Taly, our golden retriever, had to be put down yesterday.
She was four months shy of 13 years old. Things have been going downhill for her for the last eight months or so, but had gotten especially bad in the last two months.
She was a very affectionate dog. She loved people so much more than she loved fellow dogs. When we walked her and encountered other dogs being walked, the other dog would always come to her but she would always go to that dog's owner instead. And when we would pet the other dog, she would quickly come to us and nudge us with her snout to try to get between us and the other dog... and would make a strange sound like she was talking - it wasn't a bark nor a growl and I have no idea how to describe it, but she was talking. She made that same "talking" sound when her favourite people came over for a visit... and she had a LOT of favourite people.
Really, she was a very special dog... and also one of the stinkiest dogs I've ever known.
We will miss her and always remember her... and her absence from our lives will be felt for a long time to come.
