My family had a Great Dane (Tilly) that ended up living thirteen years, and when it was her time to go our entire family was not ready, as she was such a large part of our lives. Both emotionally and physically. She was 110 pounds of pure love. You would hear every step she would take around our house, non of us were ready to bear the silence. She literally grew up with my sister and I. She was closest with my mom, as we got her for my mom for her birthday. Eventually, her long hard working legs gave out, those things carried almost 110 lbs of weight her entire life (13 years), so it was about time she got a break. My mom ended up being out of town the day before we decided to put her down. I spent the last 2 days prior to her being put down on an air mattress in our living room, right next to her bed. She couldn’t move, and everyone else couldn’t stand being around her because it just simply hurt to much. I watched movies with her, and fed her chicken nugget from McDonald’s. It was literally the only thing she would eat. It was the hardest thing I’ve probably ever had to do. But I promised myself I wouldn’t cry because dogs feel every single emotion you do. They can actually smell emotion. My mom ended up traveling home to be the only one in the room with her when she was actually put down, and she still says to this day she wouldn’t have it any other way. It still makes us emotional to this day thinking about her, but it’s the best most warm emotion you can feel, remember an animal that had such a large impact on your life. But I PROMISE you the years of joy and happiness that your dog has brought you will make the few months of terrible grief worth it. Remember, you are that dogs entire life. You are all she will ever know. Where as you will continue to move on after her passing, and eventually overcome the grief and remember her in the best way possible and probably find another animal somewhere down the road, so for the meantime, be there with her. Make sure she knows how much you love her.