Condolences. Your Dad's right, of course, but losing a dog's not nothing, is it. I took some joy out of seeing that, for all your losses, there's a new family member soon to arrive.
thanks for sharing, for letting us know these people a bit. My senior prom was a year earlier than yours, and the car was a '69 Gran Torino. But someplace I have a picture VERY much like yours. [Wonderful you two have been together that long.]