A woman mourning her dogs does not believe in “signs” and looks to the sky

After losing a loved one, it’s always nice to think that somehow they are still with you and sending you signs. It’s not just humans, however: One woman was overcome with emotion when she noticed a sign from her older rescue dogs who had recently passed away.

Vanessa Brown, 37, sadly lost her soul dog Roxy, an Australian Cattle Dog, in May 2023 when she was 17 years old. Then in May 2024, she faced even greater loss when her 14-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix, Zoe, also passed away. The double loss hit her incredibly hard, and she reminded herself how loved and happy both dogs were after she rescued them.

On one particularly difficult day, Brown, from Evansville, Indiana, was driving home and was “terrified of spending another evening without them,” but then she encountered something unusual. She doesn’t usually “believe in signs,” but she looked up at the sky and noticed a huge cloud that looked like her beloved Roxy.

“I had a hard day without Roxy and Zoe that day. Even though Roxy died over a year ago, the house still feels so strange without her and Zoe to greet me,” Brown said. Newsweek.

She continued: “When I saw the cloud, I had to do a double take. I felt a sense of peace that I had never felt before. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have periods of extreme sadness about Roxy and Zoe and cry along the way thinking about how much I missed them right before I saw the cloud.”

At that point, Brown stopped the car and took a photo of the sky so she could remember it. She shared the image on TikTok (@d0glady) in early August and it made many users cry, resulting in over 33,500 views and 5,000 likes.

Layering over an image of a cloud, she wrote, “I love you with every ounce of me. Always”.

As a foster care coordinator at a nonprofit animal shelter, Brown found it rewarding channel her grief through work. She gave Roxy and Zoe a forever home and is now trying to make sure that as many pets at her shelter may be just as successful.

“Roxy and Zoe had the luxury of having a safe and loving home until the very end – something not many dogs get. I cope with their loss by dedicating extra time and attention to the senior pets that come through our shelter, as I love senior pets. animals that are often overlooked,” she said. Newsweek.

Brown said the formation of clouds was the most obvious sign she experienced after losing them, and it helped her feel “more at peace in their absence.” Seeing this cloud allowed her to believe that Roxy and Zoe were “happy wherever they are.”

Brown was overwhelmed by the love and support she received online after posting the photo, as many pet owners shared their own experiences with her. heartbreaking loss of a pet.

“Losing them is heartbreaking, but I will never get back all those years we spent together and all the joy they brought to our family,” Brown said. “If there’s one thing I want people to take away from this, it’s how much an animal can change your life. There are millions of pets in shelters waiting for someone to love them, they just need a chance.”

TikTok users react

The TikTok post has now received over 370 comments, with many people expressing their support and condolences.

One TikTok user wrote: “They’ll be waiting for you when you arrive.”

Another wrote: “Oh if we’re awake there are signs everywhere! Your pups thought you needed a BIG sign.”

And a third user added: “Now look, they’re okay. I know that’s not true. But I trust that they are safe until you meet again.”

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