Bless this dog!!!

Normally I try to joke and be clever & witty on this blog, but circumstances have changed and this is a very sad and emotional time for us. Half the reason I started this was to use as Ryan's baby book, another 1/4 was to keep the family updated, and the rest was to keep me from getting bored at work....so in the spirit of all three I tell the sad story of our sometimes beloved dog Steve:
As much as we complain about our obnoxious dog, we love him dearly, which is evident from how hard I cry when telling anyone our situation, or even think about it. Steve was our rightful first born, our baby. From the minute we got him (6 weeks old) he went everywhere with us-every single vacation-Orlando, Sea Side, Sarasota, Daytona, St. Mary's, Asheville, Savannah...etc...and every destination, he was a rock star! We always felt like celebrities when he was with us because we couldn't take two steps without people coming up to us asking about him...and they would remember his name..so if we bumped into them later we would hear a shout out, "STEVE!!!". We knew when we got pregnant, the biggest obstacle would be Steve. I had a sneaky feeling it would be bad, and it was. His jealousy early on was obvious, but so was his protective instinct, which meant barking at everything as an alarm! Loud and not conducive to having a newborn in the house. All of that we could live with. Ryan and Steve had a weird relationship-she LOVED him and he was terrified of her, which somehow always worked. But since Ryan has become mobile Steve sees her every move as a threat and his toys existence threatened. He recently has become aggressively territorial of his space and toys. At this point if he were to get a toy of hers, forget getting it back because your hand would be bit off. And while he brings his throw toys to her to toss, and she does, she now proceeds to follow it and try to get it back, which makes Steve growl and snap...one time catching her hand. I think it scared her more than anything, but seeing his increasing aggressiveness and her getting more and more mobile, I foresee a standoff that I cannot allow to happen. So the worst decision we have to make to date has come upon us and Steve has to go. Just writing this makes me insanely sad and poor Jamey, while he agrees with me doesn't want to be around. This is something that has to be done...for Ryans sake, for our sake and for poor Steve. I think Jamey and I will be fine, miss him obviously, but as long as we know he is going to be loved and cared for, can handle this-it HAS to happen. Even knowing that, doesn't make this any easier. He really is a good dog, who was spoiled beyond belief and now cant handle not being top dog in the house anymore. It is our fault, really, and I just hope we make the right decision regarding his future...hopefully, I'm praying, it all works out for the best!