Allen and Linda Anderson

Rescued by a Dog Named Leaf

By Allen and Linda Anderson Leave a Comment

Four months after we lost our beloved yellow Labrador retriever, Taylor, to cancer in June 2006, we found a black cocker spaniel at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The card attached to his kennel at the animal shelter had only one word typed on it in the section labeled history: "Abandoned." From the moment my wife, Linda, and I met this little guy, we couldn't get him out of our minds. We needed time to maturely reflect on such an important decision, so we asked the … [Read more...]

Category: Nature Tags: connection, pets

The Poison of Pet Loss

By Allen and Linda Anderson Leave a Comment

Based on the book Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals Although it had been a week since Kathleen McBride's dog Tyler died, she couldn't stop mourning. Unbidden tears came while she worked at her desk. Her boss, a young woman, zinged Kathleen with the words: "I thought you would be over that dog by now." The woman's callous remark left Kathleen speechless. She says, "I couldn't begin to explain to her the enormity of my loss, so I didn't even try." If it hadn't been for the … [Read more...]

Category: Life Tags: animals, pets

Secret Sorrow: Bringing Grief over Pet Loss into the Light

By Allen and Linda Anderson Leave a Comment

After the awful day when Noreen Nettles had to have her dog Penny euthanized, it was as if the color had drained out of her world. When she tried to tell others about the loss, hardly anyone would acknowledge the significance or intensity of her grief."Maybe one or two people said they were sorry," Noreen said, "but nobody else said anything. It really hurt and made me feel alone. In my mind, Penny was my furry child, yet no one cared enough to ask, 'Are you okay?' or to say, 'I'm … [Read more...]

Category: Uncategorized