On the other side of this discussion, I have been a dog lover all my life, and always will be.....we've got a pet cemetary in the woods behind our house, and to date there's 18 dog head stones out there, covering the past 46 years.....some died from old age, some died from various accidents, some died from cancer, and some got sick and I had to put them down.....all were cared for properly by the vet, and were never ignored or abused.
I loved them all like our family members, and will not hesitate to replace one, if I have to put one down.....I'll mourn over the loss, then rejoice over filling the void.