I am still in mourning about losing my 2 dogs and 1 cat within a year. My older dog, Dusty (who was the mother of my younger dog, Cocoa) had to be put to sleep at the age of 15 due to progressive arthritis which had diminished her ability to walk, go to the bathroom and get up from lying down. This was very hard to do, but we did not want something to happen to her while we were at work and had to make the hardest decision of our life to put her down. Within 3 months our oldest cat, Bunky, who was 18, had finally succumbed to failing kidneys and we had to put him down. That too was very hard, but easier to accept because of his age. We had two other cats who we adopted which eased the pain of losing 2 animals within such a short amount of time. A few months after that, our youngest dog, Cocoa, who we knew had a heart problem, (but was doing great) began to get a nose bleed and had sores on her paws. Within one week we discovered that she had a tumor which grew so fast that it began to press on her major organs, including her lungs ,which was causing her severe breathing problems. The tumor was inoperable because of her heart condition and we waited until the last possible moment to take her in to be put to sleep. It was so totally unexpected and she was only 12, that to this day whenever I think about her I tear up. We have a new dog, Buddy, a Treeing Walker Coonhound. He is 1-1/2 years and so full of life that he wears us out. But Buddy was exactly what we needed – energetic, young, funny, loving and an overall great dog. I cannot stand the pain of losing animals, but the pain and loneliness of not having a dog or cat is far worse and that is why we continue to adopt animals. God bless you Mark for sharing your story. I cannot wait to read your book.

Laurie from MI