Same. When we put our German Shepard down it broke my heart. Our Blue Heeler is getting close, and it kills me to think about going through that again. I know it's a part of dog ownership but that doesn't make it any easier.
And that's what makes it so hard. The unconditional love and the complete trust they put in us. You're right though. If they're suffering we owe it to them to make the hard choice instead of being selfish and prolonging their pain just so we can delay our sadness.
Here's a mood lightener. Ever wonder why your dog stares at you when it poops? It's because they're vulnerable while they're pooping so they're looking at you for signs of danger. In their mind you are legitimately protecting them, even if you're just standing on the porch thinking "
come on man it's cold out here, let's speed this process along".
And here's a picture of the previously mentioned Shepard (Kira) and our Heeler (Buckles) playing in the rain. What a mess that was. Their run flooded, but they didn't seem to care. Those were some soggy doggies when they came it. Not bad on a Heeler, a bear to clean up on a Shepard.
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