We live in a suburban community where having a backyard is the usual, so we don’t really need to worry about where to bury our pets who have passed on. If you live in a condominium, or a house that doesn’t have a yard, it can be a bit difficult. I’ve been asked by friends and readers where they can bury their pets, and frankly, I had no idea what to suggest until I’ve stumbled upon Rainbow Bridge Pet Aftercare Services.

Rainbow Bridge Pet Aftercare Services specializes in aftercare for pets. They aren’t like the pet cemeteries within the metro and in the provinces I’ve heard of — your pet’s remains are actually cremated. Their crematory services will make sure that your late pet’s passing is treated with dignity and respect. They have packages similar to memorial plans that even includes pick-up and drop-off points, high quality urns, and pet memorials.

For more information, you can contact Rainbow Bridge Pet Aftercare Services by sending them through the following:

Hotline: 63915.607.6080
Email: rainbowbridge.ph@gmail.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/rainbowbridge.ph

Another aftercare service pet owners should watch out for: Noah’s Ark Pet Columbary. I’m not sure if this is the first in the country, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of one. I’ve seen pet cemeteries, but not yet a pet columbary. Noah’s Ark Pet Columbary will be located in The Garden of St. Michael the Archangel, Emilia Street, Pascual Compound, Parañaque City.

A fellow dog-lover approached me with a plea for help: her elderly dog, Cocoa, has been missing since March 8. He was wearing a colorful dog tag bearing his name, his owners’ address and their phone number. The owner of Cocoa (koh-koh) shares that through their own investigation, they were able to discern that a vehicle was spotted stealing dogs from homeowners.

Weeks after the dog’s disappearance, somebody spotted Cocoa being sold in a pet shop near their village. A friend of the owner posed as a customer to check it out, but unfortunately, he’s been told that Cocoa had already been sold to another buyer for Php10,000.

To make matters worse, the 6-year-old Black Pomeranian has a heart condition: he has an enlarged heart, and needs specific care.

Should you see Cocoa, kindly contact the owner at 0917-847-1989 or bring him to his veterinarian at St. Joseph Veterinary, 185 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque (red gate). Cocoa was last seen at F. Cruz St., Ph. 3 BF Homes, Parañaque (street of PCJ Parish). The owners offer a reward for his return.

* Photos provided by Cocoa’s owners.

Whitey passed away yesterday. We don’t really know why, but nothing can describe my sister’s reaction except for “devastated.”

You see, my sister Joyce is schizophrenic. She doesn’t handle grief very well, so my family and I have to do our absolute best to support her and help her recover. The loss of Whitey was just depressing for her.

Joyce and Whitey were best friends—my sister even allowed Whitey sleep on her bed even if when the needed a bath. She kept my sister company and made sure to be beside her whenever she seemed to be on a verge of an episode—her presence calmed my sister down.

Whitey’s death was so sudden. Even the rest of us were saddened by what happened.

She was alright one moment, the next, she was gone. But before she left, she made sure she was near my sister, but far enough not to cause her distress as she passed away. My dad found Whitey just outside my sister’s window—apparently, Whitey died quietly as my sister slept.

Whitey will be remembered.

Thank you, Whitey, for being the best friend my sister never had. We’ll never forget you.

Losing a pet is very difficult—I know that for a fact. It’s devastating, and even makes you wonder if the pain will ever end. I’m doing better now (much better than my crying-every-hour state the first week Sheero passed away), but I still get pangs of sadness (and tears) whenever I remembered fun times with Sheero. It’s hard not to—I’ve lost my furry best friend.

Below is a touching story by Jun Razal, which tries to make sense of the passing of his beloved Shih Tzu, Budoy.

