Welcome to Ask Gumby, advice from the Regals of Cal Lutheran.
Gumby, or Enormous Luther, presides over the campus of California Luthean University with his arms streched wide to encompass everyone with his love and grace. This help column tries to remember these values in answering questions, so that every answer is considerate and supportive. We’re opening our arms to your questions.
In each article, there will be a question, submitted by a reader, and multiple different outlooks and opinions on what should be done in response to that question.
My dog passed away a little over a month ago. I thought I was fine, but now I just can’t stop crying about it. I feel like college is tainted by the fact that by a certain point, your childhood pets die. I know some people think pets are just animals, but…I MISS MY FLUFFY SISTER. This is NO LAUGHING MATTER :(
Dear Depressed Dog Lover:
Opinion One: Greiving over your pet is completly normal and natural. Do not let any one tell you that what you are feeling is silly or crazy. You spent so much time with this pet, you practically grew up with it in your life. They became constant in your life and had a great deal of comfort and companionship together. You may go through feelings of gulit, denial, anger or even depression. But the most important thing to do is do not deny your pain, you need to come to terms with what is the truth. Looking the other direction does not make the problem go away but instead makes it worse. Remember all the good memories and reminice about all the good times. This will help you understand what your pet’s loss actually means to you.
Opinion Two: Being sad is okay, but there might be some underlying causes as to why this you are still upset. You should look into other places in your life where you might not be the happiest and see if this was a trigger. It might also be possible that you are latching onto your dog as a way of coping with home sickness. Most importantly, make sure that you are not using the passing of your dog to hide something else going on in your life that you need to bring foward and deal with.
Opinion Three: After you have spent some time grieving. Do something to remember your pet. Make a scrapbook or photo collage of all the pictures you took. Do something in memory of your pet, plant a tree, work at a shelter, donate money to cause that helps create medicine for sick animals. Hold a farwell ceremony and read The Rainbow Bridge: A poem that will make you feel better about your loss.
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