My parents were the same. Had to put down their dog when I was just 5 years old, and they vowed never to go through it again. Im 50 this year & they've still never had another dog.
I had to take our first cat Poppy to the vets in 2017 when it became apparent she wasn't going to get better from illness - on the very day we flew out to Florida for Christmas. Most painful thing I've done, and felt awful for ages afterwards, even though she was 18 and suffering. Cried my eyes...
Perfectly understandable feelings - pets are a massive part of family life. We had to have our eldest cat Poppy put down just over a year ago. She was 18, & we got her as a kitten just after we bought our first place together. Heartbreaking to see her health deteriorate so quickly towards the...