We had to do that 3 times this year, within a span of 2 months....our 2 sister Rotties, age 7 (Phoebe and Chloe) and our 11 y/o Shepherd (Max).....lots of tears and too much silence.....we ended up getting another Shepherd (Zeke) this past spring, and he is now 8 mos old and 90 pounds.....and a wonderful addition to our lives! He also thinks he's a person, and joins Dan nightly on his recliner to relax.