What I See with Peter Fiorenza: The value of our furry friends and why losing a precious pet can hurt so much

Life is a journey full of ups, downs and is only guaranteed by its unpredictability. It is often those who are along with you for the journey that help make your life happy, testing, or at times tolerable. They are there when we cheer, when we laugh and when we cry— a constant in our lives that gives us the ability to have the confidence to be who we are. Now, for many, this could come in the guise of a partner or soulmate. For others, their best friend. As we get older, I reckon this becomes more significant — having that crutch in life that holds you steady, both from a physical and emotional perspective. There are so many aspects in life that come together to make a person, who they are and one of those is our relationship with our pet animals. Bert Boschetti is a dear friend and someone I have known all of my life. And from as far back as I can remember, Bert has had a dog. The Boschetti household has been home to a series of labradors and golden retrievers along with a couple of Rhodesian ridgebacks, who spent their days following Bert around. You would think something was out of place if you visited Bert’s office and there wasn’t a dog lying at his feet. Often Bert would take great pride in showing you the latest trick the dog had mastered and just how loyal it was to its boss. Life at Basile Island or around the Geraldton Gun Club always involved a Boschetti pooch. Recently, Bert lost his latest dog, Puss. After 14 years, Puss peacefully passed away. She just run out of puff. Even though Bert knew the day would come, losing his best friend did hit him hard. “You don’t realise how much something is a part of your life until it is gone,” he said. “The Liberal mob won’t know what to do on election day,” he added with a giggle. “Because Puss was responsible for distributing all the how-to-vote cards.” In fact, Puss had become quite famous at local voting booths. Like everything, time will heal, but for Bert, something to keep in mind. I found this on a Facebook Page about dogs: “When it’s too hard to look back and you’re too afraid to look forward, look right beside you. I’ll be there.” RIP Puss. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA