Dear all,

This morning I had Sitka put to sleep. It was the hardest, saddest, and most awful decision I have ever made. His physical condition over the past month had taken a very sharp turn for the worse, despite which he remained the same cheerful and brave little dog he has always been. Sitka spent the last day of his life much as he spent all the days before it: playing, eating, and living with his smiley good attitude. Last night several of my neighbors stopped in to visit and to say goodbye. Jess, Lori, and I took him to the park before his vet appointment this morning and he played with all his usual vigor. He left this world the way I would hope to: surrounded by his favorite humans, wagging his tail. I will miss him.