My Son has Left

Question:
 Has anyone heard of a dog going off to die? Apparently that is what my "son" did saturday night. He was a 17 year old poodle, and I know he had very limited vision. I let him and my other dog out to go to the bathroom for 10 min, she came back, he did not. I searched, and searched, and searched some more looking for him. I live on a deserted street with no traffic at all, so him being picked up is out of the question. I had him for over 14 years, and along with my other dog, we traveled the USA in a truck for over 8 years. He has seen more of our country, than most people ever will. He was a vital part of my life, and also cold natured. I always knew the day would come, where I would lose him, but I felt I was ready for that day, and I would have him buried in a cemetary, where the sun would always shine on him to keep him warm forever. To me, this is so not right. He deserved so much better than this. Why he would have left is so difficult for me to accept. Why God would guide him to where he wanted to be, and will not help me find him now is beyond me. I assume he went where he wanted to die, to a place he had picked out at sometime in his life. My only hope is that his death was both painless, and fast. I apologize for rambling, but I feel this is the only place I can talk about this and people not think I am nuts. I am not a people person, I much prefer my dog and 3 cats. If someone out there can offer me ANY kind of logic on this, I would love to hear from you. As is, I feel totally worthless.
Answer:
 I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog...You know that animals have some of the same traits and feeling as humans..I do agree with you that he did go off somewhere that he loved and lied his self to rest...I hope that someday you find another dog that can replace your son..I have lost 2 dogs in my lifetime one I had for 18 years and another for 12 so I know how it feels......I wish you the best of luck and please do not feel worthless...If you wish to contact me directly you can email me which is posted on my profile.....Have a nice day :)
Answer:
 What a terrible loss. I am SO sorry! I can empathize with you on the unbearable pain, but here is my theory: I have heard many stories (mostly cats) where pets will leave to die. This may sound strange but the reason sounds so logical and precious: they love their owners so much and they sense when that critical time is. So when that time comes, they do not want to do this in front of us (a sign of respect and love) and put you through this. I've heard stories where cats would walk miles to die (actually found by owner) and another who found her cat hidden in a deep file of stuff in the closet to die (she lived in an apartment where she could not leave). I lost my angel just yesterday and periodically am going through a nervous breakdown. He was dying at the vet but when brought home, spent a few hours with me before dying. It sounds foolish but I believe in my heart that he sensed my need to say goodbye and stayed alert enough to give that to me. He couldn't leave to say goodbye as he was paralyzed by then. I am in terrible shape and don't know how I will get through this but reading stories like yours actually helps me see that I am not alone. I hope this helps...