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DeathandIarenot strangers. I have looked in its face more times than I care to count. Whether it was with pa- tients, family, or pets, each time one died a part of me died with them. Nobody ever tells you about the chunk of you that is lost when someone you have cared about dies. You lose that portion of your life shared during the mo- ments, days, or years that your lives entwined. That period was unique to the both of you, never repeat- ing again. So when they died, yes, a fragment of me died with them. Grief is the gut-wrench- ing heartbreak that comes with death when we give of ourselves to another living creature. It does not mat- ter whether that being is human or animal, the emo- tion is the same. If you have not yet experienced this kind of profound loss, I ask that you understand this. One day, some living entity will leave your life and you will not only mourn their departure, but you will also grieve the loss of the part of you that they took with them and the future you had hoped to share. Another issue is the guilt that rages. Did I do everything that was in my power to do? Should I have done something dif- ferently? Did they know I tried my best? Did they think I failed them? Did they know I cared? The words "What if," "If only," and "Could I have," flow through the mind like an endless torrential flood. There seems to be no end to the second-guessing of decisions made when death occurs. Even though I know that death is an inevitable end to any life, the knowl- edge does not offer com- fort, nor does it make it any easier to bear for those of us who must con- tinue living. This week I said goodbye to a very special girl. She took her last breath while I held her in my arms, and whispered the same words I said the first day she en- tered my life, " I love you … I've gotcha … I've always got you… you are my an- gel." I will never know if she heard me, for she did not hear much, or if she un- derstood what I meant, but I need to believe she did. For those of you who did not know her, her name was Noël and this mangy stray dog became family on December 3, 2011. I tell you this not to elicit sympathy, but to offer in- sight. When a beloved pet dies, the grief and sense of loss can be, for many of us, quite overwhelming. While some might be surprised by this intensity of grief over "just a dog" or "just an ani- mal," let me assure you that it is very real and very sub- stantial. For those of you that feel that profound anguish over the death of a pet is not worthy of as much rec- ognition as the death of a person, please do not mar- ginalize the feelings of those of us who are expe- riencing the grief. If you have no idea what to say or are reluctant to talk about it, just listen. If you cannot relate or think we are over- reacting, please be quiet. It is not easy when we lose a beloved pet, so for those of us grieving, we need sup- port and the understand- ing that our loss can be significant and legitimate. All my pets have been not only the most loyal of friends, but also inte- gral parts of my family. Their constant compan- ionship and total depen- dency fills both a void and a need within my own ex- istence. Their total trust in me with their hearts, I view as an honor. The un- conditional, non-judgmen- tal love they offer so freely makes it especially hard when I lose any of them. We form rituals between us and when any die, a vast hole opens and those life routines fall into that void never to exist again. Emptiness prevails. You may ask, why write this article. While I can say that I wish to inform you, the reader, about the grief that ensues when one loses a pet, I will give you a more honest answer, in- stead. It is a catharsis. I need to process my grief over the loss of my pre- cious Noël, and writing helps me do that. "Just a dog" to some. To me, Noël was my angel and a part of me did indeed die when she passed away. Yes folks, the grief is quite real. RonnieCaseyisvice president of PETS — Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter. She can be reached at rmcredbluff@ gmail.com. For more information about PETS, visit petstehama.org. PETS Dealingwithdeath, loss and grief Ronnie Casey RedBluffTopFueler Varsity wrestlers placed at Orland Spider Patch Tournament. Gabe Crump, right, placed second, Tyler Peter- son placed third and Adam Peterson placed second. Top Fueler Junior Varsity wrestlers placed in Corning PAL Tournament. Banion Dion placed third, Kyle Azevedo placed second, Corbin Domoe placed second and Julian Phil- ips placed first. CONTRIBUTEDPHOTO TOP FUELER Wrestlers place at Orland, Corning events Come join good friends for lunch in the Garden- side Café, in the Red Bluff Community and Senior Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. A freshly prepared, nutritionally balanced meal is served Monday through Friday at noon. Lunch also is served at the Corning Senior Center, 1014 4th Ave., at 11:30 a.m. Call 527-2414 a day ahead to reserve