18 Comments
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Virginia  Fisher Yaffe's avatar

What a talent! My deepest condolences.. fully crying now

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Laddi Woolhouse's avatar

Such an emotional read. Thank you- although the loss of a pet is devastating, the love, companionship and loyalty we gain is priceless

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Cynthia Scott Aucoin's avatar

So beautifully written and thought provoking. Thank you for that.

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Kristin Shannon's avatar

Hi Cynthia. I know how much you love your own puppies and wish you so many years of joy with them. Thanks for your comment and I know you know what courage is.

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Mary Anne Ferguson's avatar

an extraordinarily and exquisitely written story about life . the big take away for me was the victor Frankl quote that '"attitude" is the key in how we fare. and yes my heartfelt condolences.

Mary Anne

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Kristin Shannon's avatar

Mary Anne, thank you for taking the time to encourage and be empathetic. So very appreciated. Kristin

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Anthony Beckman's avatar

Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. I've been thinking about what connects us at a fundamental level - you captured it here: "But it is the smaller myriad daily acts of bravery that we all perform that are perhaps the greatest evidence of our shared humanity."

I feel your bravery and the bravery of Mouton.

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Meg Robson Mahoney's avatar

Lovely to read first thing this morning. Thank you & keep it up!

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Janet Dussault's avatar

A wonderful piece of writing !

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Don Akchin's avatar

A magnificent piece of writing!

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Ms. Writer's avatar

Wonderful post. May Mouton's memory be a blessing for everyone who loved him.

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Sally Showalter's avatar

Kristin, I have to say I love your term, 'bone-deep loyalty', plus every aspect you touched on.

Thank you.

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Kathy Glennon's avatar

Kristin….I am so sorry for your loss. Courage is also the families who live with our fur babies ( or whatever age) and are with them to the very end. It is hard to walk the full path …..thank you for loving him…especially as it got harder.

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Kristin Shannon's avatar

Ginny, I tried to respond this morning and somehow, yet one more time, technology defeated me and my words to you floated away. What I was trying to say was that your own words have frequently resonated with me both on this platform and in some of your newspaper pieces. You have a way of taking your own history and leaving us your readers with a feeling that some of our holes have been plugged or at least made more understandable. And so I thank you for your kind words as they feel real and generous and uplifting.

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Kristin Shannon's avatar

You have nailed it Laddi - the gain is greater than the pain. Thank you very much for your empathy and for taking the time to show it.

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Sarah Ryan's avatar

My condolences on your great loss.

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Susie Kaufman's avatar

I hope you do a lot more of this, Kristin. This piece is so heart-filled and wide-ranging. It really looks the human predicament in the eye, but its gaze is very loving.

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HGY's avatar

Our fur-babies teach us in the most subtle yet profound ways. I'm sorry it was Mouton's time.

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