One scientist explained, “Separation might cause neurological collapse. Disorientation. Breakdown. In severe cases, it might prove fatal, or that’s our understanding.” The animal could not reattach. It could not transfer loyalty. The bond was not a behavior, but structural.
Vanessa understood the implication too late. Scooby would never leave Betty willingly. And Betty, she realized with a cold clarity, might not survive losing him in any meaningful way. As a mother, her first relief that a separation might be out of her hands, that she may not have to make that decision, was now replaced with cold dread.