Pet Replacement Therapy
Some days life deals you lemons. Heartbreaking ones. The death of a family pet is one of those times.
One of the stark realities of farm living was, for me, how quickly a family pet was dispensed of when it's luck turned and the curtain closed. One fatal car chase, teeth gnashing at the wheels, the dreaded screech of brakes and the dog limping back home. The next day, on return from school, an ominous silence loomed over the yard, only the memories. When looking for the next pet replacement, car chasing was part of the checkoff list. A lot of pets have come and gone since those troubling childhood days but that does not make the loss of a pet companion any easier, just more familiar.
The best therapy for some folks when a pet dies is to replace with a new one. Immediately or sooner, with an overlap. Just move those hugs and kisses over to the next ball of fur. Smother and slobber your loss all over the living fur ball. Remind them of the additional obligation to comfort you in loss, thankfully, one which most pets readily take on.
For more on pets and pet therapy, see also:
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