<p>Oh my goodness…my entire family cried for days when our 16 year old dog died. The pain is real because the love is real and unconditional. I swore I would not put myself through the pain again, however, we finally gave in after two years of nagging by the kids. We are the happy owners of another beloved dog who will hopefully be living with us for many years after all of the kids go to college!!</p>
<p>I’m sorry for your loss. Birds, dogs, cats, snakes, guinea pigs…we all love our pets. They are family. </p>
<p>Your reaction was perfectly normal! Pets are members of the family and I would find it odd if someone didn’t mourn the loss of their beloved pet. Our Sadie died from cancer in March of 2013 and I found myself crying this morning when looking at pictures of her. </p>
<p>When I read your post I thought back to when I found my little bird Mike at the bottom of his cage. I cried again. (and that was 25 years ago!)</p>
<p>He was such a sweet little guy.</p>
<p>BTW when my little dog died of cancer last year I held it in for days…until I suddenly lost it while shoe shopping at Nordstrom. Sometimes it’s best to let it rip immediately.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the warm posts. They mean a lot. : ) Most people in my family don’t cry at pet loss, so I’ve always felt a bit unusual in that regards, so thanks for normalizing it. </p>
<p>As they are monogamous in the wild, parrots tend to pair bond to one human, and so I was my bird’s human as much as she was my bird. She was with me through some joyous times and some really hard times, including most of high school, all of college, my master program, and the start of my PhD program, and I had no doubt she would be there when I graduated for good. I liked to sit by her and play music while I worked, and I will miss seeing and hearing her “opinions” on the songs (she loved heavy metal, vigorously hated some pop, and was lulled to sleep by orchestral music).</p>
<p>Parrots aren’t domesticated like cats or dogs (save perhaps parakeet and cockatiels), and so they come with their own set of challenges, including a guarantee that you will get bitten at some point and that it will hurt, a lot. We often cautioned others against bird ownership, even though we knew what were getting into to. Despite all that, we loved her deeply and considered ourselves lucky to have her in our lives. She will be so very missed.</p>
<p>Having always wanted a parrot, I so sympathize for your loss. One of the many things that keeps me from getting one is the lifetime commitment, as they live a lifespan similar to ours. </p>
<p>When a beloved cat died suddenly a few years back, I sobbed and sobbed. Human relationships can be fraught with such difficulty, but our animals are really there for us, unconditionally. </p>
<p>Our 12-year-old collie passed away a year ago almost to the day. He was the sweetest, most gentle dog imaginable. Stately and handsome to the end. We got a black marble headstone for his grave. My husband found a gorgeous spot in a little clearing by the river behind our house. Our daughter was only three years old when we brought Ranger home, so she didn’t remember life without him. She loved him so much that she took literally thousands of photos of him. I still cry thinking about him.</p>
<p>Having been through the heart disease, constant medication and worry with a pet - and watching my kid’s sadness as her dog slowly dies of cancer - I not only think crying is a must but that quick is better.</p>
<p>I still talk to the pets who are gone, especially when I’m in the yard and near the burial rock.</p>
<p>@psych_ She sounds like she was a very cool bird. Parrots are so incredibly smart and opinionated and full of personality; sharing your life with one must be fascinating. I know from the get-go that losing one of my guinea pigs is part of the deal, but losing a bird you thought you’d be with for years and years to come must be especially hard because it’s unexpected. My thoughts are with you. </p>
<p>I’m very sorry about your sweet bird. Pets are a part of the family, and it hurts to lose them. I cried for weeks after my cat died two years ago, and I was crying just this morning thinking about her.</p>
<p>Parrots are amazing. They really are fabulous companions – with some interesting quirks. As pets, they don’t generally live as long as they might under more ideal conditions. It’s thought to be a nutrition and exercise thing, along with household accidents. My bird vet has a chart of life expectancy for the various pet bird species as pets and it’s not as long as you think. </p>
<p>Psych – it sounds like she had a wonderful life with you. I am so sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>It is absolutely 110% normal to cry for a lost pet. My family and I sobbed for days after losing our beloved dog in a car accident. It might as well have been one of us that died. I even cry when one of my hens die. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. </p>
<p>So, so sorry for your loss, {{{HUGS}}} my heart and prayers go out to you. I know how hard it can be with parrots because you build such a bond with them. It sounds like you gave her the best life you knew how though, and that’s all any pet can ever ask for. </p>
<p>Psych, pass the tissues. My beloved dog died yesterday following an unsuccessful surgery for her ruptured and cancerous spleen. It was all so unexpected and I am struggling to come to terms. Not only are our pets family, they sometimes are better liked than the blood related ones. </p>
<p>Hugs to you both. I was really upset when a 2-year-old dog we had less that two days(!!) died unexpectedly. We searched a long time for a nice dog. We adopted her from a shelter. She was fine and social with us, but did not eat anything. Shelter told us not to worry – that she was just adapting, but then 36 hours later she died! I felt incredibly incompetent, and sad for quite some time! It turns out she had an intestinal torsion. The vet who autopsied her said it was like a ticking time bomb. I guess in retrospect it is good we didn’t have her longer, but I was really sad and cried a lot unexpectedly for a few weeks or months! I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me, but I guess I had gotten quite attached through the adoption process.</p>
<p>Well it has been two years plus since we had to put our beloved and young corgi to sleep. Reading this thread makes me well up just thinking about our poor boy. Even my husband cried when we lost him
Pets are not just animals, they are family members and we love them. Don’t feel foolish or embarrassed by showing the emotions you truly have. I am sorry for your loss </p>