My gentle giant

[duke2012]

I had to say goodbye to my gentle German Shepherd Duke of 10 years, that was Saturday, I miss him so much and just can’t stop crying

Topic

[VM – OnAJourney]

Hi
Thank you for posting here, must be very tough for you right now. Sounds like Duke was a beautiful companion to you for quite a long time and it is totally understandable that you struggle with losing him. That’s always the hard bit when we love someone so much, their loss really affects us. And a lot of us in this Forum can relate to that.
Have you checked out Griefline’s resources such as https://griefline.org.au/resources/losing-a-pet/? You might find some of the coping strategies on the website helpful in dealing with your loss.
I wonder what it is you do to look after yourself during this difficult time?
Take care – I’m thinking of you in your grief.

[VM-Mancha1]

Hi @duke2012,

I obviously never met Duke, but my first dog as a child was Suzie, a German Shepherd who I have never gotten over losing. They are amazing dogs, she apparently taught me to walk, by letting me grab her hair and pull myself upright (no matter how much it must have hurt her) and then slowly moving around the room. We had a milkman walk into our kitchen once, and surprise my mum (he was being helpful by bringing the milk inside, no malice intended) but Suzie stood up and pinned him to the wall, one front paw either side of his head, despite never being trained for protection; she didn’t hurt him, but just kept the family ‘safe’ until someone told her it was okay. I loved that dog so fiercely that it brings tears to my eyes even now, decades later.

I never knew Duke but I would love to meet him, if you would trust us enough to share some of what made him so special. I’d love for you to tell us how he came into your life, and how you and he made your time together special, if that’s something your comfortable doing.

Take care of yourself, and come back soon – we’d love to know how you’re doing.

[Author]

Replies