On losing a dog

Unfortunately, as Kipling and (even) Ogden Nash knew, a recurrent event given our disparate life spans. Tom McIntyre's Kaycee died suddenly at four last week, after a joyous bout of play. Tom reflects:

" The death of a dog teaches what a tenuous, suspended by a silk thread thing life is. And yet, the wonder is not in how easily and perplexingly they die, but how truly alive they can be. It is not just about dog years, but dog days, even dog minutes. If I “only” had four years with him, I would have settled for ten seconds. And wished for forever. Because he was my friend."