Saying goodbye to a pet is devastating - but knowing they're no longer in pain makes it easier to manage.
While most owners would rather say their farewells to their dog than let them struggle on, others try to hold on to them for as long as possible.
One woman has explained how she arranged to have her boyfriend's 16-year-old dog put down because he was "ignoring" his pet's health problems.
She told Reddit : "I loved this dog beyond words, let me make that absolutely clear.
"He was an absolute gift to the world and I loved him unconditionally.
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"The dog was aged 16 and had countless medical problems - rotated front legs which prevented him from getting up, jumping up, being moved, just completely unable to walk, among other things.
"This dog was in constant agony. Every time the dog tried to get up he would be screaming in pain. There's nothing the vets can do."
Having been advised by the vets to put the dog down, the woman secretly gathered her boyfriend's family so they could say their goodbyes while her partner was out of the house.
"I thought about it for a week and decided that I had to," she added.
"This dog was suffering so much. The quality of life just wasn't there.
"My boyfriend went out on Friday with some of his mates and I called him to let him know I was putting his dog down.
"I had his dog put down at home with his family.
"I was sick of watching my boyfriend dismiss the pain this dog was obviously in.
"He ignored vets telling him to get this dog put down because it was borderline abuse keeping him alive."
After receiving the call to say the vets were on their way to the house, her boyfriend rushed home - but sadly arrived too late.
She added: "I wish my boyfriend was there to say goodbye to his best friend, but he wouldn't of let me go through with it.
"He rushed home, saw his dead dog and packed up all my stuff. I've been living with my Dad for the last few days."
Admitting her guilt, the woman has turned to Reddit to ask whether she did the right thing by putting down the poorly dog.
One user said: "He should have done something but you can't really just put down other people's pets when they go out for the night."
Another user added: "For the dog, I agree with your choice. I understand what it’s like to see an animal suffer, and making the choice to end that suffering is difficult and agonising, and takes a lot of love and compassion.
"However, you also robbed your boyfriend of any opportunity to make peace, get closure, or say goodbye."
A third user said: "You believed the dog was in unbearable suffering and you did the humane thing.
"That doesn't mean that your relationship will ever recover from this. I imagine you already knew that this decision was going to jeopardise your relationship with your boyfriend?"
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
