My very old dog took a turn for the worse a few days before I was going on vacation for 2 weeks. Since she was already on medications for all of her ailments and nothing else could have been done, I helped her across the bridge the day before I left. I kept her as comfortable as possible for another day until everyone who knew her could say their goodbyes. She crossed the bridge after being given fond farewells from her loved ones and I left for Florida knowing her tired old body was peacefully residing in my parents' back yard.

If she hadn't gotten worse, my parents were going to keep her at their house. But since she got to the point where she didn't have the strength to get up any more, I was not going to make my poor mother carry a 40-pound elkhound outside several times a day.

So I guess you could say I was going to leave an old dog in declining health behind, but once I saw she was definitely getting weaker with little hope of improvement, I decided not to prolong her life.

Was that selfish of me? She wasn't necessarily dying but I guess you might could say I had her PTS just so I could go on vacation and not have to burden my parents with my ailing pet.