Today I said goodbye to my best friend of 14 years, Barney. I kissed him on the forehead, told him how deeply he was loved, thanked him for his unwaivering companionship and asked his forgiveness. I gently rubbed his velvet ear until he drifted off for the last time. I don't believe I had the right to call time but I do believe I had the responsibility, before the cancer and arthritis overwhelmed him. My heart is broken. The house is so empty without him and so am I.