I like to hear that other people feel the same way about dogs. Some people are like, "It's just a dog", and I can't stand that. The end of this month will mark a year since Blitzen passed and it still feels like yesterday. I can honestly say that the weekend that I spent making the decision to put him down was the worst weekend of my life. He was 19 years old, so he was a part of almost all of my life! I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. My eyes always tear up when I think about him. I'm sorry about your dog that was taken away from you when you were young. I can imagine how difficult that was and still is when you think about it. Dogs are bundles of pure unconditional love. *hugs*