Do babies feel sadness?

I'm sure they can sense when you are stressed, but what about other emotions? Today I am feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness. My shih tzu of about 15 years, Pierre, passed away this morning. I am grateful that he passed peacefully in his sleep and that he doesn't have to deal with all of life's troubles anymore. I am also thankful that he passed in the comfort of our home and not at the vet's because he always hated going to the vet. It's what my husband and I always wanted for him. It's not really a surprise that he passed, as his health was rapidly declining these past few days. He's been blind for a long time now, but amazingly made his way around the house and even up and down the stairs for a while. His biggest challenge was a nasty perianal tumor that was located on his tail that occurred because he was never neutered and was most likely cancerous at this point. When we moved to our new house, the new vet suggested neutering him in the hopes that the tumor would shirk, if not stop growing. That was a few months ago and it definitely had stopped growing, but was always there. We had hoped to get the tumor surgically removed, but life happens and it unfortunately got pushed back. Thankfully Pierre continued to live a happy, normal life; just content to bask in the sun all day and nap around the house.

His health started to decline in the past weeks when we noticed he wasn't eating as much. He was still moving around and doing his business outside, but he was getting thinner. First we figured the hard dog food was become too tiring for him to eat, so we fed him soft canned food. That lasted a few months, but these past few weeks he wouldn't eat the canned food anymore. We were able to get him to eat rice, hamburger meat, boiled chicken, fruits, and liver (his favorite) for a while, but in the past week he would eat only bits and pieces, if anything at all.

We had planned to take him to the vet tomorrow, most likely to get place down, so in some ways I'm thankful he went on his own terms. Today the vet is closed, so we called an emergency vet regarding our options. We decided against cremation because of the cost and have decided to bury him at the back of our property as we live on a few acres. This morning we found a peaceful, quiet clearing under the trees where the sun light passes through. I wanted a nice sunny spot, as Pierre loved to sit quietly in the sun. Even after he became blind he would sit out in our yard and let the sun warm his face. I wish today was a happy sunny day for him, but it's appropriately gloomy, cloudy, and now rainy.

I will miss his fierce spirit and energetic personality. In his younger years he would bolt out of my parents' house and we would have to chase after him. I think he really just liked to run. Playing tug-of-war was his favorite game. And while he hated to be groomed or get bathed (typical boy), he was a lover and always there for a warm cuddle. I will miss his smile and funny antics, but I am happy that he lived a wonderful life and is now in a better place.

Rest in peace, buddy. Thank you for all the joy and happiness you brought to my life...

Pierre 07.21.2013