On Saturday, Jag's splint came off and he went home to his "regular" family. He had gotten very picky in terms of eating and had gotten noticeably weaker. We asked the vet to run a geriatric panel on Saturday and today, the results showed highly elevated levels of renal failure. At noon, his owner called us and told us that he was failing rapidly. We drove up to the vet's and the three of us held Jag as he was eased along on his trip to the Rainbow Bridge.

We, as breeders, have shared the joy of holding those puppies in our hands as they draw their first breath. A moment filled with joy and tremendous expectations. And we've all-too-frequently held them in our arms as they drew their last breath. And celebrated a life full of unconditional love from them and, hopefully, as much love as they could bear from us and their owners. That last moment is very sad. But we are tremendously grateful that our owners have asked us to be there with them.

Without the joy, there can be no pain. Without the pain, there would be emptiness. Jag, we loved you for those 11 years you were here on earth and we'll continue to love your memory for the rest of our lives. You were a great dog.

Jim