We took our boy on one last trip to his favorite SniffSpot. Preparing to say goodbye is so incredibly difficult.

I knew when I adopted Jackson 13 years ago that it would be hard to say goodbye, but I knew the love and companionship we would share during his lifetime would be worth it, and it was.

We participated in a decade of dog training together. He did rally, obedience, trick training, and freestyle disc in his lifetime. He won trick contests for his flashcard reading trick. He was a kid magnet from day one. He was also fiercely protective of his adopted sister, Katie, who left us in March after 11 years of love.

Back then having a child of my own was just a wild dream. Now, Jackson is an absolute saint with my two and a half year old daughter. He has an endless amount of patience and love for her. She adores him, too. She knows how to use a treat to get him to shake or speak (the only tricks he can still do). I watch them together, and my heart is complete.

We have to say goodbye to him soon. His body is failing him. We have him on veterinary hospice right now, but the vet agrees, the time is very near. Today, we took him on one last trip to his favorite SniffSpot. He normally wears a lift em up harness, but today we gave him some freedom. He drug his back legs and had a difficult time getting around, but he was so happy. His tail didn't stop wagging. We had a photographer capture our visit.

He has been loaded up on a massive dose of pain meds to get through the night. Hopefully tomorrow he is not worse, but I had to give him one last time. While we do not know when we will have to make the heartbreaking decision, we will cherish each day we have left.

Thank you for reading Jackson's story.