My mother lost a dog when she was a little girl, and decided then she’d never let another pet get that close to her again. As we grew up she had as little as possible to do with our pets. I always felt sorry for her because she missed out on so much. The joys of love, whether it be of people or pets comes at the risk of pain. But the pain is worth it, and should never be allowed to be an excuse to permanently block certain relationships.

As I sit here a purple heart shaped tag lies on the desk in front of me. It’s worn and scratched and eventually we’ll mount it in a frame with a photo of Charlie, whose name is printed on it. Meanwhile our new puppy plays a few feet away. We miss Charlie, but we know that animals have such an amazing capacity for love that it just doesn’t seem right to use the love of one to become a barrier to the love of others.