Originally Posted by
JDiver
Having experienced too many losses over the years, including two cairn terriers, two Siberian huskies, two cats, a German shepherd, four Rhodesian Ridgebacks, one "Heinz 57" - all except the Cairns we purchased from a breeder in the 1960s were rescues - we can empathize with what folks are feeling when they lose a pet. (This doesn't count the pets we each lost before we married.) It's not easy, we have to allow ourselves time and space to grieve and not everyone understands.
RSSrsvp, we've walked that difficult walk and had to make the difficult decision for some of our pets - quality of life vs. end of pain and travail. Heartfelt sympathies for you and lots of kudos for doing the right, if difficult, thing.
Thanks for your kind words. Last night I was reflecting with one of my neighbors who is also a dog owner and she hit the nail right on the head. I had 2 beagles growing up as a kid but they were both "family" dogs. Angel was the first dog I owned in my adult life and I spent more time being with her than any living person in the last 10 years. She was my shadow and it was almost like she had a sixth sense that I needed a mental boost as no matter how bad a day I was having she always managed to put a smile on my face.