I've only just seen this one, sorry to hear about Parsley, my sister has a horse and there's always an incredible connection there. We're pet obsessed too (At the moment it stands at 2 cats - Ponyo and Angel, 2 Rabbits - Felix and Pika, 2 Gecko's - Chihiro and Morgan (We like pairs as you can see!) A tropical fish tank with the appropriate fish, a pond with the appropriate fish and finally my best pet buddy Kaya the Labrador Retriever) and the thought of losing any of them is always horrible.

There's something really heartbreaking about animals you can get really close to, like horses or - from experience - dogs. As I write this Kaya is lying across the sofa with her head on my lap. Can't bear the thought of when she's not there!

You're right though, as much as it's horrible to go through the reward of having pets far outweighs the pain when they go.