Our dog, who was our faithful companion, guardian, playmate and friend for 15 years, recently died from complications due to congestive heart failure and advanced arthritis. The vet thought we should put her down.
We let her die at home, where she could be comforted in her last days. She could not walk, so we had to clean her up a few times a day. We gave her pain medicine, took her outside in the sunshine to smell the cool spring breezes and listen to the birds. We petted her and cooed to her. She would get frightened from time to time when she grew short of breath, but we would comfort her.
She died in her sleep almost two weeks ago, and we buried her on a hillside where she used to like to keep watch for woodchucks, rabbits, foxes, and coyotes. She even chased a bear on one occasion, and a moose on another.
She was a mixed breed, but we loved her dearly and miss her sorely.
Very sorry about your dog. I just lost my cat Lilac of 19 years. We wanted to let her die at home but she was getting very dehydrated so we put her down. We brought her home & she is buried with our other pets that have died over the years. I miss her very much & still look around for her at times.