Kipling knew a thing or two

From "The Power of the Dog" : -

"When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And give your heart to a dog to tear."

From "His Apologies" : -

"Master, pity Thy Servant! He is deaf and three parts blind.
He cannot catch Thy Commandments. He cannot read Thy Mind.
Oh, leave him not to his loneliness; nor make him that kitten's scorn.
He hath had none other God than Thee since the year that he was born.

Lord, look down on Thy Servant! Bad things have come to pass.
There is no heat in the midday sun, nor health in the wayside grass.
His bones are full of an old disease - his torments run and increase.
Lord, make haste with Thy Lightenings and grant him a quick release!"

There are times when thick sentiment is exactly what's needed.

Given that Copper's incipient demise overshadowed the whole day, it's probably just as well that we went out for a Wii evening with some friends, which was a lot of fun. If I were half as good at bowling in real life, my PE lessons at school would have been far less stressful...