Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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The process of grief is a long and unpredictable one for sure. I'm so sorry you guys are really starting to feel his absence now. You'll go through all those moments again and again until your heart and brain reach a truce.
It's good you took the video so you can find confidence in your decision, if that's what helps. But hold the other memory in your mind of him being his spunky self just a couple of days earlier. That's how you want to remember him. That's how you know you did right by him.
I know what you mean about searching for his scent. We put our Jerry's sweater in a ziploc/vacuum seal bag shortly after he passed. I would open it up once a year on his angelversary to inhale his scent on that ratty old thing. It was pure joy and comfort, and that feeling of "at least we had the gift of having him in our life than not at all." But it took a while to reach that point. Give yourselves plenty of time to get there too.
I love the calendar idea. What's Kalisway?
if you had any suggestions for where we can give the money I would love that.
Of course! Tripawds Foundation
has an honor roll where you can donate $10 or more and we will publish your tribute to Gabe in our blog. We also have other options on our Sponsorship Page. Thanks for considering a gift. 
We had washed a lot of his stuff recently.. which I know we should do, but I wish we didn't so I could smell him again.
We have some of his hair we kept in a Ziploc as a joke to make mittens out of it, I will go find that here soon.
I made a mistake! It is Kali's Wish, Kalisways is a music artist!! My bad.
They provide many ways to support dogs and owners with Cancer https://kaliswish.org/
They were the first to reach out too us and provided us with a care package for Gabriel and us as well, free photo sessions and many other amazing gifts. (Never took the photos as I am a photographer myself, but I wish we did)
Okay! I will get started on the calendar here as l go through images. I will just need to work on getting consent from people to use their dogs photos I took over the years at our local park
Yoi are very creative in the ways you'll pay tribute to Gabriel!💖
When you're up to it, you may want to check out this link. Would love to know what you think Gabriel's job is at The Rainbow Bridge
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oooh okay I think I know a good job for Gabriel there. I will go post it on that thread over there.
We put up this shrine for all the dogs who passed away at the house here. With treats and poop bags and a story about Gabe and all the dogs we know who have passed from Osteosarcoma or Cancer.
Ohhhhhhh 
The shrine is beautiful and made me cry! Wow you guys have such huge hearts, and it shows. I had to take a pic of the board so folks can see it more clearly (click to enlarge). You should put a box of tissues there too for all tears that will be shed when folks stop by
(I didn't know about Kali's Wish, what a fantastic group! And I've added Kalisway to my playlist, great music!)
They are amazing!!
We have since added more dogs (Benny, Gracie and Rocket). You are right, had one person come too the house in tears already saying thank you for the memorial and we had a conversation.
That's neat that Gabe is connecting you with others in the neighborhood. Your huge heart shines brightly, just like his.
We all know it's Gabe's heart 🤣
He brought out the best is us, it's been 2 weeks now since his passing and we are still in disbelief he has passed on. We miss him deeply, I don't think it will ever go away.
I still have moments where I forget he is now dead. And it's heartbreaking.
I feel guilty doing this without him.
Cameron, he will always bring out the best in you. There is a reason why he came into your lives when he did, and that reason will never go away. He will stay with you, always. And he doesn't want you to feel guilty as you go about living your own life, he wants you to picture how joyfully he lived his life in his "earth clothes" as Sally likes to say. That's a hard thing to remember when you feel so much heartache. Just do your best as you are able now, to ollow Gabe's lead even though his physical presence his not here, it's what he wants for you guys.
Yeah two weeks is not a long time. I think that for me, it was at least a month before I felt any real happiness in a given moment after Wyatt got his wings. Grief and healing takes time, it's a long process with different timelines for everyone. Eventually you will get there on your own timeline.
Yeah, it's just been a lot more difficult that I had ever anticipated.
We are fostering a Dog and a cat right now because we have the means to help, I hope to find them good homes as the cat is an amazing animal and would be a perfect friend. The dog is sweet, just a nervous Nelly who has clearly been abused before, which is heartbreaking.
All in all it's made me miss Gabe even more, he was literally the perfect boy. Dreamt of him last night, I don't recall much other than he was pawing at my with his amputated leg (He used to move his shoulder around as if he was giving you a paw) trying to get my attention for something.
It's been 2.5 weeks now since he's been gone.
Oooh sounds like Gabe paid you a visit! That is a sign that he is not gone, just changed forms. It takes a long time to come to terms with that change. But he is there with you, always.
I'm so glad you are fostering. There is such a shortage of foster homes everywhere, and so many shelters overflowing, I know that dog and cat are really, really grateful that they are in your home and out of that stressful shelter environment. You and the spirit of Gabe will bring out the best in both of them so they can find the perfect families!
To me, that dream was a quite powerful connection Gabriel was having with you. The fact that you remember the way he pawed you to get her your attention while in his earth clothes, and did the same thing in your dream..WOW!! A very "Gabe specific" way of letting you know he is still with you.....a way of letting you know he was okay.
"They" say, it's important to focus on the"feeling" you get in a dream. How did this dream with Gabe connecting with you make you feel?
Also, write all this down while it's still Fresh in your mind, as well as any subsequent dreams. I do that a lot when a loved one comes through in my dreams (dog or hooman).
Anyway, just put all that in the FWIW column.
Tje grief for Gabewill hit you like a ton of bricks out of the vlue for quite awhile. The sadness lightens, but never goes completely away. The Happy memories do fill your heart and thoughts more and more though.
It's such a mkind thing for you to foster that kitty and "nervous Nelly" Have would like that you are helping others to find a home where they will be loved as mich as he was by you.
When you can, we would love to hear more about Gabe and so0me ofthe quirks that made Gabe be Gabe♥️
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Beautiful input Sally! I love that you ask about how it made Cameron feel. You always ask such insightful questions.
I woke up a bit disgruntled today, the made me miss him. But it also made me feel loving, and made me smile remembering how even though his leg was gone he had that playful sense of happiness at any cost. Even some humor at his expense.
Though it made me tear up and that turned to guilt, it's a step in the right direction.
The foster dog then pooped and peed inside which kind of made me upset as I was already feeling pretty run down, so I feel bad for getting a bit annoyed. The dog is a sweetheart and follows me around like a shadow.
It's was a rough morning. I just felt worse as now even after Gabe is gone and I couldn't save him, that I cannot be stable around our new and nervous foster dog. I just felt bad being flustered about the dogs accident he had downstairs.
I'll get there, I just miss Gabe immensely and it seems I am having a second round of heavy grief.
Yes it's true, you are processing emotions that need to flow through you before you can feel any kind of closure about his passing. It's not an instant process.
I wouldn't say you aren't stable to handle your new dog. You are processing, and you see all the good that the doggie is bringing you. He knows it too. Perhaps he was assigned to you because it's the Universe's way of helping you heal. That annoyed emotion is only partially because he messed in the house. As a foster parent you probably expected that he would at some point right? I think the emotion happened because it's just stopped up gunk in your heart that needed to come out somehow. Your foster knows you weren't taking it out on him. In his wise, furry wisdom, he already knew you have been feeling down and while he didn't poop in the house on purpose, he also knew that you need to get through this grief. In a weird way he was helping you at the time!
Of course you will get there.
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