I lost my dog today.

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I lost one of my dogs tonight. She didn't come in right away after being let out one last time to use the restroom. After a while we went looking for her and found her. Evidently she had chased a deer across the road and was hit by a car (she never got close to the road unless she chased deer). As bad as it was, the car had to have been speeding extremely fast. I can't stop crying.

She was a rescue of sorts. A family of an evangelist tried breeding boxer dogs and got her from a puppy mill. She was a runt and very scared of everyone and every thing. They did not spend much time with her at all. In early 2008, the pastor of a church to which I was donating work and time asked me if we could take her. The evangelist had sold all but her and they had asked the pastor to let them chain her out behind the church and left her there, but fed her daily, otherwise she was neglected. They said she was about 2 or 3 years old. When I went to get her, she was so scared that she was shaking visibly as I slowly held the chain, working my way closer to her, talking to her. I sat petting her for 10 minutes before picking her up. I had already put her plastic kennel in the car and had the hatch open with the kennel in the back, open and ready for her. When I finally picked her up, she was so scared that she immediately defecated. I gently cleaned her up before setting her next to the kennel door in the car, which she shot into so fast that she hit the back of the kennel and almost tipped it over. I cleaned myself up inside the church and took her home.

For weeks, I would pick the kennel up. carry it outside, reach inside and clip a collar onto her and take her to do her business with only a foot or two of slack in the leash so she had to stay very close to me when doing her business and walking. I would put her food in her kennel and stay while she ate. I slept on the floor next to her kennel with my hand resting right inside the door. After weeks of this, I woke up one morning to her sleeping with her head on my hand.

Then I decided to take a risk and let her off her leash one day. She ran in long circles, coming closer and closer to me, playing but not letting me touch her. after she tired out she went back into her kennel. It took several months but eventually she would go everywhere with me. It took two years but she eventually warmed up to the children and my wife as well. She would stay away from strangers but she loved us like nobody else. She thought every other animal was there to play and would try to play with ground hogs, deer, even skunks (that was a fiasco). The cats got used to her antics and learned to smack her when she got too excited.

We have a habit of taking in animals that others will reject, and then I get extremely attached to them. Just this evening I was cuddling with her while she licked my face and I scratched her belly and back. She would often lean against the couch and start this funny roll where she would snort and rub her head and back into the couch in a rapid, silly fashion, scratching an itch somewhere (the couch has a rough fabric on it), we would start wrestling with her when she did this, rubbing her belly and chin till she got so excited she'd roll in flips on the couch. She was always eager to see me when I came home. She always wanted to play when I took her outside. She was always my friend.

This hurts so much. Why did she have to die? I have lost 5 animals in 5 years. She is the hardest one to take so far because she was so dedicated to me.

My condolences - I know what it's like to lose a family pet to a road accident, so i can imagine the pain your going through. What i found helpful when i lost mine (she was hit by a moped, and got paralyzed from it - we had to euthanize her of course because of the damage) was to just talk a lot about the good memories we remembered about her; for example funny things she used to do. I'm not saying doing this will make you snap out of your sadness just like that, but it will make it more well what word is the correct to use, tolerable. You will of course notice that something is missing in the house, and that someone is missing whilst doing specific activities with your family, but you will sooner or later learn to get used with it. Whenever the void takes on your emotions, you bring up the good memories, and fill the void with that. Get well

Just so really sorry......losing a pet is the hardest, I know. You'll always remember her dedication - she's a beautiful dog.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is always so terribly hard to bear.

Many years ago two separate family dogs, when I was growing up, were both killed by being hit by a vehicle, 16 years apart. Death from old age or illness is hard enough to take, but an accident feels extra random and unfair, so I really feel for you.

She was gorgeous and it sounds like you gave her a wonderful life and lots of love. You grief must be enormous, but hang in there. Try to remember all the good times. Hugs.

It was too dark last night to bury her, so she had to stay covered and shielded from the scavengers. I am going out now to dig a grave. I went out again last night after posting and just sat by her for a couple hours before finally getting tired enough to fall asleep for a while. She would usually be the one who would wake me in the morning.

