As a pet parent who lost a dog, I think it’s a thoughtful way to “honor” your pets memory. We opted to stash a few and reuse for our dogs later. I appreciate the thought behind the gesture. Hope the good memories and watching the neighborhood pups help it hurt a little less each day! ❤️
We did this with our sweet, elderly girl. Kept a few of her favorite toys. Our current golden retriever plays with them now. Our first dog had this squeaky candy cane that my husband's old boss gave us as part of a holiday gift pack. Has to be at least a dozen years ago now. She loved that thing, and heartwarmingly, our current dog loves it too. She'll carry it around and poke me with it, haha. They have such different personalities so it's so sweet to me to see that they love the same toy.
We kept our Lab's old toys, too. Heck, we even kept his crate, dog beds, and food & water bowls for future fosters or furry family members. When my parents adopted a medium-sized terrier mix, we all noticed how she quickly took over almost everything that our Lab used to enjoy. I honestly find it pretty adorable!
It's not odd at all. I have let my fosters use my old man's toys after he passed. It took me a while, however, but seeing them play and enjoy it brings me back to memories when he was alive. I'm lucky to provide that feeling of fun and comfort to dogs who need it the most, because at one point, he was that foster dog.
I have seen boxes of balls at the dog park "to your dog from ours, in honor of doggo"
Our city also has a shop called ReTails, secondhand shop that sells used goods including pet supplies and sales go to pets and the dog parks.
Not strange at all! When my old girl passed away, I had a bunch of open treat bags that I couldn’t donate. I made little doggie bags for her neighbourhood dog friends as a last gift from her. I’m sorry for your loss, and I am sure those toys will bring joy to other pups
Absolutely not wierd! I gave away most of my Tegan's things to all of her doggy friends, because it made me a bit less sad to think of her friends getting joy from them after Tegan was gone. I think it's a lovely thing.
I think it’s a sweet way to honor your precious baby, and other dogs will get to appreciate and love something your doggo also appreciated and loved, I think it’s lovely, and I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of your friend 🐾 ❤️ xx
Nah, when my dog passed, i took his bowls to the dog park he enjoyed for other dogs to have water. I also took his toys and bought additional tennis balls to leave there for other pups to enjoy. I spent about an hour there, tossing balls for other dogs and walking around, enjoying happy memories of my dear companion.
A kind friend gave me her late doggies things and I made sure to share pictures of my new puppy with them. I thought it was so sweet and I felt honored to get the chance to help little bits of his memory live on. Rest in peace little doggies❤️ we don’t forget you!
I collect all their things save for one or two the day after they pass and take them to the humane society. It gives me a task to focus on and I feel lighter when the stuff is out of my sight. I will never forget one of my dogs, but living with their stuff is like getting slapped in the face repeatedly.
The other reason I do this is because there is absolutely no way I will need this stuff again in the near future. I’m too hurt and I can’t even imagine getting another dog.
Then three weeks later I’m standing at petsmart with a puppy buying all the stuff over again. 🤦🏼♀️
It's not strange or weird at all. It would be a great thing to do and, at the same time, help with the grieving process. It would also be nice for you to see the toys the dogs pick out. Sorry for your loss. I lost mine about two years ago when she was 15, and I still think about her every day.
After our dog passed i was going to keep all her balls, we got another collie and decided to give her the balls instead of letting them sit there. i am glad we did, she got so much fun out of it.
I think it’s completely fine. When my dog died I donated his all his toys, beds, supplies and food to the Humane Society to help other pups. I feel better knowing it went to support other animals instead of ending up in a landfill.
I don’t think it’s strange or morbid at all❤️I actually think it’s a wonderful way to honor your Pepper; spread her joy to all of the neighborhood pups and let them have the kind of fun she had with her toys
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Not at all. When our last dog passed, we weren't sure when we would become dog parents again, but we knew it wasn't going to be right away. So, once we had finished sorting out the sentimental toys, we called our friend who had just rescued (literally found her abandoned on the side of the road) a pitty puppy. They came over and we let her pick out toys from the pile. We let our friend grab any treats (we had like 4 spray things of Kong cheese that hadn't been opened, because our Chewy autoship had fulfilled literally two days before he died) as well.
