Karen mentioned getting "get well" cards for Cody when he was recuperating. A friend of mine had her heart broken when her little Maltese was stepped on by a larger dog and died. I have always grieved when I've lost pets, but she actually got flowers, sympathy cards and many, many calls of regret. No one ever did that when one of our pets died, but obviously, "Ruby" was special to lots of people. My friend still hasn't been able to bring herself to get another dog. Their older Golden Retriever also died recently of cancer. They have had a rough year!!
Point is, there are people that understand what we go through for our pets. I love mine unconditionally!