I recently had to have my dog put down and it was one of the worst days of my life.

He was old, 16 to be exact. His hips hurt, his ears were constantly infected, he could barely make it outside to go pee. He was a typical dog at that age.

I will never forget that day. My mom woke me up, she was crying, and she told me we were going to put Hunter down that day. At first I was shocked and didn't really understand what she was saying. I laid back down and looked over and my other dog, Lily, was staring at me and it finally hit me. That Monday I was going to have to walk my sweet, old dog into the vet and let them put him to sleep.

My mom called the vet and they wanted us to bring him in at 11:30, but it was already 11 and we couldn't make it there in that time. So they said we could bring him in at 4:15.

So I went home to be with my puppy. I wanted to spend his last few hours with him. I wanted to make sure that he knew that he was a good boy and that this was only going to make him suffer less and feel better. He was going to get to be free with no pain and he could even see his old girlfriend, Noel. I still didn't want to do. And I knew as soon as he looked at me that he knew what was going on.

At 4:15 on Monday, October 17, we took my dog into the vet to put him to sleep.

When we finally got him into the office I started crying more. I sat down in the lobby and waited for the lady to take us back to the room. She took us back and Hunter sat right next to me. He didn't leave me side the entire time we were there. The nurses came in and made us wait in the lobby while they put the IV in.

I will never forget the look on his face as we left him in that room alone. He looked so helpless and was wondering where I was going and why I was leaving him there.

They called us back in and I sat on the floor with my baby. I cuddled him and tried to comfort him. He of course had no idea what was going on.

The vet came in and explained to us what was going to happen. She was going to inject him with an overdose of anesthesia. His brain and heart would go first and then the rest of him.

We got him to lay down and I sat with him. I held his head because I didn't want it to drop to the floor. The vet started to inject the anesthesia and I had to turn my head because I couldn't watch.

His head fell into my lap a few seconds later and that's when it hit me. That moment will forever be etched in my brain. The little puppy that my mom saved when I was a little girl is now gone.

When I come home he won't be there to greet me. His cute little tail won't wag with excitement because I came home to him. He won't sleep in my bedroom with me anymore. The first night that he was gone I couldn't sleep at all. I stayed up and cried all night because he was no longer sleeping on my floor.

I miss him so much. I never thought it was possible to miss a pet this much, but he wasn't just a pet. He was a family member. No dog will ever replace him. I love him so much.

Rest in peace Hunter.