Pet Memorial

A friend recently had to put her beloved dog to sleep, and she is totally wrecked about it. It got me thinking about how close we can become with our pets. They can provide some kind of unconditional love and acceptance. Due to their lack of higher cognitive powers, and their lack of English skills, their love is perhaps a more basic love... But how often in life do we find true unconditional love from fellow humans? I have had a few pets who's loss effected me deeply. I cried when my childhood hamster---Hulk---died. We had a macho Golden Retriever named Champ who only stayed with us a short time before succumbing to disease. The most difficult pet to let go of was our family dog of many years: Penny. She was a beautiful, loving Golden Retriever, and a true part of the family. She even went on family vacations with us. The day she was struck by a car (and died shortly thereafter), it broke my heart.

I don't know if I believe that "time heals all wounds", but I believe time can ease the level of pain we feel about something (even if the wound is never totally "healed"). What helps me is focusing on the happy memories I have of my past pets. Those memories are mine to keep and cherish.