Laughing Through The Pain of Losing A Pet

Laughing is truly something that humans are blessed with. It is something we do even as babies before we know any words. It is a way to express happiness, but it also in a way creates happiness itself. Having the ability to laugh at something through hard times helps alleviate the pain. We have all had moments in our live when we were put into a difficult situation, but laughing helped just enough to get us through it.

A few years ago my family had to put down our dog Papi. Papi was a really great dog, he was full of character and commanded attention in every room he was in. He was a Papillon, they didn’t know what to name him at first so they just shortened Papillon. Some families might treat there dogs differently by not letting them sleep on the bed, or by keeping them outside; But in our family we treat our pets almost as if they were any other member of the family. So when we lose a pet it genuinely care when they are gone and morn their loss. Papi lived to be about fifteen; he was the cutest little dog, he would play all day and had so much energy. He brought a lot of joy and laughter to our family over the course of his life. He was a small dog but he had a very big personality, he was bossy and he wasn’t afraid to bite your fingers off if you made too angry. As he got older he lost his ability to see, so he would bump into things that he didn’t remember were there. It was kind of funny but sad at the same time; He would ram into something like a leg of a chair, and then growl at after because he thought it hit him. The last couple of months he was alive were really hard, he was losing a lot of weight and barely had any energy. We took Papi to the vet to see what was wrong, and it ended up being that both of his kidneys had been failing. It was really tough but we decided he was in too much pain and we need to put him down at the vet that day.

It was really hard to see him go because we loved him so much, but what help was thinking about the funny things he did that made us laugh. Papi had a little under bite, it was so funny because his lip would get stuck and it gave him the grumpiest looking face that matched his personality perfectly. He also used to wrestle with the cats because he was pretty much the same size as them. Those are just a few funny things that my family and I laughed about to help lift our spirits and move on from our beloved dog Papi. I’m glad we didn’t dwell on what we could have done differently to prolong his life, and instead just thought about how much fun and laughter he gave us while he was here. I’m still sad that he is not here with us, but he actually lived a long and happy life with us, and I know that he is enjoying himself in a better place now.

Laughing through trying times is important, and sometimes necessary. It decreases stress hormones and triggers a release of endorphins. Also it helps with positive thinking and just generally promotes well-being. These are all things that would greatly benefit someone going through a rough time in their life. Having a clear mind free of the negative things around you is something that people should always strive for, and laughter is a great catalyst to that goal. Though losing something like my old dog is not as devastating as losing a family member in a car accident for example; But it is something that made me upset and a time where I was able you use laughter as an advantage to get over my troubles.

Photo by Debra Devoe