You see I went for many years without a pet as I couldn't handle getting attached again only to see them die. As a young child we had many pets and most met some tragic end or another.

One of our dogs for example escaped our backyard and got hit by a car. I have seen numerous dogs die this way in my travels. However in our case we really thought we had a securely fenced off backyard however it wasn't to be.

Of course this places special emphasis on having proper dog fencing and for your kids sake and for your pets sake make sure you do a quality of job of securing your yard so that your pet can not get out.

One of the most heartbreaking things I went through as a kid was losing a dog to distemper. The dog had been our family for years and was muched love by us all however it tragically got sick.

We of course took it to the vet who told us our beloved pet had distemper and that it would die. We did everything we could to save that dog. I still remember it laying in front of our big wood heater in our lounge room.

Our dogs weren't allowed in the lounge room normally but this was a special case. We spread out a rug on the floor, stoked the fire up, had blankets on the dog and basically patted it and talked it almost non stop.

However the vet turned out to be correct and the dog died after about 5 or 7 days. I don't think any more could have be done in a serious situation like that however this little story again illustrates the importance of proper pet health care.

Make sure you have a good vet and follow the vets advice. Sometimes your animal might need worming or some other simple thing that can save its life and your family from sorrow.

Of course I have dwelt on some of the negatives of owning a pet however I have come to realise that some of my most precious moments growing up was with the pets I had grown fond of and the events that took place makes us who we are today. Older and wiser we can make sure we take premium care of our pets.