I've just realised having pets actually sucks.

You get them, you open your heart (and your bed and couches) to them. You love them. You run them to the vet when they're sick, you play with them, you are entertained by them.

You cuddle with them, you comfort them when they're scared, you're greeted by insanely happy creatures when you get back home from work or the shops.

And what do you get in return? For them to be a part of your life for years only for them to cross the rainbow bridge and leave you long before you're ready for them to.

No more pets for me after my current ones ago. In the past two years we've said goodbye to five of them. I'm not ready for more to go, yet this morning I realise how milky the one eye of my one dogs is, and I realise the painkillers my one other dog will be for the rest of her life, because she's too old for surgery.