Thank you, yonuh, for your supportive words. I've never participated in any sort of forum before now and I have to say the shared experience is comforting somehow. Yes, their love is totally unconditional. I've often thought about how much I've learned from living with dogs. I had a dachshund named Zack for 17 years who was such a dear friend who taught me SO much. When he passed, I missed him as much as I miss Shadow, but he had such a long, full life and he had been sick for some time with heart problems. When he left us, I knew he was ready to go as he lay next to my bed and I told him what a good dog he was. It was extremely hard, but it seemed like the natural passage of life. But, when Shadow died, the sudden, unexpected nature of it caught me off guard emotionally. I was totally unprepared for it - like a 2 x 4 upside the head. Thankfully, we still have Smokey, our short-legged German Shepherd mix. He's a soulful dog and we have all helped each other through this. And, yes, we do still miss Zack after all these years. A statue of Zack greets us as we walk up the front stairs to our home.
And, by the way, I love your signature that "well-behaved women rarely make history" - how true!