The hardest part of your dog dying isn't just losing them. It's that you decide when they go

Alison O'Reilly opens up about her personal experience of pet loss, the burden of euthanasia, and why grief after losing a dog matters

I never imagined that my Mitzi, my leader of the pack of six, my constant, my shadow, would be the one I’d be writing about like this so soon after telling her story two months ago. Picture: Alison O'Reilly

I wrapped my dog Mitzi in her favourite blanket and faced her towards the window in the veterinary hospital, where the sky stretched out in an impossible, indifferent blue.

My friend Karen opened the window a little, just enough to let the air move, just enough to imagine her small spirit would have somewhere to go. I told her I loved her. I kissed her soft head and thanked her for everything, for every ordinary day that now felt extraordinary.