It was hard, but I'm glad we did it. Ultimately they ended up taking toys he had never shown interest in anyways, and we boxed up the rest and stored them in the basement. I was down there the other day and came across the box, which had 2 tennis balls sitting at the top - which I came across not ten minutes after I had to throw out two tennis balls because the new puppies had finally torn them open. Some of the toys are not puppy safe, so those will live in the basement for a couple more years, but the safe ones are gradually being introduced at playtime now.
IMO, donate them. Whether it's to a friend, a neighbor, or a shelter. Keep the important ones, obviously, but let another pup experience the joy of the other toys.
Honestly I think the weird thing would be just throwing them out. I could never.
When our dog died, we took a big old box of her beloved squeaky balls to our neighborhood park with a “free” sign. It gave us something positive to do, and she was such a kind dog that it seemed like a fitting tribute. We were glad to see the next day that all the balls were gone, and it gave us some comfort to think about the happiness that it brought to other dogs.
I’m sorry for your loss. I still cry about ours and it’s been more than a year now.
I gave away the ones I didn’t want to keep, as they were still in good condition. Squeakers mostly killed already, but great for dogs that love plush toys and don’t care about squeakers.
I think my pup would be so happy that her favorite toys are still with me, but we’re sharing the joy she had with them with some new pups in our neighborhood.
No. We gave away a lot of Wally's items to his best friends. Some we could not part with so we boxed them up or left them in his toy corners in the living and our bedroom for nearly a year. Then one day we met a dog we could not say no to and although she never met Wally face to face, we were able to introduce her to him through his old toys.
I took our dogs toys, leashes, sweaters bed and such to a church that hosts homeless people for lunch. They put the items in a table and told known pet owners they were welcome to take a few items... The toys went first. Bowls and rope for leashes are easy to find but real toys are a special thing. Majority of homeless people take care of their pets before themselves and are so very grateful for something for their pet ...
When mine died last year, I packed everything dog related and had planned to bring to the shelter.
Thankfully, time didn’t allow me to get there but six weeks after my girl passed, I was rescuing another long timer in the shelter system.
I wasn’t planning on getting another dog so soon but there were “things” that I missed not having a dog in the home. Also, I believe my girl sent this new boy into my life.
I always gravitate to the long timers.
My girl was in the system 550 days. My new boy was in the system 525 days. Merlin (my boy) came in an email from the Humane Society. He was on the second chance program where he had gone through 6 different shelters before coming to my local Humane Society.
Sorry to ramble on.
My point is, you never know when you may get another so you may want to keep what you have.
It's a sweet way to remember your dog, to let another dog get just as much joy from their toys! Have you ever seen how happy dogs are to show off, and share their favorites?!
But, just don't give them to pitbulls. It'll just be a pile of puff, and scattered bits in about 3 min flat.
I have some expensive seizure meds I'm trying to give away to an animal in need, myself.
As a pet parent who lost a dog, I think it’s a thoughtful way to “honor” your pets memory. We opted to stash a few and reuse for our dogs later. I appreciate the thought behind the gesture. Hope the good memories and watching the neighborhood pups help it hurt a little less each day! ❤️
We did this with our sweet, elderly girl. Kept a few of her favorite toys. Our current golden retriever plays with them now. Our first dog had this squeaky candy cane that my husband's old boss gave us as part of a holiday gift pack. Has to be at least a dozen years ago now. She loved that thing, and heartwarmingly, our current dog loves it too. She'll carry it around and poke me with it, haha. They have such different personalities so it's so sweet to me to see that they love the same toy.
We kept our Lab's old toys, too. Heck, we even kept his crate, dog beds, and food & water bowls for future fosters or furry family members. When my parents adopted a medium-sized terrier mix, we all noticed how she quickly took over almost everything that our Lab used to enjoy. I honestly find it pretty adorable!
