It goes without saying that pets are something that we hold near and dear to our hearts. They're a friendly face that we are always happy to see, pet, and occasionally mush against our own faces. The hardest thing that any pet owner ever has to do, is making the decision to put their pet down. And it is something that I and my mom had to recently overcome.

Losing a pet hurts just as much as losing a human. People think this is a crazy thing, that "they're just pets," but they aren't. They a living thing that you literally take care of everyday for a certain number of years. You devote time, effort, money, and love to this animal for so long, that once it's gone, it is painful. Most of the time, the animal has to be put down simply because of old age, which can still range anywhere from 7-20 years, depending on the pet. Regardless, it is still a lengthy time period that you had the pet, and if you have kids, to them it was their brother or sister that they grew up with.

In my case, my dog Buddy, was about 15 when we had to put him down due to health problems related to old age. We've had him for 13 years, since I was 9, and he was definitely a part of the family. We rescued him from the local pound, where he was being held for the sole fact that he was half pit bull. He was covered in scars from being in dog fights, and was afraid of every movement made by a human. He had the want to wag his tail when you talked to him, but was afraid to. He had the want to be pet, but would back away when you reached for him. He was broken down by people for most of his life, at the time, but yet was so devoted to us. He slowly opened up and became very protective of his new family. He remained protective, even when he could barely hear the door slamming shut. He never gave up, because we never did. It is known that dogs don't show pain, they just deal with whatever is going on with them. He dealt with so much, but we didn't want him to deal with it any longer.

Animals are a cherished thing, and are something that some people don't think about as uch. They are an integral part of the family, to which it's almost not whole without them. The owners of pets mean more to the pet than they think they know. Even though animals can't quite let you know how it feels, as long as you treat them properly, they are forever thankful for you. I can promise you that they will miss you, just as much as you miss them. And that they will have loved you just as much as you loved them.