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Final hours - Cris Cristofaro looks over a puppy photo of his dog, Dino, as veterinarian Wendy McCulloch prepares to perform an in-home pet euthanasia on the 12-year-old Italian Spinone in New York City.

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Put to sleep - The vet injects Dino with a sedative to put him to sleep ahead of a final euthanasia injection.

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Caring and humane - On another occasion, Dr. McCulloch administers a lethal injection to pit bull-labrador mix Rocky, 14, at his owners' apartment, also in New York City.

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Tears - Owner Tomo McLoyd watches as Dr. McCulloch carries out the procedure on Rocky.

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Happy memories - Pet owners Tiga and Togo McLoyd look over photos of their dog Rocky after Dr. McCulloch euthanized their pet.

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Pictures of a life - Similarly, Lee Jae-hwan's pet dog Kkotgae is seen on his computer screen at his home in Namyangju, South Korea.

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Food for the next life - Lee Jae-hwan puts pet food on a memorial altar set up at his home for Kkotgae.

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Empty space - Lee Jae-hwan looks out while sitting on a chair that he used to place Kkotgae on.

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Hard to let go - Lee Jae-hwan sits on a bench with an urn containing the ashes of Kkotgae.

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Pet funeral parlor - Kang Sung-il, a pet funeral manager, checks urns containing pet ashes at a funeral service company in Gwangju, South Korea.

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Funeral service - Kang Sung-il seen leading a pet funeral ceremony in Gwangju.

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Happy and healthy - Kang Sung-il and his wife Ham Jin-seon play with their own pet dog Sancho at home in Incheon.

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Playtime - Ham Jin-seon dresses Sancho. This dog is happy and healthy.

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All together - The couple playing with their dog.

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Well looked-after - Kang Sung-il pours water for Sancho at his home.

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Heartfelt message - A pet owner leaves a message on top of a coffin containing the body of her dog before its cremation at a pet funeral service company in South Korea. The message reads: "To my love. Rest in peace and don't be sick any more. Please come to me again as my son in the next life. I'm sorry and thank you and I love you. See you again soon."

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A picture for posterity - Pet owners often choose to be photographed with their sick and dying animals one last time before having them euthanized, like this woman in South Korea.

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Remembering them as they were - A picture of a pet dog decorated with flowers is seen on a tablet at a pet studio in Seoul.

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Final resting place - An owner holds a funeral for pet dog Jaili, who died at the age of 19. The animal is buried at Wangzai pet cemetery in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

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House as headstone - A red roofed tiny house is the tomb of pet dog Shami at Wangzai pet cemetery.

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Pet cemetery - Visitors pay their respects to deceased pets at Wangzai pet cemetery.

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Pets and celebrities -

Famous people often choose to be buried alongside their pets. Here, American art collector and socialite Peggy Guggenheim (1898–1979) lies next to a plaque remembering her Lhasa Apso pet dogs.

See also: The beautiful bond between pets and their owners

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The final goodbye to our beloved pets -

xx

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