March Tails_Blooms_N_Anything, page-106

Hi Margaret - so sorry - I lost a dog at around the same time -
I had never seriously owned a dog before, except someone 'housed' an Afghan with us (when I was still part of a 'family' of husband and 3 daughters) and the owner didn't turn up until 3 years later to pick the dog up again.  We had gotten attached, but 'Finny' wasn't very lively, had been brought up vegetarian and suffered lifelong weakness of legs, so had no endurance even for walkies - but a beautiful hound - still love Afghans - the hounds, I mean.
Then later I inherited my daughter's Kerry Blue Terrier - lots of personality, but incurable skin condition - I managed to keep her in reasonable health with lots of (expensive!) treatments for 7 years and the disease took over and eventually at age 12 she had 1 good day out of 3 - so after three months of difficult and heartbreaking soul searching I decided to send her off to dog heaven - she knew nothing about it, loved the vet and I made her beautiful for last day, took one long walk in the bush - kept my emotions under control - and she knew nothing, greeted the vet like the friend he was . . . . but I had the worst X-Mas ever . . .

But I felt the same way about our cats when they died - my last one was close to 23 years old - never harmed a bird or any other animal, she was tiny, followed me everywhere, especially when I moved here - she was always 'there' having me in view out of the corner of her eye; never ill - she simply died from old age, also helped by vet, as I could no longer bear her weak attempts to get up to me in the morning - still remember sitting in the Vet's waiting room bawling my eyes out.
I have still got a tiny hole in the middle of my nose from her sitting on my chest one morning trying to get her breakfast, so she extended the middle claw of her front paws and placed it gently, first on - then 'in' my nose - it hurt and with tears in my eyes I sprang out of bed and did her 'bidding'.
Animals are a lot more intelligent than we give them credit for.
Go well
Tau