Celebrating the 4th of July

Well, we’re set up for our own little day of celebration, but it starts out rather sadly.  Last night late, Brian came in and said his dog, Jill was sick.  She was suffering from loss of motor control, her eyes were extremely bloodshot, and she was bleeding from her gums.  We started trying to find a veterinarian clinic that was open 24 hours, but couldn’t, and she got progressively worse.  Jill finally died around 3am.  I would have ended her suffering if I had the means, but I didn’t.  Brian cried for hours;  he and Jill have been inseparable for years.  They epitomized the phrase "A boy’s best friend is his dog".  
Brian never made friends easily due to a speech impediment that made him feel outcast, and Jill was our effort to give him that friend years ago.  As time went on, the speech impediment was overcome and dissappeared, his friends became numerous, but Jill stayed by his side.  He really loved that dog, and it was obvious that she belonged only to him.  I hate this for him.
Here is a photo of Brian with his Jill in happier times.