A dog, a cat, or any animal as a pet becomes close to families. They are so loved and hopefully, so cared for that their death can be a very hard one to handle.

Have you ever had a beloved pet pass away? If so, how did you take it?

Feel free to express your feelings and experiences.

Just recently, actually, not more than four hours ago my dog Ace passed. Just two hours before I got home. He died in his sleep, by the looks of it - we found him lying in his normal position, completely peaceful. I just hope he didn't go with any suffering. I'm very distressed about it but I'm trying as best as I can to look to the brighter side of things. It's really sad, too, when such a benevolent creature passes away. He really did have quite a personality.

Ironically, I saw the oldest dog I've ever seen just earlier today - a 17 year old lab. And Ace was only 7, a pretty young age.