Paalam Budoy

Linggo. Mga bandang alas seis ng umaga nang pumutol sa aking mahimbing na pagtulog ang kiriring ng telepono. Si Dok. “Mr. Razal, bumigay na siya”, malungkot niyang ibinalita sa amin. “Wala na siya”, sabi ko sa aking asawa. Kagabi lang, dinala naming siya sa doktor – emergency! First time naming mag-asawa na nalagay sa ganung sitwasyon. Nangingisay na parang may epilepsy ng datnan namin siya sa bahay. Tirik ang mga mata at nahihirapang huminga. Natulog kaming may pagasa na lalaban siya at okay na siya uli. Ang tawag na ito ni Dok ang nagwakas sa aming kakarampot na pag-asa na mabubuhay pa siya. Hindi na pala. Wala na siya. “Kelan mo kukunin ang bangkay?”, tanong ni Dok. “Magsisimba muna ako, maya-maya mo na balikan”, dagdag niya. “Sige Dok, mga alas nuwebe ko kukunin”, sabi ko.

Sa unang reaksyon mo palang parang dedma ka lang. Manhid ka pa sa reality. Pag nagsimulang mag-sink-in at lalong-lalo na pag nag-flashback ang mga happy and fond memories saka unti-unting bubuhos ang luha mo. Papunta na ako kay Dok para kunin ang bangkay nang magsimulang manumbalik at maalala ko ang mga “fun moments” at memories nang maluha ako. Nakakahiya kay Dok kaya dahan-dahan ang pagmamaneho ko. Di ko rin alam kung paano ko siya ibabalik dito sa bahay. Ayaw kong makita siya sa ganoong kalagayan – isa nang malamig na bangkay. Kelangang tibayan ko ang loob ko. Kelangan di makita ni Dok na naiiyak ako. Ang baduy. Mukha akong gago!

Kasama ng mga “fun moments” at pag-papasenti ko yung mga realizations ko gaya ng – na ang nagpapatibay pala nang isang relasyon ay ang panahong walang pakundangang ibinuhos mo para sa minamahal mo – kahit di mo kaano-ano. Parang yung matagal ko nang favorite saying, na-experience ko siya in the flesh. Yung “It’s the time that you spent for your rose that makes your rose so important”. Hango ito sa librong “Little Prince”. Tsaka yung mga minamahal mo ay para silang mga rosas. Nagbibigay kaligayahan at tuwa ngunit sa kabilang dako, nakapagbibigay din ng lungkot. Ang rosas, sa kabila ng ganda at halimuyak nito, ay may tinik ding makakasakit at nakakatusok. For all its worth and warts, pag mahal mo ang isang tao, mahal mo rin kahit mga kahinaan at “flaws” nito.

Minsang tatanungin mo bakit kinukuha sayo ang minamahal mo nang walang paalam. Walang karason-rason. Tapos biglaan pa. Mahirap ipaliwanag ang kamatayan lalong-lalo na ang di-mo malirip na mga sapin-sapin na emotions na katambal nito. May pagsisi. Panghihinayang. Mga “sana”… maraming “sana” at katapat na mga “dapat”. Santambak na hindsights. Tapos wala ka naming mahagilap na saktong sagot. Siguro, may panibagong hamon. Siguro inihahahanda ka lang para sa iba pang mas makulay na mga bagay. Pinalalakas mo lang ang loob mo. Maraming mga probable answers na maiisip. Pag wala kang tiwala sa Kanya, marahil magiging atheist o agnostic ka sa sama ng loob.

Mahirap ang mawalan. Mahirap din ang naiiwanan. Kailangan mo pang magpagaling. May trauma. Magiging hesitant ka na ulitin uli ang experience. Kung pwede lang sana na lahat masaya. Eh di sana walang mamamatay. Magiging over-populated naman ang mundo tapos under-populated ang langit. Mawawalan ng meaning ang mabuhay dahil walang nang mga unknowns at mga mysteries na siyang nagbibigay hamon at kulay sa ating buhay.

