My ex-wife Rebekah and I had to make a tough decision today; we put Loki to sleep.
Over the last few years, he’d lost his hearing and most of his eyesight. He was occasionally experiencing seizures, his balance was starting to fail, and (perhaps worst) he had a perpetual cough, caused by the slow collapse of his windpipe.
After a bad incident today, Rebekah called so we could talk it over. Putting him down seemed like the best decision; a way to spare him ongoing deterioration and suffering. It wasn’t a quick decision, as we’d discussed it off and on over the last few months.
He’d been part of our lives, together and separately, for over 15 years. I have a hundred stories about amusing or interesting things he did during his life. He was a great dog and will be missed.