A very good friend once told me "They give you far more than they receive". I'm not too sure about that, I treated all my dogs like children and they never ever slept out in the cold or in the heat. On Mother's day this year my last dog turned very ill in a matter of hours so I got her to the only vet near me but she was probably not going to make it. I had to wait out in the parking lot so the vet had to come out and tell me what their thoughts were, internal bleeding for my dog. I have no idea what might have brought it on but she was 13 years old and born totally deaf.
I loved that dog like my own child and she was probably my last due to my age and health. Things happened so fast I never even thought about not being able to give her a big hug before she was put to sleep, until I got home and it really bothered me for days. I don't want to leave one behind to be abused and suddenly thrown out into the cold. I guess it is selfish and I struggle a bit trying to decide if it is or not. Maybe a short time of a peaceful nice life is better than one with no life, a very hard question to answer.