Pet Loss and The Anniversary Effect
Tuesday, June 17, marked 6 months since we lost Lilly. It’s a rough week for other reasons as well. Another dog writer friend of mine calls it “The Anniversary Effect.”
Tuesday, June 17, marked 6 months since we lost Lilly. It’s a rough week for other reasons as well. Another dog writer friend of mine calls it “The Anniversary Effect.”
It’s official. We made the first $500 grant from Lilly’s Fund into the CHIP Fund at our primary veterinary hospital. We don’t know yet which dogs and families will benefit, but here is how the deal went down.
The Lilly’s Fund campaign ended Tuesday, May 13, which would have been Lilly’s 10th birthday. We are humbled and happy to report that we reached our last-minute goal of raising an additional $500 in the final 5 days. All told, you helped us collect $3,843 for ill and injured pets on our community. Thank you.
We reached our original goal in our memorial fundraising campaign in just 17 days. I let the campaign continue without much fanfare. Out of the blue we started getting donations again this week, so I increased our goal by $500. Do you think we can raise $500 in these final 5 days? Next Tuesday, May 13, would have been Lilly’s 10th birthday. That’s our deadline. Check out our plans for the money and the latest book news …
I am honored, humbled, and grateful to say that Lilly’s Fund reached 100% of our $3,343 goal in just 17 days. Thanks to the help of 36 donors (on top of the $693 we chipped in ourselves) we’ll be able to help a dog (or dogs) at our local veterinary specialty hospital.
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Lilly’s Fund, our memorial fundraising campaign. Here are the details on how you can give, how much we want to raise, and where the money will go.
It took me close to two solid days to gather and officially archive 9 years of photos and video of Lilly. I’m so grateful – now that she is gone – to have countless images of our life together. You’ll always find spontaneous moments to capture, but here is a short list of must-have dog photos and video.
I’m sure people wonder about our timeline on getting another puppy or dog. We’re not even thinking about looking until spring 2015. I’m announcing this in part to keep well-meaning folks from sending me links to adoptable dogs. It’s also a statement of faith that at some point in the future I won’t feel quite as grief stricken as I do today.
Grieving continues. Amid walking that sad road, I’ve tried to distill the most important lessons – not just for me, but things most likely to transfer into your lives with your pets.
Once I got over the medical, emotional, and financial shock of Lilly’s vaccine-induced meningoencephalomyelitis, I created a spreadsheet to track every doggone dollar spent in the fight for Lilly’s life. I’m curious if the actual number is higher or lower than you thought.