* I remembered that this thread was on here, so I'll add my own story also. I am in no way trying to hijack your thread Jeff, but I'm experiencing the exact same heartbreak currently.
We knew that our only dog, our 16+ year old miniature Schnauzer, Max, was needing to take the long trip up to heaven due to his kidney and liver failing over the past few months. We knew that this day was eventually going to come and it did this Friday. We had this scheduled at Max's vet for the past week, but it sure didn't make his departure any easier. We set the appointment so that it fit all of our schedules so that we all could be there to see him take his last breath. I've never felt more anguish than I felt that day, seeing my family in so much pain.
Max was truly the greatest dog that any family could ever ask for and he had been since he was a puppy. He was always there to meet me at the door for one last kiss and petting before I went off to work and was always there to greet me at the door when I returned home. Max was so well behaved and fun to have around it was just amazing. His favorite sleeping spot was on the outside edge of the bed, beside me, which put me in the middle of the bed, between my two best friends, Max and my wife.
Over the past few years, he was losing his teeth, losing his eye sight, and losing his hearing (even though he still had the keen sense of picking up the sound of the refrigerator door opening or a bag of chips being opened), which we all had adapted to without a hitch, and he was still able to enjoy life with us up until the past couple of weeks, that's when his kidney and liver started to malfunction so we knew that it was time.
Our hearts have been completely broken since we had him put down on Friday and it will likely take weeks if not longer to finally start to recover emotionally from his leaving. Every time I move around the house, I'm looking to see where he is at and what he's up to, only to find his favorite spot on the couch empty. Yesterday, I finally managed to pack up his dishes, toys, and belongings, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I felt guilty, as though I was somehow discarding his legacy. It tore me up.
My daughter is into photography and art, so we have plenty of pictures of him and even paintings that my daughter had made over the years hanging on the walls. So he will never be forgotten.
I can honestly say that I've never cried this much in my life. I've soaked two Kleenexes just trying to type this out. This dog was like one of our kids and was truly an intricate part of our daily lives in will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace, my friend, you will never be forgotten. You were the best friend any man or family could ever ask for.
We will always love you buddy.