Goodbye beautiful Spark

Today Spark has gone to sleep for the last time. The vet sedated him first, and he slipped into a slumber really quickly, less than a minute.  The actual passing was painless for him and I felt his spirit leave. I asked the vet if he'd gone at the exact moment that he did leave.
I hope that he's now a doggy angel, and is pain free.
It will take some time for me to stop feeling so upset, although I am weeping, not crying.
Thanks to the vet for making Spark's passing as gentle for me as well, and thank to my three children and Becky, for helping me get through this. I think my ex is even a little upset that Spark has gone.

Difficult decision on the horizon

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I have two dogs.  The older one, Spark, is beginning to age rapidly now.
I can see that sometime in the not too distant future, I might have to make a really difficult decision.
Spark's legs don't always do what he wants them to, he's going blind and deaf, and although I am doing my best, his skin is flaky and he's lost most of his thick downy coat, leaving the coarser coat.
Even writing this is upsetting me.  I need to talk to my children about him, and possibly need to talk with the vet.
Spark is the first ever dog I have had, and I didn't realise how much his visible aging would upset me.
I've been weeping on and off all day.
And yes, I'm putting off talking about him, so have been avoiding talking to people.