a couple of years ago we became empty-nesters (I highly recommend it) as our last kids (twins) headed to BYU/mission, etc. My HCBW decided to go back to work so between her (and serving as the YW President) and myself working, traveling often, etc. our little family yorkie was left alone all day. It was clear she was getting depressed and need more interaction than we could provide. Granted she was getting older, but her overall quality of life dropped after the kids left. It was difficult but we recently rehomed her to a family that could provide her the emotional support she needed. We wanted to tell the kids f2f, our oldest daughter is coming home for Thanksgiving while the others will be home for Christmas. We know our kids are looking forward to seeing her, I know they will be sad when we break the news, which will start next week with our oldest daughter. It was very sad to rehome her but we know it was the best decision for her......my advice for those thinking about getting a dog is to keep in mind that your life can change drastically when the kids leave, with the flexibility of coming and going (traveling to see the kid, vacation travel), work, church callings, etc. it can be difficult/costly to continue to provide the interaction/love/support that your dog will need.