oh no, Oak, there was no invalidation, in fact, I was actually validating your comment

I was having a bit of an issue feeling that perhaps I was more devastated by my dog's death than my father's. Not to say my dad's death didn't/hasn't affected me, because it does, but his seems to be more on a subconscious level. With my dog, my life literally did revolve around him as he was old and he had many health issues. So when he died, not only was it a visual reminder that he was gone (his bed put away, his leash hanging by the door, etc), but my whole routine was disrupted. It really left a big hole in my life.

Anyways, I think every death is different, as is the way we are affected by them. For the most part, you expect your parents to die before you, and also your pets. You're sort of "prepared", but you never really are, are you? One day they're there, and the next day they're gone. And you'll never see them again. It's quite profound.