Barack Obama and Bo playing on the White House lawn, Washington, D.C., 2009.Photo:Courtesy Barack Obama Presidential Library
Courtesy Barack Obama Presidential Library
Those who feel deeply about their pets are in “very good company,” according to Sara Bader.
Some of the world’s most famous individuals, from Helen Keller toOprah Winfrey, have expressed how pets unlock a unique level of emotion in humans, especially after animal companions die.
The loss of a beloved pet inspired Bader to writeThe Book of Pet Love and Loss: Words of Comfort and Wisdom from Remarkable People.“I became very close to my cat Snowflake, and we forged a very deep friendship, and she really turned me into a cat person. She got sick and progressively started to weaken and get thinner. And so it was a slow process over many months, and I had plenty of time to prepare,” Bader tells PEOPLE of the pet that led her to create her new book.
A writer and a researcher, Bader looked for a book to help her through this overwhelming time of mourning.
Unable to find a book to fit her needs, Bader started looking for quotes from famous figures about their experiences with pet companionship.
Simon & Schuster
After unearthing so many tender, vulnerable moments from recognizable names and finding solace in what these famous figures had to say, Bader collected her findings inThe Book of Pet Love and Loss. The book contains quotes from each stage of pet ownership, starting with the initial excitement and wonder that comes from connecting with a pet and concluding with the bittersweet marks pets leave behind when they die.
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Seeing her thoughts about the loss of her cat Snowflake echoed back to her from the pens of renowned writers and world leaders gave Bader “a lot of solace.” She hopes others mourning the loss of the pet will find that comfort in her book.
Read on for a selection of quotes fromThe Book of Pet Love and Loss,available now.
Dolly Parton on why being a pet parent is bittersweet
“I have always loved dogs. The saddest thing about it is that they don’t live as long as people do. They come into your life, you love them, and then they have to go.”
Elizabeth Gilbert on what dogs teach us about death
“My favorite monk at the ashram where I lived in India taught me that dogs have such a short lifespan because it’s part of their loving service to us. They are here, among other reasons, to teach us how to die—because they are so good at it, and we are so bad at it. . . . Wanting to help, they volunteer to die early, as a way of saying: ‘Look! It’s not hard! Let me show you how! All you have to do is let go.'”
Studio portrait of Jane Goodall and Rusty, Bournemouth, U.K., 1954.The Jane Goodall Institute / Courtesy of the Goodall Family
The Jane Goodall Institute / Courtesy of the Goodall Family
Jane Goodall on the unique pain of losing her dog Rusty
“It wasn’t reading books or working with chimps that convinced me animals could think and feel. It was my dog, Rusty. We spent every waking hour together. I can still remember clearly the day he died. I was about twenty. I was in London out to dinner with my boyfriend and I got the call. I tried to carry on normally but I burst out crying. I was utterly devastated. The deaths of some of the chimps I’ve worked with were very upsetting but it wasn’t the same as Rusty. The chimps were their own selves, they were quite separate—Rusty was part of me.”
David Sedaris on the death of his cat
The cat’s death struck me as the end of an era. . . .The end of my safe college life, the last of my thirty-inch waist, my faltering relationship with my first real boyfriend. I cried for it all andspent the next several months wondering why so few songs were written about cats.
Helen Keller and Phiz, Boston, 1902.Library of Congress
Library of Congress
Helen Keller on what happens after a pet’s death
I grieved for him a long time, and resolved never to have another dog. But everybody knows how, in the course of time, the proverbial other dog arrives.
Dean Koontz on how dogs live life
“When you have dogs, you witness their uncomplaining acceptance of suffering, their bright desire to make the most of life in spite of the limitations of age and disease, their calm awareness of the approaching end when their final hours come. They accept death with a grace that I hope I will one day be brave enough to muster.”
Georgia O’Keeffe with her chow chows, Abiquiú, New Mexico, 1962.Todd Webb Archive
Todd Webb Archive
Georgia O’Keefe on the companionship pets provide
“The dog and I have a walk almost every early morning and again at sunset—He just now banged on the door to tell me he was ready to come in and go to bed.”
Oprah Winfrey on the pain of losing a pet
Weeks have passed. And the pain has not subsided. Every time I think about it, my heart starts racing and I feel like I just got stabbed in the chest. It’s a jolt, still. Gracie’s death.
Barack Obama and Bo playing on the White House lawn, Washington, D.C., 2009.Courtesy Barack Obama Presidential Library
Barack Obama on missing his dog Bo
For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and every day in between. He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair. He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected.We will miss him dearly.
source: people.com
