Creative Pet Urns

Yo everyone, this is your boy Franky Fresh again, and I want to take a moment to preach on a sensitive subject.  Now ya’ll know how Franky Fresh loves his furry little Gs, and I want to tell ya’ll about a chill feline named Biggie.  Biggie and I grew up in a rough neighborhood, so rough in fact that I would lie in my bed and wonder if Biggie would come home at all that night.  But Biggie always came back, that feline was a straight gangsta, he knew those streets, knew how to hustle for a can of tuna, and knew when to turn tail and leap to the nearest balcony. Biggie took care of me growing up, he’d sleep on my bed, share my dinner, and take care of my little brother too. 

Biggie stuck with me as long as he could, but the day came when he had to retire to thug mansion, to chill with the likes of Tupac Shakur, Sam Cook, and Miles Davis.  I had a rough patch when Biggie passed, but I checked out some cat memorials and now his ashes reside on my mantle.  Now and then I’ll sit in my living room and raise a glass to that original gangsta, and know that he’s smiling down from above in much better company. 

While searching for a dog memorial and dealing with our loss, we found this site, griefhealing.com, which has a lot of really great articles dealing with pet loss; this is one of them.

There is much talk in today’s world about unconditional love. It would be wonderful if human beings were capable of such a thing. The sad truth is that we fall short of the mark. While unconditional love is probably impossible, it is a wonderful goal and we should continue to strive for it.

In reality, the closest thing to unconditional love we ever perceive is that which we sense from our pets. Even then, there are a few conditions. After we have fed them and their other basic needs have been met, animals are unconditional. We have yet to hear that someone’s dog, cat, parakeet or hamster judged them or criticized them or called them stupid. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting a new pet before you have had time to work through your grief can cause problems for both you and the pet.  It’s probably not best to get a new cat or dog as soon as you wiped the first bit of dust off of that pet urn.

So when is the right time? There’s no easy answer.  Only you know when too soon is actually too soon.  It may help to talk to your friends and family and maybe you can get a sense of when you’re ready to start anew.

I found this great article on www.petvets.com for all of my readers.

What a wonderful responsibility we take on when we bring a pet into our lives. With the help and guidance from veterinarians, we provide a loving, safe and healthy environment for our pets who share everything with us. Pets see us through marriages, divorces, and the birth of children. Pets endure separation and welcome us back as if we. d been away forever. They are the best pals we have for accepting us as we are.

But one day, that constant will become one of our losses. And when the kind face and acceptance we used to turn to is gone, where do we go for comfort?

One of the most difficult and important parts of grief and loss is seeking to understand what has happened and that what you are feeling is all right. Your sense of loss may encompass your life and that is all right. You have that right to grieve and you can take as much time as you need. In a busy and demanding world, the trick is to take the time.

There are many stage of grief, and none of them are absolute. Time frames vary from person to person. Generally, the stages include:

1. Shock/disbelief/denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining (often with God)

4. Depression

5. Acceptance/resolution/recovery

Read the rest of this entry »