twinlabs:Thank you Ray. It's just too sad right now. If I ever win the lottery, my goal in life is to open a no-kill shelter big enough to house every animal in the world, in comfort.
I kept "hearing" Cody barking throughout the night. Freaked me out. Hope I'm not schitzo. I would run downstairs to check on him and then I would realize....
I even kept tip-toeing walking around during the night so that I wouldn't "wake" him. Hard to break old habits, eh?
Kids are so amazing. My son is not even fazed. He's compassionate, keeps saying "Im so sorry about Cody, Mom. But he's just going about his business. Something for me to learn from.
Heck, I cried for days at his age when I lost my parakeet.
Twin, if that no-kill shelter becomes a reality, count on me as your first volunteer fundraiser!
I had similar experiences, dear Princess: calling a dog to dinner, stepping carefully over the back porch steps where a cat slept. Aside from past canines and felines, I still miss my parakeet and my turtle and my guinea pig from childhood.
A close friend lost two of her boxer dogs within a year of each other. She'd had them longer than she's had her two-legged children. Her husband and the kids were stoic; she grieved for a long time.
We're all wired differently. I'm in your camp here.
Ray, once again, is right. Black dogs and cats have a tougher time getting a home, due to fear and superstition, so enlightened shelter personnel and rescue groups are taking steps to showcase them to prospective pet parents. One of the dogs I helped sponsor at Best Friends, "Elvis," is a big ol' Lab/Newfie mix. It took a longgggg time, but one day his human friends got an email saying, "Hooray, Elvis has left the building for his new home!" .:)
Whatever you choose, when the time is right, there's a perfect new pup waiting for you. You'll find each other, not a minute too soon, and not a minute later.
For now, a day at a time.
Hetty
