed. Barney was the only one of my three who slept in my bedroom and I never discouraged him becuse his seizures often started during the night. He would come in after we were both in bed and make himself comfy on his cushion.
Last night just as I was dropping off I "heard" Barney give his little contented moan he would do as he settled down for the night. I woke right up and realising he was gone looked round expecting that one of the other two had decided to take his place- but the space was empty. It made me sad but happy at the same time. I stiil feel my boy is near me.