Though now I have to scream and cry behind closed doors because such overt rages upset the dog. She cannot understand what is going on. All she knows is that “Dad” isn’t here anymore and “Mom” cries a lot. The dog gets fed, brushed, walked, and played with as usual, but things aren’t as usual. She knows.

When Mom cries, the dog climbs onto her lap and tries to lick away her tears to no avail.  When Mom screams, the dog cowers and runs to the other room, still to no avail.  Mom will cry and scream again later.  If only Dad could come back and take care of her.

Image credit: unsplash.com/Jarrod Reed