My cousin's dog died suddenly at the age of seven. She, her partner and two sons are devastated. It's sad, he was a lovely dog, I've took mine with him and gone to West Kirby beach on a few occasions in the summer. His death wasn't something that was expected. I was thinking about how the boys had gone through secondary school with him at home to return to at the end of each day, to talk to and walk with, and now he's no longer there. I later learned that my cousin's niece (9) was inconsolable, she took a day off school. I remember being a similar age when my auntie's dog died and being upset about it. You don't think about how much an animal can have an impact on your family 'til they're gone.