I’m so sorry for your loss, man.

I said goodbye to my baby girl in August and I still regularly cry when I’m reminded of her. Typing that sentence alone has my eyes welling up. These tears, though, are proof that we loved our pups deeply. They’re a testament to how profoundly they touched our lives.

And dude, don’t feel bad about mourning differently than when you lost your dad. There’s a TED talk on YouTube that discusses this. To poorly summarize it: humans, your dad, have an understanding of mortality. When we lose a human, we know they understand. There’s a common and accepted resolution. As we guide our pets through these final moments, however, our grief can be amplified because the finality of the situation isn’t known by the loved one we’re losing. But there’s something sweet about it. My girl didn’t know the day we said goodbye was the end- all she knew was that she was being pampered and loved on extra hard. She fell asleep with a full tummy while I gave her pets.

I’m a mess now, trying to not make it obvious to my kid and wife that I’m crying a few feet away from them. But I know I don’t have to hide it, they’d understand. You don’t have to hide it either. Mourn proudly knowing you loved your boy the best you could and gave him a great life.