Fur babies

I hesitated for some time before putting this in writing. I suppose I was at a loss for words. What is this all about, you wonder?
 
If you’ve reached a certain point in the book, you know that Olivia shares her life with two adorable shih tzus. The Puppy and Baileys characters were inspired by my own fur family. This summer Baileys had reached the ripe old age of fifteen and Puppy may have broken a record with his seventeen years and two months. Quite suddenly and a few months before the publication of A Quest of the Heart, both their health took a turn for the worse. Baileys had never ‘accepted’ last year's sudden blindness and had been very depressed all the while being afflicted by occasional and serious bouts of illness. Puppy’s sight had become steadily worse, as was his arthritis and loss of muscle mass. As of late, his excessive water intake, I feared, could be indicative of other issues. The day I had dreaded for years had come. To love them meant letting them go, and together, as I knew how closely knit they were. Most difficult decision I ever made.
 
I spent the better part of the summer in tears and wondering why their health had failed so significantly and at the same time, a mere few months before publication? Had it been their life mission to provide me with unconditional love, companionship and support until the novel was published or was it just unfortunate timing - life?

​I choose to remain cautious before speaking of coincidences. Answers, I trust, will be revealed at a later time.
 
Rest in peace my angels. You now rest safely in my heart forever.