Really sweet, but sad, article

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/17/our_diy_euthanasia_letting_go_of_the_dog_who_rescued_us/ wrote:When the time came — and it always comes — my husband knew what he wanted to do. He purchased two of his favorite burgers from the local sports bar — Kevin’s at Mike’s Place III — and brought them home, locked away the other dogs. He and Nemo shared a meal together on the floor by the wood stove. It was a cold spring evening.

I cradled Nemo’s head in my lap and felt the rise and fall of his chest with one hand. My husband shaved a small rectangle into his fur. I felt sorry for Nemo and sorry for myself. Maybe, to some people, it sounds silly to care so much for an animal, precious even, but each of us knows what we look for in friends and loved ones, and where we find it.

My husband was sad but calm. He has more data than most of us do about where that gray line of mercy is, not that it made the moment any easier. “Are you ready?” he asked.

The answer will never be yes. There is the constant pain of being an animal rescuer, of loving so many, so hard, and losing them so often.