It was the right guy thing to do yet I’ll never forget looking in to his eyes before he passed.

I'm not the sort of person to make announcements on Facebook for this type of thing (don't use social media at all, actually). I remembered this thread and it felt a bit like therapy to mention it here, among like-minded people on the JBF.

I agree that there is generally a standard reaction for people to ask if you will get another dog (I don't blame them, it seems to be the go-to question). For me, it seems to trivialise the life of your beloved pet, as if they were simply a possession. We will not get another dog until I retire in around three years' time.

Ben's passing was heightened by the fact that he used to go to the office with me every day, sleeping beside my desk. That meant that the six people that I worked with, who all loved him, were affected too.

My condolences to your family for this loss.

My wife has a habit of adopting dogs with extreme to severe medical needs so this happens in our life more than is comfortable and it's always an enormous loss because they are in our hearts so deeply.

  I very recently had to put down my 10 year old black cat Pete. a true tragedy as he developed a very invasive cancer from a canine rabies vaccine... That was truly painful and watching my 16 year old daughter breakdown as a result hurt even more. They are not possessions and cannot be replaced but Jr. the new black cat kitten that we gave a home to sure helps with the pain and I'm sure is better off vs being in the shelter...