Off to the Farm (Tear-Jerker Warning)

So to speak, anyway. Today I sent my dog, Jake, to the farm. I wish that were actually the case.

In reality, I put my little buddy of more than 8 years to sleep. The form I filled out at the vet called it euthanasia. Whatever. Regardless of the terminology or euphemism used, the outcome is still the same. My dog is no longer and I am sad. It takes me by surprise how much emotion a dog can evoke. The loss I feel is deeper than I felt with my grandma's passing 10 years ago. Is that weird?

I spent the day reflecting on the many Jake stories I have stored in my brain. He had some of the strangest idiosyncrasies - sneezing when a particularly smelly car passed by on our morning runs, attempting to catch flies, choosing the vacuum as his nemesis, eating one piece of dog food at a time, "burying" his bone on top of the ground with leaves and dirt. All of these things made him unique. I suppose the same is true for humans. We look down on our own (or others) quirks, when really these are what make us who we are. Anyway, enough philosophy.
Goodbye, dear friend. I miss you. You set a precedent that will always be compared to and you will never be replaced.