I know the title sounds a bit unhinged but I love sticking my nose into the back of my dogs ears or his neck and taking a deep breath (granted he’s stayed away from dirt piles that day). I’m not sure if each dog has a unique smell and honestly I can’t even describe my pups smell but I just know when he’s gone I will long for it.
It’s not strange at all. Just like we grow attached to the smell of our human family members, the same goes for pets.
Pro tip from my own experience, when your dog is reaching the end of their life put a fresh blanket in their crate or on their bed and let them sleep on it for a few weeks. That way after they are gone you can continue to smell them through the grieving process. I did not do this, and it was a huge regret for me.
I did that – saved the blanket and smelled it when i felt particularly sad. The trouble was, over time, the smell started to actually smell like an ordinary dog, not mine…. I also had some fur that I collected and smelled and touched that once in a while. Eventually, i put it outside for the birds to make nests with. It was quite popular!
My dog passed very suddenly, and we put his favorite blanket on his memorial spot. Whenever I would talk to him on his spot, I’d smell his blanket and it did make me feel better. But after eight weeks or so his smell started fading. That was actually very depressing for me as I felt I was losing a part of him again.
We also saved some of his other blankets in some large ziploc style bags, but those bags have a strong plastic smell. I haven’t opened them recently but last time I did I felt it smelled more plastic than anything else.
I don’t really know if there is any way to reasonably preserve a dog’s smell for a long period of time. I do miss Buddy’s smell.
Not strange at all… I miss being able to smell my pup and how much he loved having me smell and kiss his little neck. He’s gone now but I wish I could have bottled up his smell and have a comparison to how soft and small his little paws were.
Keep smelling your dog and loving it, I wish I could do that right now.
I totes get it. I went on vacation a few years back and met a dog of similar breed to mine and just stuck my nose in him. Friends and dog owners looked at me like I was crazy (I was exceptionally drunk, it being a bachelor party at a brewery) but I told them that the pup just smelled like home
Smell has the strongest memory of all our senses. So this totally makes sense, no pun intended. I remember smelling a candle that smelled just like this Winnie the Pooh liquid soap or shampoo or something that I used as a toddler. I had so many fond memories suddenly flood into my mind of my early childhood bath times with my mom and sister that I almost started crying in the middle of the aisle in Homegoods. So wanting to bottle up your dog’s smell isn’t crazy, it’s maybe the best way to remember him.
I loved the smell of my dogs. About a month before I had to say goodbye to my almost 16 year old dog, I had a feeling our time was limited. I would just lay next to him, bury my nose in his neck and inhale his scent. I tried so hard to imprint it into my memory. It has been almost a year since I lost him and I was actually just thinking the other day about how I’m sad that I can’t remember now exactly how he smelled. If only I could have saved it somehow.
This is in no way unhinged! I’ve had several dogs throughout my life and they all had unique smells. The most traditionally smelly dog I’ve ever had was my red tick coon hound, who we lost young due to a brain tumor. He smelled fantastic, especially after basking in the sun.
😂😂I know one of mine smells like a baby and the other just has a cute smell of him..what you can do is get a satin scarf and let them sleep with it and there smell with go on it lol and just never wash it..will stay on it..my oldest boy died few months back and I had a lock of his hair but the smell goes better off keeping blankets and scarfs xx
Not unhinged at all. I used to have a greyhound who smelled so incredibly good – my husband and friends felt the same way about this too, so I know I’m not crazy. I used to love to bury my nose in his fur or just sniff the top of his head. After he passed at age 14, I used to sniff his collar and coat, but the smell eventually faded. Typing this made me cry.
