The Quiet Goodbye: Loving and Losing a Dog Later in Life 🐶💔

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You know, there are some goodbyes we never quite learn how to say.

For those of us in life’s later chapters, the love we give — and receive — from our pets often takes on a deeper, quieter meaning. They’re not just animals. They’re our companions in the long walks, the quiet nights, the joyful mornings. They don’t judge our age, our pace, or our past. They just stay, and in so doing they combat our epidemic of loneliness according to the US Surgeon General.

 

Today, on The Not Old Better Show – Art of Living series, we’re joined by someone who recently said goodbye to their beloved dog — a companion who offered years of loyalty, humor, and comfort.

 

It’s a story many of you will know well: the unspoken rituals, the tail thumps that meet you at the door, the warmth of a furry friend who somehow senses what you need before you even speak it. And then, the silence that follows when they’re gone.

 

But this conversation isn’t just about grief. It’s about gratitude. It’s about the meaning of companionship in older age — how a dog can fill a home, heal a heart, and remind us that we are never too old to love deeply, and be loved in return.

 

In all transparency, I know our guest, Mike Olsen, very well. I know the family. You’ll hear me mention Mike’s parents, who i know well, and Mike’s sons, Mike’s wife Sara, all dear friends. We’ll talk about Mike’s dog, and pets in general.

 

Stay with us — this one’s for every listener who’s ever held a paw, shared a look, or whispered goodbye through tears.