Dog owner opens up about "anticipatory grief" over her senior doggo, expressing something all pupper parents feel, but are too scared to speak about: 'I can't help but feel sad when I'm with her'

Something all of us dog owners have to face eventually is the grief of losing our precious pupper. Statistically, you're more likely to outlive your dog, so it's more than likely that you'll have to go through the process of their end of life, putting them down, and then all the emotions that come after. It's unavoidable. But something that also happens to all of us, that not many people talk about, is anticipatory grief: when you grieve their future passing before it has even happened.

It happens to us all the time. We look at our doggo, think about how much we love them, and then already fast-forward to the future where they're no longer with us. It's a terrible feeling. It's like when you have a canker sore that you can't stop touching. You know you shouldn't, and you know it's going to hurt, but you do it anyway.

No one wants their dog to pass over the rainbow bridge, but that's part of life. All we can do is trust that we gave them the best lives pawssible. Shower them with love, kisses, cuddles, toys, whatever, as often as you can. Read through this pawrent's beautiful testimony and how the canine community supported her during this emotional moment!

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Worrying about their passing won't stop it from coming, so try to live in the moment with them. Make the most memories you can while you still have them next to you. Time seems to be going by faster and faster, so don't blink, or you might accidentally miss the whole thing.
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Just like any grief, there is no magic cure to make it go away. You just have to live through it. Some people will tell you it gets less sad over time. We disagree. We just think you get better at dealing with the sadness.
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