The Everlasting Pain of Losing a Dog

Dogs are no doubt the loveliest creatures on this planet. They have no complaints, no demands, they just want you to be there for them, and they are always there for you. When you go to school or the office and come after several hours, they are the ones waiting for you at your doorstep.

How do you get over the pain of losing a dog?

These little creatures are so loyal and so lovable that one can hardly explain it in words. If you are a dog lover, then you will surely understand how you can fall in love with them unconditionally and how they will reciprocate that love unconditionally. Due to such a strong bond, when one loses his dog, the pain is unbearable.

Release of Oxytocin:

Research reveals that dogs are just like our loved ones. They are the ones who listen to us. When you feel sad, they start feeling sad along with you. When you feel happy, they are there to share that happiness with you. People are curious about the bonding between dogs and humans. The bonding happens because of a hormone called oxytocin.

In human beings, this hormone is responsible for triggering strong feelings of unconditional love and protection toward the ones you love. According to certain research, it has been revealed that when a dog and a man come in contact and look at each other with love, this hormone is released in excess amounts.

Emotional Attachment:

The relationship between a man and a dog is so warm and pure. You bring home a puppy who has just been born. Take care of him as much as you can and train him. You bathe him, Feed him, Got him vaccinated. In short, you do everything possible to create heaven for your cute little furry thing. In return, your dogs give you the love that you’ve been looking for, the attention that human beings are not that capable of giving each other, and a shoulder to lay your worries on. Where there is this much emotional attachment, the pain is inevitable.

When you lose someone you cared for, someone you loved for most of your life, someone who was there for you when you needed them the most, a void comes into existence that gave birth to anxiety.

Your whole life falls apart because when they leave, you do not know what to do anymore. Julie Axelrod, a notable psychologist, pointed out the fact that the pain of losing a dog is too much because, in reality, people aren’t losing just some random animals but someone who they took care of with utter responsibility and unconditional love.

Undefeated Loyalty:

One of the most significant reasons that make a human-dog relationship so strong is the undefeated loyalty of dogs. If you bring a dog home and care for him, he will be by your side throughout his life. Even if a person with better dog food and dog toys tries to tempt them to be on their side, they won’t go. No matter where they go, they will always come back to you. They form a bond with their human-like no other creature on this planet. When someone so loyal to you dies, you’ll feel a pain that cannot be understood.

Memories:

If you own a dog, then you will know about the value of memories that the two of you create. Your dog isn’t just a dog. He’s like your family. When you lose a dog, it’s not just the dog that you’ve lost, it’s the memories and the pain of losing a dog that you two created together. When your pet dies, it’s not just the pet who is no longer around you, it is the feelings of loss, love, and compassion that you two shared.

Man is a creature of habit. If you have a dog, you will get accustomed to his presence. You’ll take him on a walk every morning, you’ll play with him, you will talk to him about the way you feel about the world, and when he dies, all of this just goes away. This makes it harder for you to bear the pain that you face when you lose the one you love when you lose your dog.

Lose of a Best Friend:

When you lose a dog, you lose your best friend in disguise. You lose someone who loved you even with all your imperfections. Even if you forget them at times, they won’t. They will always be the ones to defend you and love you just as your best friend will do for you. As Dean Koontz says, “Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished.”

Conclusion:

It is quite sad to say that people who do not own pets cannot understand the pain a pet owner goes through when he loses his pet. They usually label him as an over-actor, which is unfair. What they do not understand is that out of all the animals in the world, dogs are the only ones that release oxytocin when they make eye contact with their human. They serve them loyally and wait for them at their doorstep regardless of the time. This is, in a way, the only relationship where love is reciprocated to such a great extent.

Dogs are not only compassionate, but unlike human beings, they also possess a forgiving and patient nature. They look through you and understand you. They listen to you even when they cannot comprehend what you are saying. If you lose someone who loves you this much, then that is going to hurt you a lot. You take care of them like your child, and own them like a best friend, so it is not easy to overcome the pain of losing a dog. You belong to them. They belong to you. When he dies, everything just falls apart.