It was always going to be a challenging day, and by challenging I mean gut-wrenching. After 17 years of good living, Millie was to draw her final breath.

Being a black Labrador, she was a most loyal and intelligent companion. At dawn every morning, I would hear the clip-clop of her paws on the floorboards as she came to say hello to me in bed. We walked together every day. She loved going in the car, which I appreciated because living in regional NSW I travel a lot; she would stand on the back seat and rest her head on my shoulder as I drove, as if she was pretending to be a pirate's parrot. At the end of every day, she would sit beside me on the couch as I watched the news on TV or listened to music.

Millie, Nigel Featherstone's Labrador and companion.

In her last two years, Millie suffered from arthritis, especially in her back legs. Despite excellent veterinary treatment, her daily walks went from 10-kilometre adventures up and down hills to 10-minute strolls to the nearest street corner and back. A heatwave also knocked her around, to the point she was panting all day. One morning, on one of her strolls, she developed a bad limp; as I carried her home in my arms, I knew the time had come. Forty-eight hours later, the vet came to the house. Millie died on the couch as I held her paw.

In the days and weeks that followed, my house was quiet and still, as though the core of the place had dropped away. It was common for family and friends to say: "How great it is that we give animals such love and care. Wouldn't it be wonderful if humans had the same opportunity to have a dignified death?" They were referring to euthanasia. Yes, it would be wonderful if humans had the opportunity for a dignified death. It is not right to let animals suffer; indeed it is justifiably a crime.