The pain of losing an animal companion can never be underestimated. Probably the main reason we never got another mut after the Rotties passing. I miss those walks over yonder hill and vale but I did not miss spinning the coin of fate for who went out on Shit Patrol. The thing could crack out bankers like they'd gone out of fashion and a dreadful affair to remedy when armed with only with a bin liner and tablespoon. Even worse on our weekly kebab nights, I had special chicken, hot with no salad on a pita, the wife had special chicken, salad medium on a Nan and Kaiser had large special chicken, no salad, garlic mayo on nan and the delivery man used to write our names on the wrapping. It used to scoff his in about a minute or so and then lick the plate into oblivion and then the begging started, followed by rapturous shouts of Fook Off You Fat Cnunt you've had your and and the wife's retort of Lie Down You Slavering Fook: It even sat with us at the dining table every Christmas by facing two chairs together for his arse and paws. So yes I guess after many years loyal service you do tend to miss them. Once we had a series of animal deaths as we overfed fed the children's five guinea pigs lettuce and stuff they shouldn't have, so we had to have a mass funeral service in the garden covered with lolly-stick crosses that resembled a scene out of pet cemetery and an emossenial experience it was, especially as I had to say a few words of comfort over gismos grave. Gismo was their favourite being a long haired pig that they used to comb daily.