We put our dog, Vesta, to sleep today. That was a lot harder for me than I thought it would be. Katya’s had that sweet old labrador for eleven years, since Katya was 16 years old. They were really best friends. Vesta never lived with Katya and me except for when we lived with Katya’s parents, so I would sometimes think of her more as “Katya’s dog” than “our dog”… No – she was our dog. I haven’t cried this hard in a long time.

Here’s what my wife wrote on her status and some pictures. The first b/w one with Katya and Vesta is from yesterday. The next one is from today, just a few minutes before the vet came. The last one (the color photo) is from the first day that Katya had her as a puppy.

Katya’s post:
I said good by to a faithful friend today. It’s been a crazy day, but through it all, I have seen the faithfulness of our God. He took such good care of Vesta by allowing us all to be near her together as a family today. God’s even faithful to not forget about dogs, and, if we see that, we can surely know that He is faithful to take care of us, His children. I am thankful to Him for eleven years of adventures and joy with Vestalina. Thank you so much Ruslan for being with us today and helping us. Thank you also to all of those that prayed for us!