I would say let the dog go eventually on your terms. They’re always loyal to us, and they trust us; dogs will give their lives to save their masters from things like fires, enemies, and so forth. The hardest part about owning a dog is knowing we will outlive them. But I can’t decide for you.
Thanks to both of you so much. Since there’s no emergency, and not likely to be one, I think I will put off the decision for a couple of weeks. My son and his family will be visiting, and I won’t have to drive that way. We all love the little dickens.
Something cute: both the dogs, the mastiff and the minpin, both love ham hocks for an occasional treat. The mastiff gets very annoyed with the minpin, because his ham hock lasts about 5 minutes, hers lasts a week. He constantly checks the crate to see if it’s still there. She ignores him completely, but buries her treat (very heavy for a little thing like her) in the pillows where he cannot see it.