Winfrey's gone

[winfrey]

It's been over two months now, but it is still oh so hard.... we miss Winfrey so!

Winfrey

[Autumn & Lola]

I'm so very sorry. Winfrey was gorgeous for sure. It is always so hard when we lose our precious furry friends. I hope soon your sorrow will be replaced by memories of all the good times you had together.

Autumn & Molly

[Nikki]

i m so sorry for your loss of Winfrey! Winfrey was a adorable. I think someone else wrote this on another thread it may help you to go to petloss.com. Losing a pet is like losing a family memeber it might help just to write how you are feeling. I have a neighbor when she lost her little terrier (it was just her and scooter ...he was very much her family) he had an awful time dealing with his death. I know she went to this website and she also got an animal communicator ( i am not sure if you believe in that kind of thing) but it seemed to really help her.

[2crazycairns]

I am so sorry for you and the loss you have suffered. It's so terribly hard to deal with the absence of those nails on the floor, toys all over the house and the incessant barking....all those things that aggravated us so now seem so precious. Winfrey was a beautiful boy and I'm sure you've many happy memories to draw on.

Blessings to your and yours

[beccadiane374]

So sorry to hear of your loss...Winfrey sure was a good looking pup.

[Idaho Cairns]

Beautiful dog. Tell us about him, how old was he? Where did you get him? Was Winfrey your only Cairn? Any plans to get another dog--sometimes, replacing a beloved pet can help with the grieving process--it certainly has for us.

[winfrey]

I would love to tell you about Winfrey. She was our first Cairn and she was a rescue. They thought she was around 3 years old when we got her. She must have just had puppies cause her tits were still slightly swollen. We had to wait to get her as she just had an operation for a 3 inch tumor on her vulva. She was by far the best dog I ever had. She never made a mess in the house- had attitude to die for--- we just love that attitude. She was the leader of all the dogs here in the neighborhood. She was alpha to all ---except ME --LOL.

They used to call her scout cause she was always in the lead. Winfrey ended up having a brain infection about 3 years ago. But with the help of her vet and a neurologist we were able to fix that. Earlier this year she started having problems with her poop, always runny, we finally got that under control and she started not to be able to keep food down. She ended up with problems and finally kidney failure.

We did all we could but she just could not do anymore. It was the hardest thing to do. All in all she lived -we believe to around 13 or so. I still have her picture as my desktop and there is not a day that I don't think about and miss her... I am talking right now to a breeder in Tn. I am praying--- with luck I may have a puppy by September!!!! I will keep you all updated--

Thank you all for your kind words

[Nena]

So wonderful to read the story of your beloved Winfrey. We also lost a beloved pet years ago and for so long we did not get another. But then Nena came into our lives and I am sorry we waited so long to love another dog. She is our first cairn terrier and is a wonderful companion to both of us.

I would love to rescue another when the time is right to add another one. So glad to hear that you are getting another puppy to fill your live. They never replace but they add their own love to our lives.

Let us know how the plans are coming to add your puppy.

[Hawkeye]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Winfrey had a rough start to life but she found a caring and wonderful family to live out the rest of her life with. She was a beautiful little girl. I'm glad to hear that you have taken the step to opening your heart and home to another puppy. As Nena said a new puppy will not replace your Winfrey, but it will help with the emptiness that you feel now. Please keep us posted.

[tlwtheq]

Winfrey looked much like my beloved Holdsworth who left for Rainbow Bridge

in late 2000. You have my greatest condolences.

Tara and My Cairn children

[BetsyNoodle]

I am so very sorry your beloved Winfrey has passed away. She is simply beautiful, and her coloring reminds me so much of my sweet Cairn, Betsy Noodle, who passed away in January 2008. It is so terribly painful to lose such a devoted and loyal little companion. I have found that over time the tears do lessen, but the love and longing never really stop.

We adopted our sweet Cairn, Murphy, just three weeks after my little 17 year old Min Pin, Ralphie, passed away in November of 2008. Ralphie was like a child--if he wasn't in my lap, he was in process of climbing into my lap. After he passed, my arms were so empty they actually ached. I grieved so hard. But then, along came Murphy, the rescue Cairn, who rescued me right back. I have found when it comes to loving pups, our hearts have many rooms.

I also post a lot on www.petloss.com and I volunteer as a Pet Loss Grief Counselor in my town. Petloss is a wonderful site that is very supportive when you need it most. Some of the people there will even design memorial web pages of your departed pet for no charge.

Again, you have my deepest sympathy.

Melissa

[Idaho Cairns]

Thanks for the story of Winfrey--she sounds like a tough little character, so "Cairnish", and your story is not dissimilar from that of our first Cairn, Tootsie, who was also a rescue at about the same age. She gave us many years of wonderful Cairn attitude before she could no longer go on at the age of 18. Quite a good life and we could never figure out why anyone gave her up for adoption--but we were sure glad they made that mistake!

I can tell you that your pain won't go away for awhile--it will remain sharp. We found that in her later years Tootsie's various medical problems and old age simply dominated our time--she had to be helped up and down stairs, required close watching, it was a lot of work and that just made the passing harder because of all the attention--when she left us, she left us with too much time on our hands. I am sure, with Winfrey's medical problems you know that emptiness very well. It is hard to get past that attention and fill those holes. Plus, if you are like us, you simply miss the personality, the smell, the look, the quirks--all of that personality.

We have cured much of the pain by taking on a new puppy. Even tho we had an adult Cairn when Tootsie left us, she also was grieving so the puppy turned out to be a real bonus for all of us. We never felt like we could or should "replace" our Tootsie--that would be impossible, these wonderful dogs are simply not replaceable --- your Winfrey will always be in your home and heart and the pain will always be there, even as it diminishes with passing of time--the real cure for the hurt. I still wake up mornings thinking about my old dog and I still tear up with the longing. For all the cost and all the time and work, she was still part of us and we could have gone on forever--it is hard to accept that she didn't. So do not expect too much, the puppy (a great idea) will dull the ache but never take it away--and, in my opinion, that is a good thing, a testament, written in sharp moments, sad times, tears, and grief to how much we are capable of loving these little dogs.

So go ahead, find yourself another little girl to take care of, if you are like us, you will see the similarities to your Winfrey so clearly and you will see differences but you will enjoy those differences. I am glad you are talking with breeders, I think you will be happy when another Cairn comes into your life.

Please do let us know when you get your next Cairn--I want to hear all about her/him--I like happy endings.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Winfrey was such a beautiful little girl! They sure do steal our hearts don't they?