It may not make a difference, but having lived my entire life in the country, I and my family have never put a dog down. We have always comforted and kept them until they pass on. The fact that there have always been kids around may be one of the reason. I don't know. Another reason may be that we have never really had dogs that were in a bad enough state to put down.
Many of the dogs raised here are family pets for years. Most of the time, when these dogs feel death coming on they leave and find a quiet place to die. We've had this happen on a few occasions. We've never known when it will happen. The dogs have never given us any sign. They just leave and we never see them again. We look for them and when it is obvious that we won't find them, know that it is the end, because these dogs know their boundaries and never stray from them. It is always sad, but the seems to be the natural course here anyway.
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