[Midge538]

How we react to the death of any family member- human or animal- depends to a large extent on the part they've played in our daily lives, the significance of our relationships with them, and the strength of our attachments to them.

In some ways the companionship of animals makes up for the traditional support systems our culture has lost along the way
With their constant presence, availability and devotion, pets are our best source of unconditional love, becoming for many of us the ideal child, parent, mate or friend. They listen without judgment or reproach, and never give advice. They accept us exactly as we are, regardless of how we look or feel or behave. They forgive us readily and never hold grudges against us. No matter how much change we must endure in our unpredictable lives, our pets are always there for us.

Animal companions weave themselves into the fabric of our daily lives. We live and relax in each other's company. They are there when we awaken in the morning, rely on us to toilet, feed, water, exercise, groom and play with them, greet us joyfully when we come home to them and may even sleep with us in our beds at night. We touch them, stroke them, pet them, hug them, kiss them, tell them our troubles and share our deepest secrets with them.

When cherished companion animals are taken from us, we need to take some time to think about and remember how closely we were attached to one another. It is only when we identify how much our friends meant to us, and recognize how very much we've lost, that we begin to understand why pet loss hurts so much.