By Lisa Cohn
Three years ago, our beloved dog, Lucy, died suddenly of cancer at the age of 6, giving no warning she was ill.

Every day, up until the day she died, I ran with her through the forest behind our house. Every day, right up until the day she died, our family members tossed balls with her, romped with her, and took her everywhere with us in our car.

I had no clue she was suffering from cancer, and, of course, was overcome with intense grief when we lost her. Every corner of my life reminded me of Lucy. My home office, our neighborhood, our forest, our car–they all seemed empty without her.

Just as important, I was inspired by Lucy’s bravery and strength. After she passed away, the vet told us, “A sick dog will often romp with you on the beach all day, then come home and pass away. Dogs don’t focus on what hurts.”

At the time, I was so upset by Lucy’s death that I couldn’t eat or sleep. As a writer, I often turn to writing to help me when I’m having a hard time–and that’s just what I did. My book lover, Michael, jumped in to help me begin our “Bash and Lucy” book series.

Our aim was to keep the memory of Lucy alive in our books–and to teach our readers about all that dogs give to their human companions. As part of that mission, Michael and I started giving “Skype in the Classroom” lessons about our writing and publishing experiences. We always begin the lesson with a photo of Lucy. We ask kids if they ever use writing or art to help them overcome grief, and during every lesson, a few children share stories of writing or doing art projects to overcome grief over the loss of a pet.

Learn more about our experiences in this Oregonian story: http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2013/10/grief_over_dogs_death_inspires.html

When Lucy died, we couldn’t stand the emptiness of a home with no dog. Soon enough, we met puppy Hudson, a golden retriever, and brought him home. His love, goofiness, and energy brought us happiness when we were feeling so sad. At the request of many of the kids we work with, he’s going to be an important character in our third book.

Have a story about how you coped with the loss of a pet? Please share it with us. As always, you can email us with questions and comments at BashAndLucy@gmail.com