We decided to say to our Border Collie Leah when the problems with her back legs became too much.
It was so sad and we feel for you.
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Very sorry to hear of your loss. One of our cats literally died in my arms one morning - itās utterly devastating when it comes out of the blue.
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Sorry to hear this @andyw. Must have been frightening for Tess too, so great that you were able to ease her suffering so quickly and comfort her on her last journey.
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Morning all
Thanks so much for your messages and support.
Still cannot believe it. It was so weird this morning, coming downstairs and not having a mad dog there, demanding breakfast.
Again love to all. This is a great place if you need an elecronic shoulder to cry on.
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Very sorry to hear your sad news Andy.
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So sorry to hear your news Andy xx 
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I donāt know if there is much that can console you just now but someone sent this to me during a recent bereavement and it might help you a bit
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Andy - first of all - congratulations! To get a lab to 15 years is a credit to your careful and understanding love and care. You will know that 10 years is a very critical age for labs . . . every year after that is a blessing. More than that, your account is thatTess didnāt go off her legs 'till the last moment. Wonderful!
My pic is of Melou, one of our two blonde labs who both reached their 15th year. When the dreadful day came to make the final decision for them, I have never forgotten the words of our veto, who had cared for them both: āShe will always be there, you know - right beside you . . . you will feel her presence; look round, you will know that she is thereā.
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A sort of thread drift, hopefully understandable.
We currently have some friendsā dog with us. Lovely woman who has been battling cancer for a few years. Saw her yesterday and she was weak from her latest round of chemo, but looking forward to things. This morning her husband phoned to say was at the hospital (100km away) and could we go and get AglaĆ«, the dog, from their house as he was staying there with her now.
We know Aglaƫ well, but she is not settling, and is going round and round in circles. How to you explain to dog that their human is never coming back? (The husband also has advanced cancer so may not be here that long either)
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Oh, poor Algaƫ! Dogs have terrific love for their humans and they grieve as we do. Missing her own family will last long but there are things to do to make her feel a little less stressed.
A very important thing is to ensure she keeps eating. I recommend cooked chicken (apologies to the owners on other threads!). There are also some simple daily things you can do to make a new routine for her. Dogs really like routines for reassurance.
Herein are a few good and simple ideas I feel will work well
Others on SF may have more. Of course, Google for what itās worth has plenty of listings with advice but it tends to be repetitive. If you want a little better to understand how AlgaĆ« is thinking, this is good
I am so glad Algaƫ is in your kind and caring home at this sad time for her family.
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@andyw If and when the time is right after your loss, you might like to consider what we do, when one of our adored dogs goes to The Great Kennel in the Sky. Without intentional planning, we have somehow assembled a Rogueās Gallery of drawings of all of our dogs. The good ones along the bottom were professionally drawn (from photos), the bad ones, along the top were done by me.
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I am so sorry for your loss. Cherish the memories. Sending strength.
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One last postscript to this
My daughter told our Grandson Luca, who is 5, that Tess had died, they had the following conversation
āItās very sadā , he said, " but she can play with Tara in Heaven. "
There was a pause and he added, " She can also play with the Queen "
Beautiful
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Thanks @Bosendorfer
She was blind for the last two years of her life, but that never stopped her from enjoying life.
Just wonderful!
Out of the mouths of babesā¦
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Iām imagining a green slightly slimy dog now! AglaĆ© is one of the graces along with Euphrosyne and Thalia, I think sheās Aglaia in English, splendiferous beauty anyway. You can see her and her sisters in that lovely Botticelli painting as well as lots of statuary ancient and more modern (eg the Canova one). What a lovely name 
I was tempted for my daughters 
Edited to add that periodically I test myself for dementia by seeing if I can remember eg the muses, the graces, the states of the EU, US & former USSR, the periodic table etc.
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Well that gave me a smileā¦thank you. She is AglaĆ©, but could also have come out of a pond. I took her into the spare room with me as she wasnāt settling (and OH has man flu and our dog was getting less and less patient with her climbing into his bed) and she spent all night farting, and snoring. She is most upset.
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I apologise for the misnomer 
the SF corrector doesnāt offer Greek muses andd.I failed to observe the dyslexic switch.
Iām just thinking @JaneJones, walkies may be a good distraction but best keep AglaĆ« on a leash so she doesnāt try to return home or go off looking for her family. 
If walkies isnāt a possibility certainly tiring her is a good idea (does she chase balls or have a toy you can throw?) Also, has she got her own bed / blanket / comforter which smells of her and is familiar?
Few drops of Rescue Remedy on the back of her neck and / or couple of drops of CBD oil may help to settle her. If sheāll let you, look up Tellington T-Touching videos for dogs (they use it in Battersea Dogs Home) and try that on her.
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