I told my daughter that the one thing a man falls in love with instantly is not a woman but his dog. You must have been a good dad, or you would not have cried. My wife and I get Christmas ornaments made at Walgreens with pictures of all of our pets. Every year, as we decorate the tree, the conversation turns to "Oh, look, it's Sam. Remember when..." It keeps the memories alive.
That is so sweet and such a good idea. Blessings to you and your wife as you have blessed the lives of your dear pets.
A Christmas ornament with your pet’s photo is a great idea! We just had our 15 1/2 year old dog (Bandit) put to sleep today. Black lab and Great Dane rescue. He probably could have hung in there several more weeks, but it was just too painful watching him do tight loop-de-loops in the yard and not being able to make it up the ramp I made for him. His back legs just didn’t have the strength any more. The vet said that it was either from pain or dementia.
I don’t think it was dementia. He would still come when called, would lay down when I told him to, etc. With our first dog it was clear that he was shutting down and the vet couldn’t do it soon enough to put him out of his misery.
Bandit wasn’t as obvious - but it was getting close. Just wishing now that it could have been a few more days. It is so sad. But - he’s chasing cars in doggy heaven now. (Or perhaps coyotes - he used to chase them once in awhile!)