Thank you for this beautifully written, thoughtful post. Our relationships with the animals that we care for are just as meaningful and fulfilling as those with other humans, particularly during a time when our toxic society and technology have produced an existential crisis of anomie and loneliness.

They can show unconditional kindness, attention, affection and a joy for living in ways that many people seem to be incapable of. Their lives and eventual deaths matter.

Raccoons are dope