by Sybil Sage

There’s no song that captures what you’re experiencing when you lose your pet, no Sinatra to croon, “One less coat to untangle, one less water bowl to fill.” You’re not sure if others have felt the same grief and you don’t know how you’ll come to grips with the pain.

Minutes after our dog died, with her lifeless body lying on an examining table, the vet asked, “What would you like to do with the remains?” Neither my husband, our son nor I knew how to answer. We shook our heads and waved off the options of keeping or scattering her ashes, returning home with an intense emptiness.