a space for lunch. A mini- mum suggested donation of $3.50 for those 60 and older is requested, al- though a donation is not a requirement to receive a meal. There is a charge of $8 for guests younger than 60. Come enjoy lunch and various activ- ities during the week, all are welcome. The menu for the coming week: Jan. 23-27 Monday Chicken Alfredo Bake, Zucchini, Apricots, Berry Juice, Whole Wheat Roll Tuesday Chili, Orange Wedges, Pineapple Coleslaw, Corn- bread Wednesday ETHNIC Beef Tamale Pie, Refried Beans, Parsley Carrots, Tropical Fruit Cup, Whole Wheat Tortilla Thursday Macaroni & Cheese, Cal- ifornia Blend Vegetables, Pears Friday Hot Roast Beef Sand- wich, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Broccoli Pine- apple Salad, Peach Blue- berry Compote SENIOR NUTRITION Lunch menu for the week ahead The following informa- tion is compiled from Red Bluff Police Department, Red Bluff Fire, Tehama County Sheriff's Depart- ment, Corning Police De- partment, Corning Fire, Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol logs. Arrest DannyScottCloud: 22, was arrested Thursday at Dog Island Park and booked into Tehama County Jail on the charges of battery, vandalism under $400and willful harm to a child. Bail was $10,000. David Wayne Haynes: 37, was arrested Thursday in the area of Umpqua Bank in Los Molinos and booked into jail on the charge of vehicle the . Bradley Scott Russel: 30, was arrested Thurs- day in the area of Juanitas Court and St. Mary Avenue and booked into jail on the charge of inflicting corporal injury on spouse or cohabi- tant. Bail was $50,000. Megan Elizabeth Thorla: 27, of Paradise was arrest- ed Thursday at the TA Truck Stop in Corning and booked into jail on the charges of buying or receiving a stolen vehicle or equipment, driv- ing on a suspended license and two counts of vehicle the . Fire 16000block Rancho Tehama Road: A structure fire in a detached garage reported at 1:18a.m. Friday is under investigation. There were no injuries. Kidnapping Red Bluff: A woman came to the police lobby Thursday a ernoon to report that she had been kidnapped a week earlier and escaped Wednesday evening. The case is under investigation. Patrol Solano Street: The Super 8in Corning requested extra patrol due to a vehicle with a smashed window. Jackson Street: A Red Bluff resident reported hearing someone talking either in or next to their residence about 5:15a.m. Thursday and requested extra patrol. Suspicious South Main Street: Metro PCS reported Thursday a ernoon someone was inside a shed. Jarrod Gabriel McVay, 26, of Red Bluff and Cecelia Nancy Ramirez- Rojas, 36, were arrested and booked into jail on the charge of trespassing. Ramirez-Rojas was booked on the additional charge of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia. South Main Street: A woman possibly associated with a blue GMC tried to steal money from a tip jar at Kevin's Donuts about 2p.m. Thursday before paying for her donuts with a fraudu- lent $20bill. Antelope Boulevard: A man in a red Toyota Tacoma approached someone about 7p.m. Thursday asking if they wanted to buy a pound of marijuana. Kevin Duane Sampson, 51, and Robert Noel Howard, 40, both of Eureka were cited and released on the charges of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and possession of a con- trolled substance. Sampson was cited on the additional charge of possession of marijuana for sale. The s Antelope Boulevard: Tools were stolen from a guest's vehicle at the Best Western Antelope Inn. Second Street: A five- gallon bucket with tools, valued at $600, was stolen from the back of a truck at Bell Carter Packing Co. Vandalism Fig Lane: A rear window on a school van was smashed at the Corning Head Start Center. Sunrise Avenue: A vehicle was broken into Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Express in Corning. Jefferson and Wil- low streets: A fuel line to a work truck was cut sometime about 3:30p.m. Thursday. Crosby Lane: Someone threw a rock through a window of a vehicle. Weather Reeds Creek Road: Public Works crews worked Friday removing a tree that had fallen down. There were 273people without power Friday. Rawson Road: A report was received about 4:15 a.m. Thursday that the Corning Animal Shelter was starting to flood. Police Logs Giving beer to a mule was construed to be sufficient grounds for a charge of cruelty to animals made against Frank W. James, a Lima junker, in police court before Mayor E. M. Bell, who imposed a find of $25 and costs. James had trained the animal to drink beer and was found by the police to be exhibiting the mule for the purpose of se- curing drinks for him- self. — Jan. 21, 1917 100 YEARS AGO... Gave mule beer; pays $25 for his fun PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Findusonline! Gold Exchange 413WalnutStreet 530-528-8000 Sat.-Mon. 10am-4pm • Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm www.redbluffgoldexchange.com LetThe Romance Begin.. 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