Salamat Budoy. Mami-miss ka namin. Actually, miss na miss ka namin sa tuwing bubungad kami sa pinto at wala ka na nakatanghod at excited na kumakawag ang buntot. Di ko malilimutan yung kasama kita na nag-longtrip tayo papuntang San Fernando. Nung pinakalbo kita sa Tiendesitas at nanibago sa bago mong hitsura. Mamimiss ka rin ni cousin Ysa. Salamat sa walong buwan na “fun moments”. Maiksi pero maraming kang naituro kahit wala kang sinabi. Ang importance ng loyalty. Walang iwanan kaya palagi kang naka-buntot. Yung pagiging palaging expectant – na darating kami no matter what. Yung hindi nagkikimkim kahit minsan napapalo ka. Saka yung undying spirit mo na umakyat ulit sa 2nd floor kahit ilang beses ka nang nadulas at gumulong pababa ng hagdan. Isa kang dakilang pet dog. Wala kang katulad at mahirap kang palitan.

Langya ka, Budoy!. Aso ka lang pero pinaiyak mo kami! Dudoy ka!

[NOTE: It was said in our philosophy of man class that the souls of animals die when their bodies die. I wrote this article to make sense ang give meaning to the death of our very loving pet Shitzu named Budoy]

“It’s the time that you spent for your rose that makes your rose so important.” That is so true.

Losing Sheero was different, very different. Aside from the fact that she was my absolute favorite, her passing came as a surprise. She was getting well (we had even expected to take her home after a few more days at the vet), but suddenly had a heart attack that lead to a coma which she didn’t survive. I think how she passed away was a huge factor on why it was doubly hard for me—I just didn’t expect it. I never had the chance to prepare myself for the loss.

I’ve been coping with my loss, though I still feel a bit of sadness every now and then. But the first few days of losing Sheero was unbearable—I never thought I’d stop crying. As I have said in my blog, another factor that made the pain worse was because there wasn’t anybody else to share my pain with except for my family. True, we’ve gotten a lot of condolences from friends and acquaintances—heck, even Sheero’s “fans” emailed us their condolences. But the thing is, I still had this thought at the back of my mind that they really didn’t understand my pain.

When a person you know or loved passed away, it’s “easier” to share that pain with somebody else—almost everyone you know could probably relate to you. But when it’s a pet you’ve lost, it’s different. Not everyone loves pets as you do. Not everyone would understand why you’re so devastated over the passing of an animal. For some people, pets are just pets—they’re just animals locked up in a cage outside. Not everyone would understand how a loving bond can develop between a human and a dog.

Knowing that some people thinks that you’re crazy for getting depressed over the passing of a pet makes the grief harder to bear. It’s like feeling that you’re alone in your pain. For me, this probably why it’s sometimes harder to get over the loss of a pet.

Luckily, there are actually some pet loss support groups on the Internet. I’ve stumbled upon the Pet Loss Grief Support website during the first few days of my loss. Chatting with fellow bereaved pet owners made me feel a whole lot better—it was like I wasn’t alone in my pain. It also helped visiting local forums dedicated to owners who’ve lost their pets like the one on Philippine Pet Finder.

I think the main thing I’ve learned all about this is that bereaved pet owners don’t have to handle their pain alone—there are people who do care and understand what you’re going through

High up in the courts of heaven today
a little dog angel waits;
with the other angels he will not play,
but he sits alone at the gates.
“For I know my master will come” says he,
“and when he comes he will call for me.”

The other angels pass him by
As they hurry toward the throne,
And he watches them with a wistful eye
as he sits at the gates alone.
“But I know if I just wait patiently
that someday my master will call for me.”

And his master, down on earth below,
as he sits in his easy chair,
forgets sometimes, and whispers low
to the dog who is not there.
And the little dog angel cocks his ears
and dreams that his master’s voice he hears.

And when at last his master waits
outside in the dark and cold,
for the hand of death to open the door,
that leads to those courts of gold,
he will hear a sound through the gathering dark,
a little dog angel’s bark.

* * *

We’ll see each other again, my best friend. I love you, Sheero.

I love you, Sheero. I love you, Choknat and Harry. I love you Patatats, Spike, Coal, Scout, Crunchie, Kuton, Whitey, Tootie, and Cho-Cho. Hugs!