I'm glad to see you, Kristine. We have wondered if you were ok and hoped that you were. 

There really is no easy way to do this. Each one of us has to find our own way, but that doesn't mean we have to do it alone. I've gotten lots of support here, and no one ever tells me it's just a dog or asks me when I'll stop talking about my dog. 

I understand very much how Kismet has found her own way to shine. When the spotlight's really bright, those just outside the beam may be hard to see. Others here have mentioned the same thing. It can take time, but it often happens that the remaining dog blossoms. Evelyn spent the first month or so acting lost, especially at bedtime. Pretty soon she became really attached, like sewn to me (kind of how you described Kermit). However, knowing the personality of her breed, I know that she just must bond terribly closely to something. It used to be Dakota and now it's me. I'm ok with that. It's made her better behaved.

I hope you can continue to check in. We've missed you. We miss Kermit, but we don't want to lose you in addition to him. I'd love to hear more about him. 

Shari