Just coming from another "dog person" , my prayer's are with you. I can't imagine something happening to my "babies". I have three dog's , Chihuahua's by the way , that mean the world to me. I think animal's , pet's , serve a very important role in people's live's and can offer a lot. A fellow dog owner told me one time that he thought that "A dog's love is the closest to God's love because they offer so much to there master and ask little or nothing in return. There affection is unconditional." I don't know if that's true but it's food for thought. Once again I'm sorry for your loss and hope you find a new companion because a dog really can be man or woman's best friend.