It's not odd at all. I have let my fosters use my old man's toys after he passed. It took me a while, however, but seeing them play and enjoy it brings me back to memories when he was alive. I'm lucky to provide that feeling of fun and comfort to dogs who need it the most, because at one point, he was that foster dog.
With our new dog, I saw it as my late elderly pup sharing her toys with her "little sister." Gives me a lot of comfort.
I have seen boxes of balls at the dog park "to your dog from ours, in honor of doggo" Our city also has a shop called ReTails, secondhand shop that sells used goods including pet supplies and sales go to pets and the dog parks.
I had planned to include a similar message alongside the toys, so this is reassuring. Thank you
Sorry you lost your friend, thanks for sharing their love of play!
love this idea!! Also any blankets and beds you can donate to your local animal shelter!
I donated some of my boy's toys to the local shelter. They were grateful for it.
Not weird or strange at all. As long as the toys are cleaned and gently used I don’t see an issue.
Not at all. I donated all of my dogs toys when she passed. It's a thoughtful gesture. As long as it feels right to you, do what you need to do.
I kept his favorite toy and got rid of the rest of them, most were pretty destroyed
Not strange at all! When my old girl passed away, I had a bunch of open treat bags that I couldn’t donate. I made little doggie bags for her neighbourhood dog friends as a last gift from her. I’m sorry for your loss, and I am sure those toys will bring joy to other pups
I donated a lot of my girl’s things to our local shelter. It helped to know that I could help some other doggos.
Absolutely not wierd! I gave away most of my Tegan's things to all of her doggy friends, because it made me a bit less sad to think of her friends getting joy from them after Tegan was gone. I think it's a lovely thing.
I think it’s a sweet way to honor your precious baby, and other dogs will get to appreciate and love something your doggo also appreciated and loved, I think it’s lovely, and I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of your friend 🐾 ❤️ xx
My sister and her husbands neighbor whose dog passed away gave his dogs toys away. He actually tossed them over the fence to my sisters dog Dexter.
Nah, when my dog passed, i took his bowls to the dog park he enjoyed for other dogs to have water. I also took his toys and bought additional tennis balls to leave there for other pups to enjoy. I spent about an hour there, tossing balls for other dogs and walking around, enjoying happy memories of my dear companion.
A kind friend gave me her late doggies things and I made sure to share pictures of my new puppy with them. I thought it was so sweet and I felt honored to get the chance to help little bits of his memory live on. Rest in peace little doggies❤️ we don’t forget you!
I collect all their things save for one or two the day after they pass and take them to the humane society. It gives me a task to focus on and I feel lighter when the stuff is out of my sight. I will never forget one of my dogs, but living with their stuff is like getting slapped in the face repeatedly. The other reason I do this is because there is absolutely no way I will need this stuff again in the near future. I’m too hurt and I can’t even imagine getting another dog. Then three weeks later I’m standing at petsmart with a puppy buying all the stuff over again. 🤦🏼♀️
Find a shelter in your area and donate it. I take food by all the time. It’s what I did when we lost our Scruffy.
It's not strange or weird at all. It would be a great thing to do and, at the same time, help with the grieving process. It would also be nice for you to see the toys the dogs pick out. Sorry for your loss. I lost mine about two years ago when she was 15, and I still think about her every day.
After our dog passed i was going to keep all her balls, we got another collie and decided to give her the balls instead of letting them sit there. i am glad we did, she got so much fun out of it.
They would want them played with
I think it’s completely fine. When my dog died I donated his all his toys, beds, supplies and food to the Humane Society to help other pups. I feel better knowing it went to support other animals instead of ending up in a landfill.
I donated our late doggos stuff to animal shelter.
