Brace yourselves, because this story's emotional — especially if you love your furry friends just as much (or more than) people.
If you follow Lena Dunham's Instagram page, you may have noticed that her adorable dog, Lamby, hasn't made an appearance lately. Well, this week, Dunham posted a heartbreaking, yet totally inspiring, explanation for his social media absence.
"I feel I have to share that last March, after four years of challenging behavior and aggression that could not be treated with training or medication or consistent loving dog ownership, Lamby went to live at an amazing professional facility in Los Angeles @matt_thezendog where an awesome person named @therealdanishay (who is educated in a rescue dog's specific trauma) loves him so hard," she captioned a photo of her with Lamby.
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She continued: "Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others — we needed to be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and especially our beloved boy. Jack and I will miss him forever but sometimes when you love something you have to let it go (especially when it requires tetanus shots and stitches.)"
Giving up a pet, even with the best intentions, is never easy. Studies have shown that while there are great mental and emotional benefits of pet ownership, losing a pet can affect people in the same way as losing another person.
"Someday I'll really write about the pain and relief of letting Lamby go off and really be Lamby, biting and peeing in his own mouth and all," Dunham's post continued. "There were so many lessons in it, about forgiving myself and loving with an open palm and giving in to a larger plan...Susan & Karen will never be my first loves, but they are fuzzy and hilarious stuffing for the hole Lamby left and we cherish them deeply."
Dunham concluded her post with a helpful reminder that there are a number of resources available for people who, like her, need to find a better environment for a pet.
"If you have a similar situation, please know it's possible to responsibly re-home your rescue rather than sending them back into the shelter system," she wrote. "It can require patience, diligence and often a financial contribution but there are solutions that leave everyone happy and safe. You will always have been your dog's first stop outside shelter life and that's beautiful."
Wishing both Dunham and Lamby happiness and healing.