Bandit, my springer spanial/papillon mix has been put to sleep. She would have been 21 this October, and has lived the life of two dogs put together. Bandit should have been put to sleep months ago, but we thought maybe she had more left in her. She was such a sweetheart, with old age her vision, and hearing and smell were no longer working. She was beginning to have accidents in the house, and her legs were giving out. Early on the 12th (yesterday) she began to chew on her back hip, and chewing into herself. She must have had such severe arthritis that even the pain of chewing into herself wasn't as bad as the arthritis. That is when we knew it was her time to go. My sister and mom took her to be put to sleep, my husband told me the news while I was at work; but at that point reality had not sunk in. I had not shed a tear, I was sad, but once I got home that is when it hit me. They did not have the money to cremate her ($140) so they decided to bury her. They had brought her home after she had died and placed her in a blanket into her dog bed. She stayed there until my mom was able to come home for work. My husband and my brother-in-law dug the hole for her final resting place behind the shed, and we pet her and said our good-byes. The cats even walked up to the dog bed, we think they knew she was gone. After they buried her, they took bricks and made a "B" over her resting place, and my hustband made a cross out of sticks and put it there. I had not had anyone or any pet die in a long time, so i forgot how sad you are when it happens. I am crying as I write this but keep trying to tell myself Bandit would not want me to cry. Later I will post a picture of the grave they made for her, They took two pictures (at night) and the second picture an apparition appeared in the photo. I beleive in ghosts and spirits, I believe that was bandit in the picture showing us that she was there with us in spirit and it would be okay. <font color="red"> </font>