Had to put my dog to rest

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angell1

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had to put my guide dog, Macy to rest yesterday, the cancer progressed and she was starting to suffer too much.

my heart is completely broken, I simply can’t understand this at all. I just don’t know why she got cancer at 3 years old, why she couldn’t live out her doggy life for the next 10 years like she was supposed to. I kept praying for a miracle too but it wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

and I keep blaming myself, I keep wondering if it was something I could have done differently to prevent it. She was always happy, the most friendly dog, patient, very obedient, really the best dog, you did everything she was told. Even when she was sick, she never complained about it. I did notice she trembled a few times while I was at work or choir, I thought maybe she needed to pee, or maybe she was cold, maybe I could have done something more about that, she did have a blanket at work but maybe it wasn’t enough, I did take her out and she seemed to be fine after, at church sometimes they left the door slightly ajar so I think maybe that made her cold, but I figured it wasn’t such a long time and she would be ok, maybe I shold have been more careful, maybe that inadvertently caused gene mutation because it’s a type of stress, I really don’t know anymore.

on the other hand, cancer doesn’t just develop overnight, she likely already had it for a while and we just didn’t know because there were no symptoms and by the time there were, it was already too advanced.

does catholicism at least allow for the possibility that God may return our animals to us when he remakes heaven and earth? I just need some sort of consolation, I know they have different souls so they don’t necessarly enter in to the heavenly state, but God has the ability to remake his creation, doesn’t he? it’s just too painful to think that she simply doesn’t exist anymore and I will never see her again.
 
I’m so very sorry. Please don’t blame yourself. It was just unfortunately something your Macy was predisposed to having.

I don’t think there is really a definitive teaching on whether or not our pets will be in heaven. I certainly like to think they will be. ❤️
 
Don’t blame yourself. Dogs get cancer.

As C S Lewis said (and I will badly jumble). In heaven we will be perfectly happy. All that is required for our happiness will be there. Those of us who loved pets, if reunion is what we need to be perfectly happy, than we will see our pets there!
 
I’m so sorry for the loss of your guide dog and companion. It is such a hard time. There is no blame you should burden yourself with.
 
Good article by Dr Kreeft:
  1. Will there be animals in Heaven? Will my dead cat be there?
The simplest answer I know to this question, so frequently asked by children, is: Why not? Children’s questions are usually the best ones, and we should beware treating them with any less seriousness than their askers have in asking them. Right now, pets, like everything else in this world, can mediate God’s love and goodness to us and train us for our union with him, or they can distract us from him. In Heaven, everything mediates and nothing distracts.

http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/35-faqs_eternity.htm
 
I’m sorry to hear of your loss. As others have said, please don’t blame yourself!

I love the Lewis and Kreeft quotes. While it’s true that animals don’t have the same immortal souls that human persons have, it seems perfectly credible to me that there will be animals in heaven as there are on earth. And if there are to be animals, why not the ones we knew while we were here?
 
I’m very sorry for the loss of your dog. It’s so hard to lose our good animal friends. I will pray for you.

P.S. There is nothing you could have done to prevent her cancer. I have had pets with cancer too. I’m pretty sure one got it because her previous owner smoked (I do not, and took the pet in after the previous owner dumped it at the kill shelter). It’s also likely genetic. You gave your dog a good life and took good care of her right up to the end. Be at peace.
 
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So sorry about your loss, Angell.

A Jesuit priest on TV said that, ultimately, when we get substantial bodies again (not just spiritual ones), we will have perfect happiness in Heaven. In Heaven, you will have everything you need to make and keep you perfectly happy, and if that includes Fido or Fluffy, you will have them with you. If we are in this real place (a phenomenal one, not just a numinal one), wouldn’t it be a silent and dreary place if there were no birdsong? So once you allow for birds, you have to say there must be other animals, too.
 
I like the lines by Coleridge:

He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

I feel quite sure that we will be reunited with those who gave us the truest and purest love of all–that of innocent animals.
 
I’m so sorry about your dear, sweet Macy. Don’t blame yourself. God created your sweetie, he cares about the sparrows, so we know He cares about Macy. I like to think that she had a purpose, and that purpose was to be with you and help you, even if only for a short time. You’ve shown us all how to love, pray, and love God’s creation. In Heaven, you won’t need a companion dog, but there may be a “Macy” out of God’s love and perfect creation. I’ll be praying for you.
 
angell1 said:
does catholicism at least allow for the possibility that God may return our animals to us when he remakes heaven and earth?
Click to expand...
A Catholic can believe that animals go to heaven after death. I have a friend who is a very prayerful person. After her dog died, she told me that when praying she saw a vision of her dog with Jesus. Be at peace. Animals do much good in their life. Your dog is in heaven.
 
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MCH1 said:
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angell1:
does catholicism at least allow for the possibility that God may return our animals to us when he remakes heaven and earth?
Click to expand...
A Catholic can believe that animals go to heaven after death. I have a friend who is a very prayerful person. After her dog died, she told me that when praying she saw a vision of her dog with Jesus. Be at peace. Animals do much good in their life. Your dog is in heaven.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this. I was so touched by this, that it made me cry. It’s such a lovely thought! ❤️

Hi @angell1,

I am so very sorry for the loss of your beloved Macy.

You did everything that you could for her, so please try not to be so hard on yourself. I know that it’s hard not to be when we’re in the middle of such deep loss for our dear pet. We go over everything, wondering if there was something that we missed because we’re trying to grasp at that loss.

You’re in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you! ❤️
 
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thank you everyone for your prayers and kind words, this really has been the worst, unimaginable nightmare. I have an older retired guide dog too so I never expected I would lose Macy before him. I think I just have to lean on god for strength to get through this
 
Bless you and bless your beloved pet…i have always had a pack of between 3 and 4 non-service dogs over the last 40 years, and i mourn the loss of each of them…but find solace in the fact that they were a gift of God, to show me how to love and be loved by all He creates!

Rejoice in the Lord always!

Pax et bonum!
 
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And that is another thing, your dogs are more than pets. Your service dogs allow you to have a level of independence and freedom.

Prayers that your next service dog has a long life!
 
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