We had been cat (my love) and dog (his love) parents/servants for more than 30 years. But about 10 years ago we decided to no longer replace our babies and downpetsize. In 2016 we lost our sweet Molly dog and my darling Chester cat--my avatar that I just cannot replace. And on Jan 2 of this year my dear Flash died in my arms. I like the freedom we have achieved but I miss having a purring hairball curled up in my lap. Thank goodness we occasionally sit the Grandpuppy or DH would probably sneak a barker into the house.