I would have never made it through this without my dogs - I had 4 Bichon Frises. I had to put one down to colorectal cancer last year ("Angel" was 16). One of my boys had a rare form of skin cancer and was operated on for that. The surviving girl and my first Bichon (who is approaching 17) has had a tumor removed and has been going downhill for some time - arthritis, kidney failure, etc., but not ready to leave yet. The boys learned very quickly how to get out of the way when I had to run to the bathroom and not to jump on my stomach. They were very protective and loving and knew the gravity of the situation. They also knew when I was freezing to snuggle up, and on the correct side, to allow me to quickly depart when need be.

I had the unique blessing of raising them from birth. They have lived in the same house all of their lives.