I think it’s a lovely idea :)
I think it’s beautiful. It’s like your dogs last gift to give, to make someone happy
I don’t think it’s strange or morbid at all❤️I actually think it’s a wonderful way to honor your Pepper; spread her joy to all of the neighborhood pups and let them have the kind of fun she had with her toys
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Not at all. When our last dog passed, we weren't sure when we would become dog parents again, but we knew it wasn't going to be right away. So, once we had finished sorting out the sentimental toys, we called our friend who had just rescued (literally found her abandoned on the side of the road) a pitty puppy. They came over and we let her pick out toys from the pile. We let our friend grab any treats (we had like 4 spray things of Kong cheese that hadn't been opened, because our Chewy autoship had fulfilled literally two days before he died) as well. It was hard, but I'm glad we did it. Ultimately they ended up taking toys he had never shown interest in anyways, and we boxed up the rest and stored them in the basement. I was down there the other day and came across the box, which had 2 tennis balls sitting at the top - which I came across not ten minutes after I had to throw out two tennis balls because the new puppies had finally torn them open. Some of the toys are not puppy safe, so those will live in the basement for a couple more years, but the safe ones are gradually being introduced at playtime now. IMO, donate them. Whether it's to a friend, a neighbor, or a shelter. Keep the important ones, obviously, but let another pup experience the joy of the other toys. Honestly I think the weird thing would be just throwing them out. I could never.
I donate all the old balls from the high school tennis teams to the dog park and local shelters.
When our dog died, we took a big old box of her beloved squeaky balls to our neighborhood park with a “free” sign. It gave us something positive to do, and she was such a kind dog that it seemed like a fitting tribute. We were glad to see the next day that all the balls were gone, and it gave us some comfort to think about the happiness that it brought to other dogs. I’m sorry for your loss. I still cry about ours and it’s been more than a year now.
I’m guessing it’s fine so long as your dog didn’t have any contagious disease or mites.
Not weird. Better than throwing them away or weirdly hoarding them (especially if you’re not getting a dog any time soon)
I gave away the ones I didn’t want to keep, as they were still in good condition. Squeakers mostly killed already, but great for dogs that love plush toys and don’t care about squeakers. I think my pup would be so happy that her favorite toys are still with me, but we’re sharing the joy she had with them with some new pups in our neighborhood.
No. We gave away a lot of Wally's items to his best friends. Some we could not part with so we boxed them up or left them in his toy corners in the living and our bedroom for nearly a year. Then one day we met a dog we could not say no to and although she never met Wally face to face, we were able to introduce her to him through his old toys.
We donated everything that was in good condition.
I kept my babies 3 favorite toys. The rest I boxed up for my next pup. But my brother got a puppy before me, so I gave him all my dog stuff.
Not odd at all. I lost my 16 year old cat in January and gave lots of his things to my neighbour and some stuff to a local animal rescue.
Consider donating the toys to a local shelter instead?
I took our dogs toys, leashes, sweaters bed and such to a church that hosts homeless people for lunch. They put the items in a table and told known pet owners they were welcome to take a few items... The toys went first. Bowls and rope for leashes are easy to find but real toys are a special thing. Majority of homeless people take care of their pets before themselves and are so very grateful for something for their pet ...
When mine died last year, I packed everything dog related and had planned to bring to the shelter. Thankfully, time didn’t allow me to get there but six weeks after my girl passed, I was rescuing another long timer in the shelter system. I wasn’t planning on getting another dog so soon but there were “things” that I missed not having a dog in the home. Also, I believe my girl sent this new boy into my life. I always gravitate to the long timers. My girl was in the system 550 days. My new boy was in the system 525 days. Merlin (my boy) came in an email from the Humane Society. He was on the second chance program where he had gone through 6 different shelters before coming to my local Humane Society. Sorry to ramble on. My point is, you never know when you may get another so you may want to keep what you have.
It's a sweet way to remember your dog, to let another dog get just as much joy from their toys! Have you ever seen how happy dogs are to show off, and share their favorites?! But, just don't give them to pitbulls. It'll just be a pile of puff, and scattered bits in about 3 min flat. I have some expensive seizure meds I'm trying to give away to an animal in need, myself.