Thank you, alto and David. I have been through this more times than I care to remember. Big difference this time was that Pooh wasn’t sick in the traditional sense — no cancer, no kidney or heart failure. She had canine ALS and her muscles were wasting away. I had to make a decision of when enough was enough, when her bad days outnumbered her good, when her discomfort was too much. I don’t like playing god. Three times before I almost made the decision and she rallied in the nick of time. But each rally was less than the last.

Of course, I have second-quessed myself a hundred times since the decision. Could she have made another come-back? Was she really, truly that bad? Foolish, I know. But I wonder . . .

Our Pekingese is 14, two years older than what the vet says to expect for that breed. He has a heart murmur and all the breathing issues of those smooched-faced dogs. Now he is experiencing some digestive problems that warrant a trip to the vet this week. I am worried.

No matter how many times I go through this, and it has been more than 40 counting dogs and cats, it doesn’t get easier or less heart-breaking.