Dear Mark:
About a week or two ago I submitted a story to your website about our family pet, a Boston terrier named Teakup. Afflicted with Hemolytic Anemia in 2003 this was a dog that without the care of a great vet and lifelong drug therapy would have died five years ago. We had to put him to down today. We had seen him getting weaker and weaker over the past few weeks after a recent fall down a few steps. He fell because he had bone cancer on his right leg, could not support his weight well, and was unable to climb the steps in the usual way because the bone between his knee and ankle had become deformed. My wife blames herself for not carrying him that night, but it would have only allowed him to live a little longer in great pain. The bone cancer had spread to his lungs and was metastasizing in ball sized tumors. Our vet explained that he had only one or two more months to live and while we could give him additional drugs there was no guarantee that it would relieve the pain that would only increase as he neared the end.

Teakup was a dog that despite his own illnesses, and the great pain he had been in recently was always there to greet you when you came home. He was always ready to sit on your lap when you wanted to take a nap, or take a walk if you were so disposed. And he was always ready to lick your face when you were sad or cuddle with you if that was what you needed. We said goodbye for the last time today. It will be odd to not see him searching the house for a spot to lay down where the sun was strong and pouring through the windows. That was his favorite pastime. He was our sunlight and we will miss him very much.

George, Karen and Kristen from NY