Xiao-bai

To this day, I don't think I have forgiven my parents for not telling me my dog was sick and dying. There is a special bond between an only child and her dog; a debt that a woman could never repay to the furry soul that taught her how to be a good and decent human. I don't think I will ever stop being furious that she was taken by a stranger to the vet to be put down, alone, scared, in pain. She should have gone in the arms of someone who loved her. She should have been kissed into eternal sleep. I would have left school. I would have come home for her if I had known. It was a cowardly thing for my parents to keep it from me. It was dishonorable to think that such a faithful friend did not receive the dignity to die with the person who loved her the most. I never even got to say goodbye. It is strange to think, that of all the things I have lived through, the death of a dog would be the thing that still hurts the most in my 31 years of existence. My friends who are parents--never do this to your children. Let me disabuse you of the idea that you are sparing them any pain by keeping them from a dying loved one. All you are doing is stealing from them their chance for closure.