Chances are, you've known a pet like Willard. Perhaps it was a dog. Perhaps a cat. Perhaps some other companion. It's the animal that helped you through the loneliest most painful episode of your life. Maybe you lost someone dear to you. Or you lost a job, or ran into some terrible legal problem, or someone close to you suffered some tough, tough times. Maybe you yourself struggled through illness – pets are particularly adept at helping us in such situations. Whatever might have happened, if you had a pet who loved you and cheered you and gave you reason to keep going through the darkness and toward the dawn, then you've known a pet like Willard. Willard was brought to the Columbus Small Animal Hospital when he was very, very ill. The woman who contacted us about him wrote that Willard was a special dog who had helped his owner weather some rough times. Here's how we responded: “We put our hearts into every case and always work to do our absolute best. We have devoted our adult lives to constant learning and to constantly upgrading our equipment and techniques in what has become a truly unique veterinary hospital. We also forge great relationships with outside experts and industry folks who further enhance our capabilities and guide our steps. “This sounds like a serious situation. We will put our best effort into finding out what the problems are.” We discovered the source of Willard’s problems and shared the sad news that he did not have long to live. A little more than a week after our first contact with Willard's owner, we learned that our assessment was unfortunately accurate. Our hearts were moved when we received this message: “I wanted to say thank you again. The care you gave Willard was beyond the call of duty. We lost Willard a couple of days ago. Although people say he isn't suffering anymore, our hearts are still bleeding. The care you gave helps with that. The compassion and explanation of his illness was greatly appreciated. I feel you are a 5-Star Veterinarian and will highly recommend you to anyone and everyone.” Pain and loss, unfortunately, are inevitable. Our prescription for getting through times of pain and loss is faith, patience, compassion from those around you who care and the transcendent presence of a beloved pet.

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