For almost a year, my husband and I talked about getting another dog. Our golden retriever, Riley, was 3 years old and we thought she'd like a playmate.

We weighed the cost of more dog food and vet visits, more fur on the floor and the replacement of trim that would get chewed on at some point despite putting bitter spray on it.

Then we thought about all the joy a pet brings and the tail wagging and licks. It was a done deal. We got our second golden retriever, Bailey, in May.

Despite being less than half of Riley's size, Bailey loved wrestling with Riley and often won at tug of war. Each morning when we'd let him out of his cage, the first thing he would do is jump on top of Riley and give her what I'd like to think was a hug.

When I'd separate the two of them for a little bit, Riley would often lay next to Bailey's puppy gate waiting for us to free him so they could play some more.

Bailey was a happy, healthy puppy until Saturday. He was fully vaccinated and had never been sick a day in his life, but at just six months old, he suddenly lost the use of his hind legs. At first we thought he must've slept on them funny. On Friday night, he was playful and jumping on the couch just like every other day. An hour later, however, it was clear that something was wrong.

We rushed Bailey to the animal emergency clinic since our vet was closed. We didn't get any real answers and settled for some medicine.

We slept in the family room next to Bailey Saturday night and by 7 a.m. Sunday morning it was clear that his condition had worsened. He couldn't walk at all and was groaning. We took him back to the emergency clinic where they told us he needed to see a specialist and we'd have to take him to the University of Madison's veterinary school.

We made the drive thinking all along he’d be back with us in just a day or two.

By Tuesday, when a neurologist could finally examine him we learned that Bailey wouldn't be coming home. He had an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis. We were told that there is no cure and no real way of knowing why some dogs get this. They said it was just bad luck.

Bailey also had developed pneumonia and couldn't breathe very well. The vet said he would only live for a couple days and would be in pain. We made the difficult decision to put him to sleep.

After only four short months with him, we had to say goodbye.

No two dogs are alike and the same could be said for Riley and Bailey. While Riley craves attention and is a bit stubborn, Bailey was independent and sensitive. He had droopy eyes that would melt your heart. We will miss him dearly.

During our long weekend of uncertainty, I posted updates on Facebook and learned that several of my friends were checking back every few hours to see if Bailey made progress.

When I had to tell everyone that he had been put to sleep, more than 40 friends, some I hadn't talked to in years, responded with support for us.

The thing with pets is that they're hard not to love, even if they aren't your own. Just looking at a picture of puppy or a kitten, a cat or a dog or a bunny rabbit will have most people smiling.

While it's hard to go through losing a pet, especially one so young, it's nice to know that one small dog has the power to move so many people.

GO editor and Rockford Woman assistant editor Rebecca Rose can be reached at 815-987-1379 or rrose@rrstar.com.