You do not have family or friends who understand. Your grief is real.  Where are your friends when you need them.. No one seems to understand. Do they really think you are making up how you feel?

If you need help, ask your veterinarian or humane association to recommend a pet loss counselor or support group. Check with your church or hospital for grief counseling. Remember, your grief is genuine and deserving of support.

 
When a pet dies, you must choose how to handle its remains. Sometimes, in the midst of grief, it may seem easiest to leave the pet at the clinic for disposal. Check with your clinic to find out whether there is a fee for such disposal. Some shelters also accept such remains, though many charge a fee for disposal.
If you prefer a more formal option, several are available.

Home burial is a popular choice, if you have sufficient property for it. It is economical and enables you to design your own funeral ceremony at little cost. However, city regulations usually prohibit pet burials, and this is not a good choice for renters or people who move frequently. To many, a pet cemetery provides a sense of dignity, security, and permanence. Owners appreciate the serene surroundings and care of the grave-site.
Cemetery costs vary depending on the services you select. Cremation is a less expensive option that allows you to handle your pet's remains in a variety of ways: bury them (even in the city), scatter them in a favorite location, place them in a Columbarium, or even keep them with you in a decorative urn (of which a wide variety are available).
Check with your veterinarian, pet shop, or phone directory for options available in your area. Consider your living situation, personal and religious values, finances, and future plans when making your decision. It's also wise to make such plans in advance, rather than hurriedly in the midst of grief.
It can get so complicated! What should I tell my children? You are the best judge of how much information your children can handle about death and the loss of their pet. Don't underestimate them, however. You may find that, by being honest with them about your pet's loss, you may be able to address some fears and misperceptions they have about death. Make sure your children understand the difference between death and ordinary sleep. Never say the pet "went away," or your child may wonder what he or she did to make it leave, and wait in anguish for its return. That also makes it harder for a child to accept a new pet. Make it clear that the pet will not come back, but that it is happy and free of pain.
Never assume a child is too young or too old to grieve. Never criticize a child for tears, or tell them to "be strong" or not to feel sad. Be honest about your own sorrow; don't try to hide it, or children may feel required to hide their grief as well. Discuss the issue with the entire family, and give everyone a chance to work through their grief at their own pace.

My girls they were so close How will Morgan handle that Della is not coming back!!

Morgan will  observe every change in your household, She is going to notice the absence of a Della. Pets often form strong attachments to one another, and the survivor of such a pair may seem to grieve for its companion. You may need to give your surviving pets a lot of extra attention and love to help them through this period. The love of your surviving pets can be wonderfully healing for your own grief.
I have heard that if I get another Boston for Morgan and the kids it will make the a pain go away faster.
If your emotions are still in turmoil, you may resent a new dog  for trying to "take the place" of the old-for what you really want is your old pet back. You many not realize this until you bring in a new dog.  Children in particular may feel that loving a new pet is "disloyal" to the previous pet. But if you do get a new dog most people highly recommend that you, avoid getting a "look-a-like" pet, which makes comparisons all the more likely. Don't expect your new pet to be "just like" the one you lost, but allow it to develop its own personality.
Something else to remember is never give a new dog the same name or nickname as the old.

When you are ready, select an animal with whom you can build another long, loving relationship-because this is what having a pet is all about!
It is suggested that you should allow yourself enough time to grieve properly.

It make take more time to get over the loss of some pets, such as dogs and cats, since form many people, they may have been an important part of the family for years.

Just remember; It is very natural to feel sad and that you should not feel ashamed for grieving your loss. Everyone grieves for different amounts of time.

Hello humans,  I thought it  was time to write my memoir or whatever you call those ongoing sorta true life experiences...

I do not have a title for it yet... I need to think about that. But here goes .

The first thing I can remember is, I got a Boy for Christmas 2012. I think the Boston Christmas Elf arranged it.  He was  the cutest little boy.  I don't remember how old he was.  I just was glad I had a playmate. I missed my siblings all 5 of them. I never learned their names. At the time I just hoped that Missy wouldn't be mad at me for leaving so abruptly.  (I learned much later that was my real mom's name).

 The cats were the hostile ones. Lady Greystoke and Yoda went over to where I was safety crated the first night and Pfffffft expressed their "delight".
I will never understand cats. They seemed to be expressing to me that, they weren't too sure about the idea of occupying the same room even with a crated puppy. I tried to make friends the first chance I could.  Lady Greystoke  gave me one of those "Pazazz" sounds only a cat can make, she stood her ground, paw raised ready to swat if I came any closer.  So I just stopped, watched, stood, watched then decided to go play somewhere else. Since then they have been mostly taking refuge on high ground peering over the edges at me.  I have learned  to understand some of their talk, they called me names like "that icky thing"  "the intruder."

