My Lab died on her bed in our house 11/2/2013. Amber was 13. She was the sweetest dog I ever had. It was hard. The fact is that if things work the way they should you will outlive your dog. I knew this when we got her. I have had 4 dogs in my life. The sorrow of losing a dog is part of having that dog as a loyal friend for the years they live.
I would rather outlive my dog then have my dog outlive me. I don’t want her to have to know what that is like.
This is one of the most important things that dogs can teach us, and that is how to say goodbye when goodbye is the last thing you want to say. Very hard.