When my dog died, the grief hit hard. Reinventing my space helped me heal. (2024)

My 16-year-old American bulldog, Pie, just passed away after eight years in our family. The last few months of his life, as his hind legs grew weaker and weaker, and he eventually stopped getting up at all, were tough to watch. Ultimately, I had to make the call to have him euthanized, which was, without question, one of the hardest decisions of my life.

After seeing him suffer so much, I thought I'd be ready to let him go. But I wasn't, and my 9-year-old son, who was connected to his dog in such a meaningful way, wasn't either. Pie was my kids' very first dog, but he was my very first dog, too. He was there for me through my divorce, on my first lonely nights without my kids. He was there for me after every excruciating breakup that followed, and when my mental health wasn't so great. Walking into my house and knowing it wasn't empty was something I valued every day, but I valued it far more when I was going through tremendous challenges that if often didn't feel like I could talk openly about.

After Pie died on the floor of our living room, surrounded by me, my kids, and the vet who came to give him the injection, my son and I cried for days. It felt like every time there was a break in my tears, something would trigger my son, and he'd run up to his room screaming for his dog. It was painful to watch him grieve, especially because I was also grieving the loss more deeply than I imagined I would.

Our house feels undeniably different now. There's an empty space on the couch where Pie was always lying, especially in his last few years. Admittedly, the couch smells a bit better. Still, there's a piece missing. Pie was and is irreplaceable—a good-hearted old boy who wanted nothing but to smell the fresh breeze and put his head in your lap. He was a truly terrible guard dog because he barely budged, but that was his essence. And now it's gone.

A week after Pie's passing, I couldn't walk into the living room without a shiver trickling down my spine. My brain tried to make light of it. "This is a lovely room of death," I'd say to myself, summoning Ace Ventura. I knew I didn't want to feel that way about my home. Instinctively, I decided to do some revamping. Not only would some very necessary purchases help to make our living space feel new and redefined, but I felt it would also be healing to bring a new vibe to our home that wasn't the result of death, but instead, intentional redecorating.

Here are five items that helped me revamp our living space, and, in turn, helped me heal:

1. Some beautiful framed prints to memorialize our dog

If there's one thing I have a lot of, it's pictures of my dog. I'm sure the same is true for most dog owners. But those pictures never seem to make it off of my phone and into a frame. After Pie passed, I wanted to change that. I logged onto Printique and uploaded some beautiful photos of Pie. The hardest part was choosing from my hundreds of photos. Finally, I settled on two images: one black and white photo, where he looks regal, and another brightly colored shot, where his tongue is happily hanging out of his mouth at a park. When the framed pictures came in the mail, I was so excited to have these beautiful shots of my dog framed and ready to hang.

I have so many more pictures of Pie, that I'll likely end up using the site again to make a photo book, a collage, or even a fancy glass print. The options are pretty much endless, and that makes it easy to decorate just about any space with pet photos.

Order photos at Printique

2. A throw blanket with special meaning

I used to feel like my living room couch was too small. Without a dog on it, it feels gigantic. When the kids aren't home, it feels even more massive. It's probably going to take some time to adjust, but I figured a new, comforting throw blanket would help to take up some space, and keep my feet warm—like my dog used to. I searched around and found a giant, cozy blanket on Amazon that featured The Rainbow Bridge, which is the metaphor often given for when pets cross over. Not only does the blanket give me some comfort, especially when I'm hanging out on my own, it makes me feel like I'm moving forward with my dog's memory close by, rather than without him completely.$26 at Amazon

3. A beautiful area rug

Over the last year of my dog's life, he was almost completely incontinent. It's one of the most challenging parts of having an older dog, but one that you cope with because, well, you have to, and you also know that one day, likely in not that long, you'll have a clean house again. When there's an old dog living in your house, though, "clean" is a relative term. There were very few days I walked down the stairs to not smell the distinct smell of dog urine before starting my daily, very necessary, cleaning regimen. You can only scrub a rug so many times before admitting to yourself that you're living in filth, but there's no point in replacing just yet.

After Pie passed, I knew my first purchase would be an area rug for the living room. I went online shopping at Boutique Rugs and found many beautiful designs I loved. The designs are totally unique, so the chance that you'll walk into someone else's home and see the same exact rug is slim to none. And they're affordable.

I found a black and white rug that would be great at hiding dirt for high traffic areas and within a few days, my space felt fresh, clean, and new.Shop rugs at Boutique Rugs

4. A quality air purifier

I've never owned an air purifier before, but I've long thought about getting one. Having pets means there's unwanted dirt and dander floating around constantly, not to mention, that unavoidable pet smell, no matter how much cleaning you do. But we're also living in weird and terrible times for air quality. It seemed to be that there was no better time to buy an air purifier.

I did some research and found a device that claims to remove 99.9% of allergens from the air and reduce pet odor. The TotalClean PetPlus 5-In-1 Air Purifier from Homedics is basically the king of air purifiers. It filters the air, has a fan, a light, and its chic design means it's not a total eyesore. There are aromatherapy oil pads included, too, so you can take your pet-smelling home to a completely fresh-smelling home. Knowing the air is safer to breathe is icing on the cake.

$170 at Amazon

5. A Pura smart fragrance diffuser

Given that my home really suffered in the smell department in recent years, I wanted to take my efforts to clear the air a little further. I'd been seeing these really cool Pura Smart Fragrance Diffusers that plug into an outlet and are controlled by an app on your phone, so I finally snagged one. They come with two unique scents that you can use separately or at the same time. When your oils run out, you can always order more, so your diffuser can last a lifetime.

After plugging in my Pura and cranking up the power using the app, the living space in my home had never smelled better. The best part is that you don't have to run it all the time so you can save the oils for when you need them. For example, if you're having company over, you can log onto the app and turn the diffuser on, or up, even if you aren't home. Technology, ammirite?

$45 at Amazon

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.