You’ve spent many happy years with your four-legged best friend. 

You’ve fed him good healthy food, kept his water dish clean and full, and kept him bathed, clipped and brushed.  You’ve romped together, cuddled together, and taken him in for his regular checkups.  You gave him medicine when he needed it, and over time as he slowed down, or perhaps became ill, you traded playing catch or going on a run for some gentler activities and extra pets & pats.

But time passes much too quickly it seems, and ultimately we dog lovers have to face the fact that our time together is winding down.  The day will eventually come when decisions have to be made that are never easy.  A little planning ahead now, while it won’t make that day much easier, might at least ease a little of the stress -- for you and your family, as well as for your dog.

Unfortunately there’s no magic formula that will appear and make this decision for you.  It’s up to you, and every circumstance and every dog is a little different. 

Take it from me -- over the years we’ve gone through this 7 times (8 counting the cat).  Sometimes it was a no-brainer.  Other times, it wasn’t.

If you have a good stable home and are considering getting a dog (or perhaps a second or third dog), now is a great time to find an abundance of dogs at rescue shelters. Apparently, our struggling economy and the increasing number of home foreclosures have left many dogs homeless.

As people are losing their homes and moving into rental apartments, many are also leaving their dogs behind.  Some leave their dogs due to the fact that pets are not allowed in their new living arrangements.  Others leave their dogs because they can no longer afford to take care of them. 

Regardless of the reason people leave dogs behind, it is a fact that pets are the newest and probably most unfortunate victims of the foreclosure crisis. Fortunately, the lucky ones make their way into the animal shelters.

I don't normally write about such grim topics here, but I have a very tiny bit of personal experience with this one, so I feel compelled to share with you something that broke in the local news recently.

The point of this article: If you should ever have to put your dog to sleep, it is in your best interest to be present throughout the entire euthanization process.

Here's why...

The world needs more non-profit companies like this one...

The Brown Dog Foundation is from my neck of the woods.

I'm so delighted to hear that something like this is finally available.

Together, Jim and I have had 3 dogs.

First, there was Jersey, who was "my dog" first but welcomed Jim into our lives with open arms. Then came Destin, the dog we found under a dumpster. And then, Destin's "brother from another mother", Tenor. There was actually a point in time where we had all three under one roof at the same time. But now there's only Tenor.

Our buddy Destin recently went to chase rainbows in the sky and to play with Jersey in fields that are forever green.

Fortunately, none of my dogs has ever had cancer (that I know of).

But I have friends whose dogs have died of cancer.

It can be quite traumatic.

Our American Eskimo is 15 years young and STILL going strong.

In fact, he acts more and more like a cute cuddly puppy every day, rather than a crotchedy old canine these days.

Truth be told, we thought he would have left this world ages ago.

Here's what we've done so far that got him to be 105 in dog years...