It's a, "natural thing" people try to tell us, but it just doesn't feel that way. Death in any form is hard to deal with. Everyone feels the hardships of the loss of a loved one, and it especially hurts in the loss of a pet.

Many thousands of years ago, mankind made friends with a friendlier species of wolves. It became quite the relationship. The wolves got free food and love and the human owners got a companion and protector. Eventually, they evolved into the modern-day dog. Although the dogs are very similar, something else is very different.

Dogs have been, "man's best friend" for ages and will most surely continue. But when their dogs died of natural causes or was killed, the humans simply moved on. Obviously, things have changed. Now, we honor the life of our pets by burying them or saving their ashes. In other cases, we might flush a fish down the toilet or (the not necessarily the preferred route) call animal removal services or remove them in the trash. The closer we are in relationship to our pets, the harder this is to do.

I, myself, have been through a lot of pet deaths in my life. My family has lost two guinea pigs that we have buried under a tree in our backyard. We have lost too many fish to the toilet. Just last weekend, we lost the most sweetest and cuddly dog, Wylie. In experience with death like this, I've realized that each pet death was different.

Fish, for example, were easier to say goodbye to. Fish arguably don't do much. It was hard to build a bond with a pet who can't show much love for you. Sure, it is a little sad to wake up in the morning to see a fish belly-up, but after a few minutes, you move on.

When I was 10 years old, I thought losing my guinea pig, Ollie, was the end of the world. It was the first animal I got to care for and the first one I lost. I drew him a picture and found a shoebox to bury him in. We dug a hole under the tree in our backyard and made a tombstone out of a nearby rock.

But losing an animal like a dog is so much harder to deal with. A companion who shows nothing but love for you deserves a life much longer than they have. The love for a dog could never be replaced, even if we take care for another in our lives.

Wylie, Ollie, Buddy, Mavis, Slim, Shady, George, Peppa, Google, Finn, Santa, Squishy, and the many others I'm probably forgetting, you deserved to live longer, but I was priveledged to be in your company while you were alive. You will never be forgotten.