 FIRST CHRISTMAS

That sounds like a good title for my first chapter, Do you like it?

And when the boy opened it there  I laid. wow!  That kids head was huge! and noise that came out of his mouth! I was so surprised. I just cringed and tried to move away from the giant head and the noise... But to no avail before I knew it I was being yanked out of the box and bounced around. I don't remember much after that so much going on..  Lots of excitement, and once I got my paws on the ground I realized it was a miniature human... I have never see a boy before but he turned out to be a great playmate.  At least he had better names for me and seemed glad to see me unlike the cats which I met a little later, as I told you above.  I liked the names the boy called me a lot more too. "a cute adorable puppy." When he is home, I won't let him  leave my side. Funny thing is I have grown to like him, I feel like it is my job to keep him safe, and away from those Cats. 

Speaking of cats, whenever boy leaves, I go under the couch.  I am not sure what their intentions are, but if I don't  get put in the safety of my crate, that is the best place for me.. Those creatures come looking for me when boy is not there.  I think they are hunting for me. I wonder if they want to play? Woof!!  If I call my human mom, she usually comes and the cats scurry away, pretending they are chasing a squirrel.

It is all about training humans..

It took me a while to get the humans to understand, And with lots of work on my part finally the humans showed me where to go outside. Learning how to communicated with the boy was impossible for the longest.  Now everyone knows that when I first arrive I have no idea I was supposed to go outside. I would just stop in mid play and do it. With that introduction you can guess where this little story will go.  I did get into a routine, mom would fed me and we started to play on the bed. I figured real quick the bed was not the right place to go. So even tried the cat box, (only once- brother, those cats sure did not have kind words about that either).  I kept a close eye on mom hoping she would understand. Neither were helpful. Paying attention to his signals is also important. I gets fussy when I needs to go out. If mom try to say "just a minute" well, tough, I can't wait.

My  house-training has really coming along according to mom. Sometimes it just takes a while for humans to catch on. This afternoon I was quite fussy although we hadn't been out too long before.  Yup, as soon as she opened the door an let me out in the grass I relieved myself. Just yesterday, I ran to my backdoor three times and each time proved that I was ready to "go". Duh, if I experience anymore "accidents" in our house I will certainly know that it was Mom who failed.

GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR HUMANS

Boy and I have this game that I called 'get the blanket'. How you play is you pull his blanket off his bed and you shake it in front of him. Of course, he tries to get it. It's so fun to play. I've been playing this game with him ever since I can remember.  But we have to keep it a secret.  for some reason mom gets very vocal and don't  enjoy us playing the game... Not sure why, unless she is upset that she did not get to play.

Another favorite game is" run and be chased", If you combined it with "hide and seek", this can be very exciting. The first time we played this game Boy really got excited and called mom to come play with us. Even the neighbor next door joined in for a while. I was walking around the backyard without a leash. Then all of a sudden I started to run to the woods. Boy got very excited. So I ran as fast as I could and Boy tried catch up to me. He got me right before I went into the woods. My mom was very mad at him. I was out of breath. Thank goodness I'm a fast runner. That was such fun. But for some reason they would not let me walk without a leash outside. This was when I first got there, before the men came and put up a fence. I really did like that game. It was so much more exciting for all my humans be for the fence came.

 THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS 

 Well,I just want to say that I think that I have the most amazing Boy. He is a  is very smart. He can do lots of tricks and he listens very well. I do not have to say anything. Which is good cause those cats get all wierd when I try to talk to them or the boy if they are in the room.  All I have to do is use body language and he does what I want him to do. Well most of the time he does or I can go get mom. She is by back up. She watches out for me and I do the same for her. We understand each other. We know what each other is feeling, and we are there for each other.

 One day when boy came home from school, our mom, boy, and I went to the creek we live by. When we were going down the rocks that were laid on the ground around the creek, I saw the creek for the first time. Boy and I started walking along the edge of the creek and I even got to learn how to swim. Not so keen on that. It was interesting to bark out warnings to Boy. All that water made me nervous. Mom also stayed close at the waters edge but Boy, he was loving it.  I was so full of relief to see get out of that water.

  That reminds me I had a little trouble when I frist came to my new home getting my humans to understand that I need a clean dish of water. And Boy is getting much better at telling his friends to be gentle with me and not pull my ears.

THAT IS ALL FOR THIS TIME  I MAY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WRITING MORE LATER

BYE.   