Geeze man, I'm so sorry.

I recently lost my dog too. Muggs was older and in poor health, so I knew he would be going soon. I had time to prepare myself. I cannot imagine how bad it must be to lose a dog so quickly and without warning.

You should take comfort from the fact that you gave her a good life and that she is now beyond all suffering.

You have my sympathy.

I have had difficulty thinking how to respond to this, because I can imagine how hard it is to deal with this loss. Close friendships with pets are very strong bonds.

I think Monolithe's approach is good. Not to try and blank it out, but when you do think about it, focus on the good, the humorous. Maybe even hang up a picture.

In general the best way to deal with a void is to fill it, which would mean perhaps a new dog (there's always a zillion needing homes). But if you already have other pets it might not be as significant or in the bigger plan.

You did right by her, and gave her a good life to replace the bad. Thats a good thing to remember too.

She is now in a grave. The ground was full of rocks. I even found a bog quarts 2 ft by 1.7 ft to place as a headstone.

I think I need to focus on caring for who and what I have. Filling the void is good, but bonnie's personality was a rare one among dogs. Even my other pets relied on her for love and happiness.

If I would have had better work, more money, etc. I would have had a fence around the property and this would not have happened. I need to focus on getting better work, fixing the house, getting a fence, trying to fulfill the needs of those in the family that are still here.

I have the same problem with a fence, and made similiar choices. Don't beat yourself up over it. Its always a balance between giving dogs some freedom and the chance that something might happen. Personnally I hate cooping animals up and value their quality of life as well as length. The only exception would be a dangerous dog, which I would then never let run free. If I was a dog I would choose to have some freedom and live more naturally then to be locked up. Had your dog been given the choice I bet she would have wanted some freedom. If we were rich we would have fences. We are not and do what we can with what we have.

She was beautiful, you have her love and rescued her. I hope you feel better soon. I had to put my cat down earlier this year - it did get easier after some time went by - I hope it does for you too.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. She was beautiful. I think you should take comfort in the fact that you gave her a good life and an opportunity for happiness and trust.

I tried to stay busy today, putting the roof on a carport style unit I attached to the barn so I could have a covering to work on cars.

I think as I get older it gets more difficult to cope. I remember crying for 2 days as a child when my dog was hit by a car. It got less severe by the end of the 2nd day. But I never cried constantly like I seem to be doing with Bonnie. I have pictures but wish I had video of her funny little bark.

This property is 4.6 acres. If it was completely fenced it would provide a modicum of freedom while keeping them safe. Livestock fencing would work but would cost over 4000 dollars for supplies, if I did all the installation. Not something I can do right now, being self employed and trying to establish a decent customer base is not as easy for me as it seems for others. I am good at what I do, but not good at selling myself.

The children are handling it better than I am. Even the ones that we believe have inherited my characteristics (AS).

I have a little album on Photo bucket. I hope they stay in business for as long as I live so I don't have to worry about losing them.Memories of Bonnie. They are all from the same day. I never was one for taking a lot of pictures over time. Now I am regretting it. I need to learn to take more pictures and videos.

What about fencing off a smaller portion of your property?

You can email your photos to yourself and get them on your computer if they are not there already. Then you can print them out, or put them on a memory stick and take them to staples or someplace else with picture printing service and they will print them out nicely for you. Not that expensive.

I have about same acreage and it abuts a nature perserve, but one side of property is along a regular steep road. I have as a temp measure built up a kind of small wall of sticks, branches, leaves, etc, along that side as a deterant, about 2 feet high and as wide. Its a bit more effective since I am only detering Chuhuahua mixes. But even so its not foolproof and they have both gone over at times if that special thing that attracts them is over there. With one its animals also/ with another its people.

A gravestone is a nice touch. I have an area of pine needles that I use to bury pets and put a large rock as a kind of headstone for each. To an observer its just a decorative feature.