To all who have ever owned a dog, cat – or other pet – using the words “companion animal” and “beloved” together does not raise any eyebrows or strike any dissonant chords.

All of us who have ever loved an animal understand.

All of us who lose an animal mourn.

Much has been written of the grief that people feel when they lose a human companion – friend, spouse, other relative – but is the mourning any less when the lost companion is an animal? Indeed, the word “pet” is often replaced these days with “companion animal” or “animal companion.” They are companions. They are very much friends. Perhaps even more… they are family.

It’s something that people who don’t have animal companions may find hard to understand. But it’s something the rest of us find all too easy to comprehend.

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