Best Friends Deserve the Best Last Day
Best Friends Deserve the Best Last Day
As much as we all try to push it out of our minds, every pet parent knows that one day they will have to say goodbye to the animal that has stolen their heart. If we’re lucky enough, that day comes when our companion’s fur is kissed with silver, after a long and love-filled life.
Deciding to put down a pet, whether due to the pains of old age or terminal illness, is one of the most difficult decisions a pet parent must make. But it can bring peace and relief to you both, knowing they’re no longer in any pain and you helped them have a quick and tranquil passing. Giving your pet a best last day can add joy and comfort to an extremely difficult time.
A best last day is just that—the day or hours before putting a pet to sleep that are filled with everything they love the most. A best last day is one last day to spoil your best friend, shower them in love and give yourself one last trove of beautiful memories.
Here are some ways to gift your own loved one with the best last day possible when it’s time to say goodbye:
- Take the day off work
- Go through a drive-thru for a special treat
- A drive to a favorite park with the window down
- Lots and lots of belly rubs
- A swim in the river or lake
- Naps with the family
- Their favorite human food, such as cheeseburgers, bacon, peanut butter or cooked steak
- Play ball, frisbee or tug of war (but stop when they become tired or winded)
- Go on an easy hike in the mountains or the bosque
- Let them sleep in your bed
- Read your favorite book to them
- Social time at their favorite dog park
- A new, exciting toy
- Visits with their favorite humans
- Quiet time to rest without TV, music or distractions
- Capture moments of joy with your camera
Your own companion will have unique needs, preferences and abilities. Only you will know what will truly make your sweet friend’s last day special for them, and what types of activities they will be physically able to participate in.
The day you have to say goodbye will not be easy. But a perfect day spoiling and loving your pet will give you memories that will comfort you both and help leave you at peace.
Losing a cherished companion is already emotionally devastating. Surprise expenses only add to your worries. That’s why Best Friends believes in the importance of transparency during this difficult time. We can’t make the pain of loss go away, but we can do everything in our power to make it easier to bear – and part of that means upfront pricing and simple-to-understand cremation packages.
When someone you love passes away, having a permanent place to return to can help ease the feelings of grief and loss. This is as true of our pets as our human family members. A gravesite can be decorated as a beautiful physical memorial of their precious memory.
Heartache isn’t just a poetic turn of phrase. The emotions of grief can be felt in your body: the tightness in your chest, the throb in your head, the heaviness in your limbs. Losing a beloved animal companion can be a mental, emotional, and physical ordeal, just the same as losing any other family member.
Pet owners often face pressure to hide or downplay their grief when a pet dies. After all, it was just a pet, right? The fact is that pets are so much more than that. They are constant companions, a source of unconditional love, and a comforting presence.
The decision of what to do with a beloved pet’s body is a deeply personal one. It’s also not always easy to make in the moment.
When you’re faced with a loss that happens at home, or your vet asks about your preference at the clinic, your mind might go blank. Should you cremate your pet? Should you bury them? If you cremate them, do you want the ashes back? Will you scatter those ashes, bury them, keep them on the mantel or do something else with them? These decisions can leave you feeling blind-sided, and you might not know the best way to proceed.
It can be nerve-wracking when your fur-baby is seriously ill or feeling the effects of old age. Because they cannot speak to us directly, it’s hard to know for certain how our animal companions are feeling or what’s going through their minds. That uncertainty can lead you to asking yourself a lot of difficult questions.
When you’re looking to grow your family, a new puppy or kitten is often the first thing that comes to mind. But adopting a senior pet can be very rewarding. Whether you’re looking to add a second companion or are opening your heart to another pet after a loss, consider inviting a senior pet to live out their golden years in your home.
Part of being a pet parent is knowing you will say goodbye too soon. No lifetime ever feels long enough when it comes to a beloved animal companion. Seeing your fur baby grow old and slow down can be painful. Watching them advance through the stages of a terminal disease, knowing you will have to make a choice sooner or later about when to let them go, can be one of the most agonizing parts of pet parenting.
Pets are family. And when they pass away, we memorialize them for the same reason we do our human family members.
Whether their ashes are kept on the mantle, scattered in the garden, or buried in a pet cemetery, laying your pet’s remains to rest is a tribute to them and the lasting bond you share. A permanent memorial or resting place gives you something to visit after they’re gone, and it’s a visible expression of the love and care you feel for them.
The bonds we make with those we love don’t go away when they die. This is just as true of our pets as any other loved one. Their spirit may be gone, but we feel just as strongly connected to them as when they were by our side.
“It’s just a pet.”
There are few things crueler to say to someone grieving the loss of a furry family member. Yet people are often quick to dismiss the pain associated with pet death. Sometimes when we are coping with the loss, we can even internalize that dismissiveness and feel self-conscious or ashamed of our feelings. This only compounds the pain, adding more negative emotions to an already difficult time.
Pets serve a vital role in our lives. They are precious to us. Pets are part of the family.
In some ways, they can be even closer to us than many of the people in our lives. It’s only natural that their loss would affect us deeply.
If you’ve spent much time around pet parents online, you may already be familiar with the idea of the Rainbow Bridge. Perhaps you’ve seen someone say, “Muffin crossed the bridge today,” or seen someone express sympathy as, “Play hard at the bridge, Buddy.” Or you might have seen a motif of rainbows and bridges on cards and memorial items and wondered about it. What is the Rainbow Bridge, and what does it have to do with pet loss?
The tragedy of pet ownership is knowing that your furry friend’s lifespan will never be long enough. Though their lives are short, our pets pack a tremendous amount of love and wonderful memories into the time we share. And when they approach the end of their lives, we as pet parents can return that love with a beautiful final gift.