When we don't love ourselves and are dependent only on external sources for love, we set ourselves up for horrible suffering at the time of separation. This is true of all of our relationships, human and animal. Don't let anyone ever convince you that you are stuck in your grief "because you love animals too much." There is really no such thing as loving anyone, of any species, too much. What we can do, though, is love another more than ourselves. When we learn to love ourselves more fully, we'll still experience the inevitable pain of grief when we lose a loved one, but the suffering transforms to a quiet grace.