Unspoken grief: Dealing with the loss of a beloved pet

"It’s remarkable how used to a little creature depending on you that you can get. Not hearing the “tip-taps” around the house, the barking when walking down the stairs, being covered in hairs whenever you get up from the couch."

Molly Cantwell with her beloved dog Gus

It was an unusually sunny day in July when my best friend of 10 and a half years closed his eyes for the last time. Mere days before he had been running around the garden, happy as the day we brought him home at only eight weeks old.

Gus was loved. He had whatever food he wanted from our plates, received endless cuddles and scratches all day, and chatted with us on the couch — popping his paw on your lap when he wasn’t done listening to his favourite words.