When It's Time To Say Goodbye

Dachshunds bring such joy and happiness to our lives, and saying 'goodbye' to our furry friends who give us nothing but unconditional love is the toughest thing in the world. Meet dachshund lover Jonathan Yardley, book critic for the Washington Post, and his pretty red smooths 'Reggie' (right) and 'Sophie.' Mr. Yardly had to make a difficult decision with Reggie a few weeks ago, and writes openly and candidly about it in The Washington Post. Here's an excerpt: Of course it wasn't easy. It's never easy. I've now done it seven times: I've been Lord High Executioner to five dogs and two cats. I did it each time with the deepest regrets and, inevitably, with tears. Still, the decision to put Reggie "to sleep" (as the prevailing euphemism has it) was the hardest of all, not merely because he was the best dog I have ever known but because the vastly increased sophistication and expense of veterinary medicine can make euthanasia a far more complicated and morally vexing choice than it had been in the not so distant past. If you own a pet -- and odds are that you do, since the latest estimate of the American population of dogs and cats is 164 million -- sooner or later, you almost certainly are going to discover this for yourself.
Read the rest of this emotional story at The Washington Post. Our hearts go out to Mr. Yardley and his family.