WOOF, one more thing....   My name is Gizmo

A real-life event that happened  JUNE of this year....(2014)

Here is a real good reason why you should consider training  all of your pets to be comfortable in a crates. Tonight I received a call. A found female Boston stray, picked up in middle of storm. "...please come get her... I can't find owners and she is fighting with my dogs!" The strange lady pleaded on the phone. She went on to explain " I am leaving early next morning, going out of town I just could not leave dog outside in this storm with tornado warnings, rain wind and thunder." One of the disadvantages of being known in the local area as a Boston Terrier rescue... Who knows how she got my phone number. But there she was, very distraught at the thought of this Boston wondering up to her house in the middle of a storm..    I  have a slight problem do I not? What would you do?  Tell the lady "No! I am not driving in this awful weather to pick up a stray dog? You found it, its your problem?"  Of course not...  You would do what I did go get her...

PROBLEMS KEEP COMING...

So at 10 pm on Sunday I left the safety of my home in the driving rain, I met her about 30 minutes away.  Thunder, lightning you name it. Not the kind of night I would be driving in by choice for sure!

I returned home with a totally unplanned strange dog in my auto.  A Boston that is already anxious due to being lost in a storm. Now there she was. I know nothing about this dog. Is it sick? Is it friendly?  Okay so what the heck do I do with this Boston? It is almost 12pm!

I can not let this dog loose in house.  We have are already 4 fosters here... When I tried to place her in a large crate she almost panicked.  Okay I can put her in the den right?  WRONG! She can jump up and over the doggie door!!!  So now what do I do? It is still storming outside lightning and thunder. That could be adding to her excited behavior.  So thanks to someone not training their dog, and it getting loose, I am having to stay up all night to ensure she doesn't jump over the doggie gate and go after my other rescued foster dogs....

Monday this same scared dog will have to go into a vet to be checked out for a chip (no collar) and into a crate at the vets while we try to find the owner. And if no owner is found she will need to be checked out by a vet before I can bring her home.

Going through my head at that time was,  "Now don't you think that owner could have loved their dog enough to have trained for crate. A collar on her with some kind of ID on,  sure would have helped to find her owners.  So sad. "

Oh did I tell you since I was up all night I started posting all over the social media "Lost Dog" announcements. I called every vet where she was found that had an answering machine also leaving messages that I had this lost dog, and posted on every online vet and shelter in the area she had been found. Just in case someone might know of or own this dog contacted them or saw my postings on social media. No sleep, might as well get the basics done. I alerted my rescue that I had her. just in case we needed to intake her if no owner was found.

Then a most amazing series of things started happening

By Monday afternoon,  we were able to reunite her with her family!!

It turned out the owner was in Nashville with a child who was being treated with cancer. Her husband was out looking for a place to move the family closer to where the hospital was. And the teenage  siblings were staying with a relative in their home about three streets over from where the Boston, showed up on the doorstep. The lady that had found her was already on the road. Our angel lady had gone door to door in the rain to all of her neighbors, asking if they had lost or knew of someone who had lost a Boston. Although she did not find her owners, strangely the owners kids were out talking to their neighbors trying to find their moms lost dog. Can you imagine how they must have been feeling about that. Their baby brother in a hospital, slowly dieing of cancer, and they let their moms dog get lost, the dog she really loved... I would not have wanted to have been feeling what they were feeling... Someone gave them the name of the lady that had been at their house the night before. The kids called her, she called me and  hooray!!!! Happy ending... I called the owners kids who were old enough to drive, They came picked up their Boston...

Okay so there is three reasons to crate train

1. You have to leave your dog at the vet for any kind of medical treatment.

2.  Your dog escapes your house and gets thrown into a shelter or if lucky like this little one in my story lands up in rescue.

3.  Here is another reason most people do not think about... Remember in the story above, we were under tornado warnings.... Do you know what happens when volunteers find or dig out of demolished homes peoples pets?  They put them in crates in a central location row after row of crates... while trying to keep them safe and locate their owners....

Would you at least want to know that being terrified of being in a crate would not be an issue for your best friend? 

Here is what many of our social media friends have said about crate training... and my attempts to locate the owners...
 Tina Wright Horn "I always crate my dog and cats during a storm. You just never know."
 Audrey Brickson  "I have no problem with crates, but I know some people think it is cruel. My dogs love their beds ... Hope you find the owners praying she is at least chipped,.. sad."
Debbie Davis " I crate mine as well...Here is what you should give your dogs if they are that afraid of the storms...Rescue Remedy for dogs works really good 4 drops in mouth or in a little bit of water 1/2."
Tracey Burke Reinhardt "No more crate for my BT he's taking up all the space on my king size bed."
Negeen S Hogan "We crate ours while we're at work during the day. If we don't they would just sit by the door anxiously the entire time and wait for us to come back. They know when they're in their crates that we'll be back at some point. Plus they have gigantic crates and they are pretty cozy in them. And I have a wireless camera set up to watch them any time I want. "