I totally agree. My dog, Rugby, now has a fixature on his arm due to a second surgery to straighten his arm from when he broke it as a pup. The first surgery for the break was at least $4000. This current one will definitely go over $5k easily. And yet I get asked all the time at work, "so...when would you ever say 'nope, can't do that'?" or I get told "it's just a dog." Might be "just a dog" to some people, but he truly is my four-footed child.

We also got a cat after our neighbors moved out and left her behind. For two weeks, she was skittish and howled outside the house, waiting to be let in - but no one was there. We gained her trust with food and water and she's now the most adoring cat I've ever met.