As we farewelled Ronda, our soft-hearted labrador, the grief was as painful as any I’ve felt

‘I thought about Ronda’s kindness and patience a lot when she was dying,’ writes Paul Daley. Photograph: Paul Daley

Each time a family dog dies, I go over it all again and decide that the intense grief is far outweighed by the joy the animal brought to our lives.

And so it is yet again with Ronda – the raven-black, shiny, fine-boned labrador, soft-hearted and so very beautiful, euthanised after spending 12 of her 13 years with us.