Dear Stranger,
I saw you in the vet’s office the other day. I was pretty distracted trying to keep my 35-pound ‘lap dog’ in check, but I knew immediately there was something different about you. I should have recognized what it was even before the receptionist told you how sorry she was. You didn’t have an animal with you. Not anymore.
I wasn’t trying to be nosey, but in a small office like that you can’t help but overhear everything. I heard you say that you had no regrets, other than the fact that nobody came with you. I heard you say you would wait in your car for them to bring the body out. Once I’d paid, I saw you sitting there in your car, alone, with the hatchback open and a blanket spread out in the back.
I just want to tell you how very sorry I am. I’m sorry for the loss of your sweet pet, whose species or gender I don’t even know but I am certain meant the world to you. I am so sorry that nobody came with you for this terrible moment. I’m sorry that I didn’t just run right up to you and hug you, but I didn’t want to bother you in your moment of grief. I feel now like I should have bothered you anyway.
I also want you to know that I’m hopeful for you. I know how much it hurts, because losing a pet is truly losing a part of your family. But I know that eventually that hole in your heart will heal just enough that you can open your arms to a new fur baby, one that needs you just as much as you need it.
Hugs,
Ashley
That is really sad. I’ve been there in the past when my pets were put down and I held them until it’s over. They liked the love during their last few moments. Hugs. Ralph xox ❤
How very sweet of you to notice, even after the fact. After my pets have been euthanized, I usually run out, sobbing. I don’t have the composure to sit around and wait for the bill. That’s why often the vet comes to my house…
How fortunate that you have a vet that will do that! It’s certainly a tragic event, and the trip to and from the vet’s office doesn’t help matters.
No, everyone is stressed, and that’s not what anyone wants.