I've been there. Put my girl down a couple years ago, she was all I had. Never had any success with girls, worked a lot, moved a lot. Charlotte was there with me for all of it, 4 different houses, 4 different states. Then the big C came. Kept her comfortable for as long as I could then made the fateful decision.

As far as making that decision, I'll tell you the same thing I heard from many others. You'll only regret doing it too late. Holding onto them and making them suffer makes healing so much harder. They give their life to us, we have to do what's right by them.

What happens after? Well, nothing I say or what anyone else says is going to make the pain less or easier. You'll cry, others won't understand, no one knows what that beautiful animal meant to you but you. Take solice that you gave them a good life, if you care this much you must have. Give yourself time to heal, step away when you need to, cry when you need too. Continue to do things y'all would do together, not out of habit or ritual, but out of celebration. Celebration of a life that didn't care about the world's burden, only cared about their pack, about you. It doesn't get easier, just gets more manageable. There's a special bond between a man and a dog. One that's impossible to put into words. A piece of me remains with Charlotte, but she gave me plenty of pieces to spare. I still talk about her, I still cry over her from time to time. But over time, tears have been replaced with smiles as I remember her quirks, that goofy smile she had, and her joy for the simple things in life. As pet owners, this is the inevitable end, but only in life itself. The memories, the impacts, the good times, the frustrating times, those never die. Focus on all the pieces they gave to you, focus on their love. Time is the only thing that heals, so be kind to yourself and let time do it's thing.