On Losing a Pet

From Love to Grief—and Back Again

Saturday, December 25, 2021. It was supposed to be a day of merriment at the end of a long and disappointing year. Instead, death made an unwelcome visit.

While he was eating breakfast, our dog’s back legs kept going out from under him. My husband and I intuitively understood the potential implications; Leo was almost fifteen. He didn’t seem to be in any…