BWM, your use of the name Mrs Backwoodsperson motivates me to go off-topic for a micro-second. When I bought a Sony Walkman back in the day I always referred to it as a Walkperson! :-D

Ok, back to the topic.

Animals as companions change our lives for the better. The loss and grief when one of our companions departs this life is deep but bringing another one into our lives is healing and each one is a different personality, so our sense of family deepens again.