When a pet passes away, it’s devastating. Many people aren’t even quite sure how to grieve because they feel ashamed for having such a strong reaction to the loss of what some people may say is “just an animal.”
But health researchers now know that grief can be just as strong when one loses a pet as any other loved one – and it can last months.
Of course, everyone grieves differently, whether it’s over a pet or a human. Some people need support, while others want to be alone. And some are helped by the presence of a new pet to care for while others can’t imagine trying to “replace” their pets any time soon.
When Joah Wood’s girlfriend Tamara Alison lost her dog Safari three years earlier, she struggled for a long time to deal with the pain. Her dog was 14 and their friendship was irreplaceable.
Tamara’s way of grieving meant she wasn’t ready to think about getting another dog right away. But when she was, she mentioned it to her boyfriend.
And that’s when the Canadian college student decided he was going to make Alison’s 23rd birthday (back in 2017) extra special.
First, he consulted with her mother Sandra. After all, you don’t just go out and buy a puppy as a gift – that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
A lot of planning needs to go into bringing home a new dog!
But Joah knew one thing for sure – his girlfriend’s dream pet was a Blue Heeler Border Collie puppy, a hybrid of a Border Collie and an Australian Cattle Dog (aka a “Blue Heeler”).
In the past, he listened politely while mentioning that such a pet was probably prohibitively expensive. (And while we’re very pro-“adopt don’t shop,” it’s important to understand that some people make very deliberate choices about the kind of pets they want based on the personality and other characteristics of certain breeds.)
When the big day arrived, Wood picked up the dog that he and Alison’s mother had picked out together.
The newest member of the Alison family was a female pup named Macky.
Wood then told his girlfriend he would meet up with her after he finished up some last-minute birthday shopping.
But, in reality, he was unloading the pup and setting up the big reveal out on the patio.
When the birthday girl’s mom got the OK, it was time to bring her outside.
She asked her daughter to help take in some laundry – meanwhile, her boyfriend waited patiently on the hot tub.
As Alison came to the garden door for the chore, she saw her boyfriend and a wriggling little surprise.
They got the moment on video as well.
Wood can be heard saying “Happy birthday baby” as he hands her the puppy.
She burst into tears.
“No, oh my God, are you real?” she exclaims, taken aback by the surprise – but in a good way.
Wood then mutters “Success!”
“When I saw the puppy I was so euphoric. I was totally overwhelmed with emotion. You never think something like that is going to happen. I told Joah that he is officially the best boyfriend in the world,” Alison told the Daily Mail.
She also acknowledged that she really did need that extra time to get over the loss of Safari, but that she was now ready to have a new pet.
“It was really hard. I wanted to wait for a few years before getting another dog because I wanted to be ready. Recently I started fostering a dog and I really loved her but she wasn’t working out with my family so I had to give her back which was heartbreaking.”
And it turns out her boyfriend and mother were absolutely right about this particular pooch. She loves Macky to pieces.
“It has been amazing, really rewarding. Macky is a super smart dog. I am very very happy and grateful.”
The surprise went off without a hitch and Wood told the Daily Mail that all the work paid off.
“She was 100 percent surprised. It was totally worth it. Her reaction was amazing.”
Be sure to scroll down to see footage from the big reveal and sweet puppy Macky in action.
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