Sorry for your loss. I hiked for years with my two buddies, Hemingway and Penny, well-trained (by me) American pits who would fan out in front of me as we hiked. They were family, and the thought which made it easier for me to let them go at the end was if I got the best of times from them for so many years, then I have to go through their final hours. And I did. Still miss them greatly.