Author visiting her dog in the hospital. Circa Jan 2018 I was never mentally prepared for my dog, Tovi’s, death. It was something that honestly didn't cross my mind as a thing that would happen. Sure, I intellectually knew he wouldn't live forever, but I never actually imagined a life without him, so when he died, I was utterly unprepared for That Life. When Tovi was twelve years old, I recall being struck by an article I came across while mindlessly scrolling on social media

Ms. Roxy Capris (Photo courtesy of proud dad, Barry Starr) After your pet leaves your life — no matter what the circumstances — there is a high likelihood you are experiencing some level of guilt or regret. That’s just how we humans operate. As pet parents, it's on us to make hard decisions, and when the outcome isn’t what we had hoped, we tend to feel a sense of over- responsibility for the loss. We have a way of turning inward and blaming ourselves for things we never had t

Photo by Natasha Cara Animal rescue is exhausting, to put it mildly. We encounter situations that make us question humanity, and it takes a heavy emotional toll to see pets discarded like an outfit that has gone out of style. Pet overpopulation is at crisis levels, and healthy animals are being euthanized simply because there isn’t enough space to house them. I understand why people are angry and quick to judge those who surrender their pets, but somewhere along the way, the

So many “what-ifs.” So many “I shouldn’t haves.” So many wishes for do-overs. "Charter" Photo by Scarlett Blackiston If I had a superpower, it would be the ability to rewind time in two distinct ways. The first would be the ability to travel through a time machine and visit the different versions of myself I’ve tried on at any given time. I would savor ordinary moments spent with people who are no longer in my life, whether through death, breakups, or friends who were only me

Photo courtesy of The Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland It is heartbreaking to hear stories of pets losing their homes and families and...

Photo by author After my dog died, I cried all of the time. I didn't just cry; I wore my tears as a badge of honor. I took pride in the...

People often ask my advice on when to bring a new pet into their lives after losing their beloved companion. A little housekeeping before getting started… There are many ways to acquire a pet, but for simplicity, I use the term adopt to describe the process of bringing a new pet into your life. When I refer to “losing a pet,” I am referring not only to loss by death, but also literally losing your pet. The latter adds an additional layer to this decision because there is no

Photo by Erin Scott of Believe in Dog Podcast When it comes to pet loss, pet parents often have to make hard decisions on behalf of their...

“…The greatest gift he gave me: To love so much that the mess around me didn’t matter.” Photo by author I didn’t expect to fall in love;...

I fell in love with a dying dog Photo by author Today is the first anniversary of Dusty’s death. I adopted him at age 14, and he was my...

I first tried it in the Pet ER Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA from Pexels I had a routine that anchored me during the extended time Tovi...

Photo by Honest Paws on Unsplash draft simon My brother brought home a puppy yesterday. He waited the requisite eight weeks until Rosie was of age, and when that day finally arrived, I felt as though I were living vicariously through him. If I’m being honest, I doubt I would feel this level of excitement at a human child, but the “Gotcha Day” will always be in my top five. Despite my decade-long plea for him to adopt a dog earlier, Marc insisted on waiting until he was in th

About twenty years ago I briefly traveled to Israel during my sophomore year of college. During that trip my best friend and I met a...