Our pets have always been a part of our family. I can honestly say, if it were not for Morgan’s pets, Steve and I would have had a much harder time after Morgan’s death. For Morgan, we took care of them, loved them, nurtured them, and tried to give them all the care that Morgan would have given to them, if she were still alive. In return, they gave us unconditional love, and companionship.  We are so very grateful that we were able to spend these past 11 years with them.

This past September, Morgan’s horse, TC, traveled over the Rainbow Bridge to be with Morgan. Our hearts were breaking to see him go, but we knew it was his time.

TC would have been 30 years old next month. He had a really long life. He was such an amazing horse, and we will miss him.

The day after he left this earth, I was given the most wonderful gift. I do not know whether it was a message from Morgan, or from TC, or maybe it was from both of them…I was sitting down, all alone, drinking my morning cup of coffee, when all of a sudden a picture flashed in front of me. It was a picture of Morgan, sitting on top of TC, bareback, with her arms around his neck and her face buried in his mane. It was a beautiful sight! I cried with happiness, knowing they were now together again. I could feel that they were happy.

Then, last month, Morgan’s cat Mogwai took his journey over the Rainbow Bridge. Mogwai also had a really long life. He had just turned 20, only 2 weeks before he died. The day he died, I woke up and just “knew” it was his last day. I stayed with him, petted him, told him how much we loved him, and that Morgan would be there when he passes over. I played a recording I had of Morgan’s voice singing a lullaby, over and over again. He reached his paw out, and touched my hand. It broke my heart to tell him it was okay to go, but I felt that he needed permission. I told him that we were grateful for all his love, after losing Morgan. I left the room for about an hour, and when I returned he was gone.

Morgan’s last fur baby, Wylah, is still with us. Wylah is older now, but she is doing great. She gives us so much comfort and love. Morgan would be proud of what a wonderful dog her puppy grew into.

What I would like to share with all of you is something I have not yet mentioned about animals. They are truly sentient beings. Animals feel love, they give love, they bond with humans, they try to protect the ones they love, they grieve. Yes, they truly do grieve.

After Morgan was taken from us, her cat, Mogwai, stopped eating, he went under the covers in her bed, closed his eyes, and refused to get up. We thought he was dying. We told him that it wasn’t his fault, we didn’t blame him, and we wanted him to stay with us…he finally came back to life, and we were happy about that.

Our big dog, Tessi, was so depressed that she wouldn’t even play with Morgan’s puppy. She just laid around the house, having no interest in anything anymore. She was so used to Morgan walking in the front door, and calling out, “Well, hello beautiful.” But, as of December 2, 2011, Tessi never heard that greeting ever again.

Wylah was still a puppy at the time Morgan died.. We didn’t see Wylah grieving at first…at least we didn’t understand that she was grieving, until we told the veterinarian that we thought she might have asthma…every time Steve and I would talk about Morgan’s murder case, Wylah would start to cough, and act like she couldn’t breathe…one time, out on a hike, she had one of her “attacks.” It was so bad she collapsed, and Steve had to carry her back to the car. We rushed her to the veterinarian. He checked her out, and asked us questions about where we were every time she had one of her “attacks.” It was then that we all realized it happened at different times, in different places, the only constant being, we were talking about Morgan. He looked us straight in the eyes, and said, “She is grieving.”

Our pets are, and always will be, a part of our family, they have feelings just like us, and we love them, and will grieve over their loss.

I loved reading a post on Facebook about a veterinarian who shared the beautiful story of Shane Becker, a 6-year-old little boy, who was explaining why dogs don’t live as long as people, and I would add that I believe it is just as true for cats, horses, and all pets.  He said,  “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Always remember to be grateful for all the days that you are blessed to spend with those you love, whether they are human or fur babies. Much love to you all.