A dog is not just a dog

The Sports Guy lost his dog the other day and upon reading it I felt moved to write him an email.

I distinctly remember the day my second dog died, I had been working at my job after school when my dad called and told me he had some bad news. With the news I ran home to find my family crying and pointing to the front yard. I walked outside and saw him lying there, tongue hanging out, not peaceful like everyone tells you they look. I went back inside where it was decided that as the oldest (a mere 15) I would accompany my father to the vet. I spent the next 8 minutes sitting in the car with my dog in my lap, his empty face just lying there. Upon entering the vet I placed him on the table as the doctor went about making the preparations with my father. I kind of just stood there staring, not speaking until the vet asked if I wanted to keep his collar, to which I replied that he should just burn it with the dog. I was angry.

Angry because this was the second time my dog was hit and killed by a car, the second time I was meant to feel like I could have kept something alive by just being there. I never wanted a dog or a pet of any kind again. If I couldn't keep a dog past it's 4th birthday then I didn't deserve one.

This was the first time any form of death really effected me, my first dog was also hit by a car but I never saw the body and I was 4 years younger. It was a fluke, an unfortunate event. The second time it just seemed cruel.

I have been to more wakes and funerals in my life than I could count; from grand parents to uncles to still borns to peers but by far and wide the two worst days in my life have been the days that my two dogs died. I don't think people really understand how hard the death of a pet is, I don't have kids but I can imagine that having a pet die is almost on par with losing a child. It's only pets that you raise them from a time when they can't raise themselves until they die, washing them, feeding them, seeing them every day; something you only do with your parents, wife and children yet when a pet dies no one calls for condolences nor are there obituaries or wakes or funerals just the doctors office and cremation.

If you will excuse me I am going to go make my cat wonder what it has done to deserve to be squeezed so hard.