Tracy, beautiful article. I feel a heart tug because I'm a chihuahua mama. Both of mine are over 8 years old and just yesterday I considered how it might be to be without one of them. I'm closest to Bud, our little male. He lights up my world in a way no other dog of mine ever has and I've had some epic dogs.

I've never regretted a decision to euthanize any of my pets. Making the decision is hard. Worse if you realize, after the fact, that you put it off too long. I did that with my first dog and I still regret it even though it was 40 years ago.

Because our pets have such relatively short lives I think we have to enjoy them in their moment, understanding that it will be likely they will go before we do. Easing them to what lies beyond is a gracious act: the

stuff we humans are made of when we are doing the right thing.

Trust in your decisions. Not letting our pets suffer is a huge part of our stewardship of them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.