Ah, the cycle of life. How it runs, seemingly, back to the beginning. It's the "empty nest" part of the cycle that we are in now.
My wife and I married in the early seventies. We lived in a rambling cottage on the edge of a farm and we had three dogs. There was always an edge of panic when our bulldog, lab or spaniel got sick. You know the scene. Young couple dote on dogs, visit vet frequently, spend a fortune at the vet! Our dogs have always been important but when the kids came along the dogs had their noses put out and vet fees plummeted as paediatric fees rose.
The kids are adults now and we're 35 years on ---and we're right back at square one --because our pup, Gus,fell ill yesterday. He vomited profusely throughout the night so we didn't get much sleep. Hovering around him, keeping him warm, coaxing him to drink, pondering on his demise from some dog illness that we couldn't fathom. So, it was up at sparrows and off to the vet who told us that he had caught a chill. A few sharp needles later and he's improving. and these old fogies will get some sleep tonight.
Ah, the cycle of life.