the boy is gone.
and 3 grown women sobbed.

then drank enough red wine
to float down the river of sorrow.

that being said, this is what i noticed about
death and a beloved dog...

1) when the vet says, "take all the time you need"
he really means, let's go folks, we need to use the room in 10 minutes

2) when they ask if you want to take the dog with you
you should consider if you can carry 60 lbs of dead weight (literally)

3) and when you decide that no, you shouldn't walk around the waiting room with a dead 60 lbs vizsla looking for the car keys, perhaps cremation IS a better option

4) and if they ask if you'd like the remains back, you might as well say no, as you are probably just as likely to get back the ashes of the fireplace as a dog, much less your own dog, that was probably toss into the incinerator with every other bloomin' animal that died that weekend.

daddy forgot to mention this to me growing up.
perhaps because he just buried our dogs next to the tomatoes.
but i thought you'd might one day need this info.