Bittersweet, that is all I can say.

I have my sons Beagle, he could not keep him because of his wife's allergies, so the Beagle got shipped to me from Ca.
This dog (Bentley) is great, he does not howl like other beagles and he just loves to be around me and my wife.
When my son had brain surgery for an AVM, Bentley was his best companion and stuck by him making him feel better.
Last Christmas, Bentley started to hunch his back, so I took him to the vet
and it turned out he broke his back. The choices were emergency surgery or put him down.
I just could not bring myself to put him down especially with my son coming home for Christmas, what a holiday that would have been, welcome home and oh yeah I put your dog down.
So, Bentley is now my new boat engine, as that is how much his surgery was.
And to top it off Bentley is now crippled and has to wear diapers all the time.
Bentley can be a real pain at times, but his companionship and affection to me and my wife, offset the bad times.

Parish and RW I understand, have had my share of care issues with them. Went without a few times in my life and yes, it is a relief sometimes.