Thank you to reaching out @staffyforlife71, the pain from the loss of a close animal companion is the same sort of grief as when we lose a person close to us.
As I read your circumstances, I can deeply understand how much of a support he would have been to you and your family. I am getting a sense of the challenges living so remotely, which is made all the more difficult when you have caring responsibilities for someone with a lifelong illness. I see how having such constant and dependable companion must have reduced some of that burden for you, and gave you the resilience to endure those difficult times.
I’m wondering whether you have specific stories about your time with your beloved Staffy that bring a smile to your face? If you feel comfortable writing about them, I know others would look forward to hearing about the difference he made in your lives.
I know social support can be difficult in remote areas – I often hear from some people working out in remote country that they have 2-3 people they phone every week just to check in with them, a real voice driven community approach you don’t hear as much about in cities. Have you got anyone like that out your way in your community or neighbouring towns, someone who understands where you are?
Griefline has a fact sheet on losing companion animals that might be useful to read, and hopefully might help normalise the grief you are experiencing
https://griefline.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Griefline-Losing-a-Pet-Fact-Sheet-EN.pdf
Also just to flag that you can call the Helpline on 1300 845 745, and any of the volunteers would be willing to provide the space to talk about you losing your Staffy.
Please take care, and continue to reach out to us in the days and weeks ahead when you feel overwhelmed.
Kind regards
Johann
