Separate Lifetimes

Outstanding book, for anybody who has ever loved and lost a beloved companion animal. Will put a lump in your throat, a tear in your eye, and a feeling of warmth deep within your heart. Arlene Millman, author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY (The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier).

I have been in the veterinary industry for over 15 years. Sadly, we often send condolence cards to owners when their pets pass away. Many years ago I started seeing a particular quote by Irving Townsend on these cards. It read, "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necesssary plan." It took over 15 years to stumble across the book that contains this quote, but it was worth the wait. I recommend it from the heart. A truly memorable experience.

Irving Townsend revisits the lives of some of his favorite animals and the ways they have touched him. Read about Prince, the horse saved from an auction, who blossomed and came into his own; the cat without a name who shared his life for a few months to recover from an injury. These are the characters, but he tells their stories as they affect him. It is his sense of loss that we feel and understand. An excellent book for anyone who has ever loved or lost a pet or companion animal.