How do you bring yourself to let them go?

A simple question (-and i think many of you out there whom i am 'close' to will gather whats going on from this post...)
How do you bring yourself to let your beloved canine companion go?
How do you prepare yourself for letting them depart a bit earlier than maybe nature intended?
Basically-how do you brace yourself from releasing your beloveds from the pain they are experiencing..and releasing them from the 'shell' of their formerselves that they have become?

you can never brace yourself enough you just know when thier pain is stronger than your love
its time to let go

How do you bring yourself to let them go? The only way I could do it was to know that their needs come before my feelings. And to know that it's the right thing to do.

How do you prepare yourself? Like any being (human or animal) that you love, I don't think you really can. You just have to take each day as it comes, one step at a time.

Well Sabre was only nearly 6 years old Luke when I had to let him go because I could tell he was not happy and he used to lie outside in the rain and wouldnt come in and it broke my heart to see him do that cos he wouldn't have done that if he hadn't been ill. I couldn't see him suffer anymore and put him through operations that would just prolong his life a little bit so I decided that I had to let him go It broke my heart though to do it as he was so young.

I think Inca has said it perfectly 'when their pain is stronger than your love' (geez that made me cry ) - with everything that my poor Murphy is going through I am praying that this is not something that I am going to have to think about soon too

((HUGS)) to you Luke, you're obviously going through a tough time right now and I can totally empathise xx

You can't prepare yourself but you do know when it is the right thing to do, having done it you are sad, of course, but you are pleased you found the strength to show your love by being unselfish enough to let go. Of all the things we do for our dogs this is the most important and the most difficult.

Thanks all-you all have really put it into perspective..
As most of you know Polly (JRT) hasnt been in the best shape for a long time now..we've muddled through trying various meds and such..and i guess that i have been in denial that as everyday passes she slips a bit further-and now we are presented with another problem than her failing health-from the pain she is feeling (according to the vet) she has become agressive (understandablly) she has gone to bite various family members and friend recentlly...this very morning she gave me quite a nasty bite to my hand and i hadnt even touched her! I look in her eyes and no longer is she there-but i keep questioning myself...could it be a day to early..or a day to late?

Better too early than too late, if there is a chance for recovery then it is ok to wait but if your pal is slipping away from any pleasure in life then you can't be a day too soon.

Sorry sounds unsympathetic, not intended to be I was trying to support the thought I feel are already in your head.

Thanks Jackie-the vet has given his thoughts that it would be best to let her go sooner rather than later (he told us this today)...i look into her eyes and no longer do i see the lust for life, her walks have become a chore, the other animals no longer her loves yet her hinderances, and people are merely a source of annoyance to her now.
I see how different she is-never would she have bitten a person, especially not me-yet this morning, she just seemed to loose control..its quite frightning.
My paths are clearly marked out-yet i need to set in my mind that they must be taken..

Luke i'm so very sorry Polly isn't well I had a friend had a Westie with a similar deterioration, she became aggressive and confused, she didn't know who she was or where she was anymore. She was still "biologically" perfectly healthy, she was just 11 months old when she was PTS. It was the best thing for her, and it took my friend a long time before she could even mention her name again, it was even harder that she was otherwise healthy, but she wasn't mentally, and she wasn't happy, always distressed.

Like the vet said to her, you know your dog best, only you know when the time is right.