People in tears over heart-breaking tribute left at UK beach for dog

‘Sleep well my sweet Prince’: Dog lovers break down in tears over owner’s touching tribute to late Labrador who was the ‘goodest of good boys’

• Tribute to Rex the dog at Exmouth Beach goes viral leaving people in tears
• Read More:  Dog owners warned to look out for poisonous plant

Dog lovers have been left in tears after a grieving owner left a touching tribute to his late Labrador at a UK beach. 

Following the passing of his beloved dog Rex, the anonymous owner, from Exmouth, left a box of tennis balls next to a picture of the late dog. 

The message – which was posted on the Exmouth Community UK Facebook page – reads: ‘The goodest of good dogs. 

‘Rex loved the beach, Rex loved the ball. Please feel to take a ball for your dog and I hope enjoy this place as much as we did.

‘Rex – sleep well my ginger prince.’

Rex’s owner left a beautiful tribute at Exmouth Beach (pictured) offering tennis balls to other dogs so they could enjoy the place as much as he did

The post of the tribute and sweet offer to other dogs was inundated with thoughts, reactions and messages, quickly clocking up nearly 2,000 likes in a few hours.

Many expressed how lovely the gesture was from the owner while some struggled to keep it together at the memory of Rex.

One person wrote: ‘Well that set me off. Bladder near me eye.’

‘This actually brought a tear to my eye! X,’ added another animal lover.

Someone else gushed: ‘Oh my heart goes out to you, what a wonderful gesture to leave at Rex’s favourite place xx’

Losing a pet has been likened to the loss of a family member by psychologists, with one explaining why the death of an animal is so painful. 

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, consultant clinical psychologist Dr Pat Franklish commented: ‘It is as painful, because it’s about attachment. If the significant attachment figure is a pet rather than a person, then the loss is the same. It’s the loss of a key attachment figure.’

‘For people who live alone with a pet, and they don’t have a person they’re close to, they only have a pet they are close to, it’s worse.’

The sweet tribute to Rex by his owner was too much for some people, leaving them in tears

She continued: ‘If you’ve got parents and children, brothers and sisters, and lots of people in your life it may fall into a slightly different category. But if the animals in your life are your main attachment figures, then your loss is the same as it would be for a person.

‘Grief is universally acknowledged as one of the most profoundly difficult emotions humans ever have to face.

‘Losing loved ones is so significant, different cultures have created their own rituals for saying goodbye to people who’ve died. So why don’t we treat the deaths of beloved companion animals as seriously?

‘People rarely hold funerals for dogs, or memorial services for cats. Mourners seldom gather to share fond memories of dearly departed furry friends.’

Consultant Practitioner Psychologist Ingrid Collins, who is the director of The Soul Therapy Centre in London, agrees that the death of an animal can be profoundly painful.

‘Any bereavement of a loved one is painful and the pain is in direct measure to the quality of the relationship we enjoyed with that loved one,’ explained Ingrid, who is also the co-author of Bandit Burmilla Babies: Intimate conversations with a family of cats of love, pregnancy, birth, death, and separation.

‘Often our pets enjoy a special place in our hearts because the connection is generally so honest and uncomplicated.

‘In return for our care, compassion, and concern for their wellbeing, pets offer us a loving connection to the natural world, and they are more honest than most humans in the expression of emotions.’

Source: Read Full Article