As some of you know, my wife and I take in animals that have no other options. Riley, our now 10 year old Great Dane mix, was found on the streets of town as a puppy that no one wanted.  He grew into this wonderful, lovable teddy bear.  A couple of weeks ago he had a minor slip off the steps of our deck, which set into motion a debilitating condition which left him unable to feel and control his legs  Unknown to us he had severe calcium crystallization along his entire spine. Our vet said he had never seen such a severe case. We immediately started steroids and other solutions to try and dissolve the calcium depots, but there was not enough time for his condition deteriorated so quickly.  I don't know if any of you have been in a similar situation, but we found the decision absolutely heartbreaking. My wife rode in the back hatch with him as we drove to the vet's office. They came out to the car, and he died right there with us comforting him as best we could the whole time. Even though the vet said we were making the right decision, we are still grappling with it because he did not appear to be in any pain, though he was obviously confused by his body's betrayal. Thankfully it was quiet and quick. We didn't know how lucky we had been with all our deaths being at home with no decision. If you have never had this experience, I hope you never do.