"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives more
temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.
"The Once Again Prince" from Separate Life Times
— Irving Townsend
Pet Loss Resources
http://www.healfrompetloss.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/HealYourHeartHandout.pdf
http://www.griefhealing.com/help-lines-message-boards-chats.htm
Collection of stories compiled by SFSPCA
https://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/files/losing-a-best-friend.pdf
http://vet.tufts.edu/petloss/pet-loss-support-hotline-our-hours/
The school has a hotline staffed by veterinary students who have participated in training sessions with licensed psychologists. During the academic year, hours are Monday–Thursday, 6–9 p.m. EST. During the summer, hours vary, so please call for more information. There is also an email address listed.
Quality of life scale:
http://www.aplb.org/resources/quality-of-life_scale.html
Lots of great resources at the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement:
Quote by Suzanne Clothier
“There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings and walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.” -Suzanne Clothier
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