Thanks to everyone. We just got back from the vet's office, where Rudy died peacefully, surrounded by his family. I am heartbroken and already miss him desperately, but I am sure I did the right thing. Thanks for all the support.

I have never been to this forum before, I usually hang out in the garden areas but I needed to get some relief this morning. This post has helped me just to break down and let all that 'strength' and pain go. I do not wish to take away from the purpose of this thread but I would like to share my story with someone. It has been about a month or a little more since we lost Fred; Fred was a beagle that we adopted from a couple who left him in a crate almost 24/7; he was about 2 years old when he was sent to us.... that was 15 years ago. In that time , I have lost my two shepherd mix girls at 15 and 14 years old.... I have taken in three more pups as they passed my way in need... but Fred was special. Independent, never needing attention and so appreciative when he got it. About 6 months ago , he went blind and my husband thought it was best to help him cross over, I disagreed. I told him that if that were the case, I would know but Fred seemed to be adjusting well and he did...... most times, you could not tell he was blind to watch him. Physically , he was still pretty active, his teeth were getting pretty bad but the vet said none were in need of removal YET.... Long story short, I made the decision that the time had truly come about a month ago because it seemed that everything that moved began to startle him and he seemed to be in constant fear and that was not the purpose of adopting him; it was to give him love, freedom and a carefree life......he had that. That morning, I told him how much I loved him and we spent an hour or more just cuddling...I explained that I was ready to let him go and I knew he was ready ..... I had contacted my vet and we were to be there at 3 pm; at 1 pm, I went to get him and spend just a few more special moments and I found him in his bed; he had taken the journey on his own after receiving my permission to give up..... he now sleeps under a newly planted magnolia (in his honor) with a beautiful marble head stone that has his picture on it....and I spend some very nice quiet times there just as we did together for so many years..... Thank you all for letting me share this here and please know that your thread has helped me get through yet another day without Fred...

Thanks for all of your kind words...it's so hard to lose them..her bowl is still sitting where I left for her last meal. It broke my heart because Tasha always went and checked Sadie's bowl after meals...she did that this morning after her breakfast and then realized what she had done. We are all really struggling. I know it gets easier with time. It's just so raw right now. I managed to take Tasha for a walk this morning and was thankful no neighbors were out to ask about Sadie. I saw Tasha dreaming on the couch this afternoon and saw her tail start wagging. I really hope she got a visit from Sadie..she misses her best friend so much, as do my hubby and I.

Well, tonight has certainly been an education. Robo, thank you for taking the time to do the layout. I think your recommendation of down by 3" sounds right to me. What puzzles me is that the certified framer, with training and years of experience, centered this piece on the wall in both directions. Apparently her training was different. I think I'll ask her about it as she's a lovely person and won't mind. After looking through the houzz photos again, the take away is that dining room art is usually hung lower and that the entire composition of the room, and size of the art, has to be taken into consideration. I've also read online that when one has a vaulted dining room ceiling, chandeliers are hung higher than the norm. Most chandeliers in the houzz photos, especially with large art, were hung high. At this time, mine is at 31" above table top. I think I'll experiment by getting a S-hook to temporarily raise it and see how things look. I'll think about your advice to keep some mystery, Annie. Mahalo, which means "thank you" in Hawaiian.