Have you ever felt you were to blame when your pet got sick or passed away?

Perhaps you weren't observant enough. Did you miss the skin rash that turned out to be mange, causing poor Fido to suffer longer than he had to? Or did Rover get a bad cough and fever because you were too busy to take him to the vet for his vaccinations?

Even worse: Someone ran over their dog by accident in the driveway and the dog died. Think about that guilt!

A co-worker's chinchilla died when she left it in the care of a relative while she was on a trip. The chinchilla got out of his cage during the night and drowned in a fish tank.

When I was 5, we moved to our new home in St. Louis Heights. My father bought me a Pomeranian puppy. She had a beautiful, fluffy orange coat and weighed no more than 4 pounds. He paid a lot for her at a pet shop on Kapahulu Avenue. At night, we kept her in the bathroom because she wasn't housebroken.

One early Saturday morning, feeling sorry that she was cooped up all night, my father let her out of the house unsupervised while I was asleep.

I woke up looking for my puppy. I found her body in the street, blood coming from her mouth. When I picked her up, she was limp, already dead. I carried her home and rocked her for several hours, thinking she would wake up.

My father must have felt terrible. I cried the whole day. I blamed him for causing my puppy's death.

Thinking back, my father loved dogs all his life. He didn't do this on purpose. It just happened.

This year to honor him (he passed away in 2005), I donated a tree in his name at the Hawaiian Humane Society's dog park so he can be around dogs all the time. I know he would enjoy that.

Unfortunately, accidents will happen. If they were unintentional, don't blame yourself or anyone else. Let go of the guilt.

ADOPTABLES

LILO

TAG NO. 08-23516

The shelter is full of black and white cats, and Lilo aims to set himself apart from the rest. Hoping to capture your heart with his melting seafoam green eyes, he's hoping to impress you with his good taste in companions and manners.

ASHES

TAG NO. 08-24784

Dainty and curious, Ashes has an eye for adventure. She's looking for a companion who is up for trouble.

JULIE

TAG NO. 08-23982

At 7 years young, Julie is one cute shaggy dog with a cold nose and warm heart — just waiting for someone to love.

These animals already may have found homes. Go to www.hawaiianhumane.org or call 946-2187. Call immediately to report lost or found animals, ext. 2.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 18 years, or 126 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs