Thank you all for your wonderful support. I know many of you have lost a cherished animal friend, and so know how very much it hurts when they go, never to be seen again.
This morning I placed some of Bucky's hairs (from the spot where he died) and his collar which he wore from the time we adopted him until he died, in a plastic bag for preservation. Those artifacts I will keep until the day I too pass into the great beyond.
For the past couple of mornings, while drinking my morning coffee, I found myself saving a few swigs at the bottom of the cup for Bucky. He and I have had this routine for so many years. I think I will start a new tradition. From now own, I'll save a little coffee at the bottom of the cup for my buddy. It'll go down the sink, of course, but perhaps in a way it will always remind me of the special bond we had. He will always be so very close to my heart.
Again, thanks, friends.