Eric ... it's taken this long for me just to respond to your post. I can't begin to tell you the pain and sorrow that my wife and I have felt. And you are right ... people who don't own pets can't understand.

However, I do need to share this. That night, after we had put Trixie down, I experienced something that shook me to the quick. My wife was in bed and I was sitting on the side of the bed and I just started to weep. And I wept and I wept ... quietly, but with many tears.

And right at that moment, I had a sense of the presence of the Lord and this question raced through my mind: "Paul, when was the last time you wept for your brother like this?" I had no answer.

And, I had to confess that as much as I missed out little dog and the sorrow from it ... that my heart for the lost of this world had not driven me to my knees with tears for them!

Thank you for letting me share.

Paul, don't be too hard on yourself, friend. I don't disagree that we need to be grieving for the lost, but that need not displace our grief over loss.

Nevertheless, it's obvious that God has given you a tender heart for all living creatures, and He will honor your desire to follow His heart in those spiritual matters that He's set before you. May He continue to provide comfort and peace to you and your wife.