My screen is terribly “blurry” right now. I’ll get back to you later...
I’m with ya brother. I’ve never been a dog handler, but I’ve owned quite a few dogs, only one of which - the best of them - I’ve had to put down.
We got “Chance” as a puppy, the pick of the litter and one of seven in the litter. When we went to pick him out, three of his siblings were nursing and three were sleeping on a blanket not far from their mom. But there was this one puppy, sitting on his haunches watching the cars and people go by. As we walked up the sidewalk to his home, he came bouncing out to greet us, wagging his tail so hard I thought his back would break.
It didn’t take us long to decide that he was “the one”. That was in 1986 and, in 2001, after raising and protecting all four of my children through the latter half of my Army career and several deployments, some difficulties with his hips and his digestive system, I held him close to me as I had him put down. I will never forget how his tail was wagging while the doctor shaved his leg and inserted the needle while I told him how much I loved him, that I’d miss him and never forget him.
I sobbed for over an hour and, until that point, didn’t truly appreciate the depth of the bonds between a man and his dog.