Sadly, this morning, after a long and declining road, we were forced to put down our beloved seventeen-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Coco.  In her later years she developed numerous illnesses and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.  It was heartbreaking to see her increasingly unable to stay on her feet and for us to carry her up to bed every night.  Heartbreaking, too, was her whining from being in pain, no matter the medication.  Putting her down was difficult but I think it was the right decision because now she has no more pain.  If there is an other happy place for our pets after they die, then I'm sure Coco is in it.  

It's difficult for those who do not have pets to understand the sense of loss and I get that.  All I can tell you is that, over the years, with all the joy and laughter they bring you, our pets really do become a part of our families.  That's how it was with Coco.

One of the great sadnesses of life for pet owners is that our cats and dogs don't have the same life span that we do.  Maybe that's why they give so much in the short period that they are with us.  

In his epic book Dogwatching, Desmond Morris in the introduction said, and I paraphrase, "Dogs are courageous, selfless, brave, funny, protective and sometimes heroic.  They do things on a daily basis that if people did them they would name streets and schools after them."  I don't know about Coco being heroic, but she sure checked all the other boxes for this family.

She'll be missed...badly.  🙁