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It's rare that headline news strikes our families directly, but the story about tainted pet food hit home hard.

My brother Glen put down his 12-year-old Great Dane, Abby, on April 3 because her kidneys were failing and she couldn't hold her bladder. He had switched three months earlier from Alpo to Iams Canned Chicken & Chunks.

It may be that both brands were tainted, but at the time, he thought the switch would be better for Abby's digestion.

He cried for three days before she was euthanized. The vet took care of disposing with the body. My brother regretted that.

"I don't think you get as much closure when you put them down, and you don't have the body to dispose of," he said.

I know about feeling guilty over the death of a dog. Many years ago, I let our family's basset hound, Lady, out one cold winter day. I didn't walk her because I was sick in bed. A neighbor called to say Lady had been hit by a car on a busy road around the corner from our house.

My penance was burying her body. I'm sure it was against local ordinances in Maryland. I transported her stiff remains, wrapped in an old comforter, by wheelbarrow to the back edge of our property. Digging dirt in freezing, nasty East Coast weather was hard work.

Still, the physical effort was a release for the emotional burden. With tears, sweat and a runny nose, I buried her and placed a large rock to mark the spot. It was a comfort to see her resting place in the backyard, and seeing any basset hound still delights me.

Our beloved pets' spirits live on in our hearts forever.