The heartbreaking moment Sister Wives clan is forced to put beloved family dog to sleep

The Sister Wives clan bid farewell to their beloved dog, Drake, in an episode of the TLC show shown last night.
Meri Brown, the first wife of polygamist Mormon Kody, was told by a vet that the 12-year-old family pet was suffering and it would be 'more humane' to let him go.
For Drake's send-off, the family, now based in Las Vegas, took him back to their former home in Lehi, Utah, where he was put to sleep and buried in the garden.

Tough decision: The Sister Wives clan were forced to bid farewell to beloved family dog Drake in last night's episode, after a vet told them that he was sick and suffering, and it would be kinder to put him to sleep

Kody, 45, who has four wives and 16 children, told viewers: 'Our dogs are kind of family. You know they’re special.
'It’s emotionally loaded. We’ve got all of our children, most of who were born after Drake.'

 

Meri first realized that something was wrong with Drake when he started defecating in the house, rather than outdoors.
She exclaims in the footage: 'He’s losing control'.
She, Kody, and their daughter Mariah, are then filmed returning to their old neighborhood where they meet with a vet.

Final send-off: Meri invited each of the Brown children over to her home so that they could say goodbye

Sad loss: The 12-year-old pet was a much-loved part of the family, and was older than many of the children - above pictured as a puppy with Meri and Mariah

After inspecting Drake, vet Rick Witty, tells the family: 'You probably should think about letting him go because I think that’s more humane… he’s suffering.'
It seems they had been expecting the worst though. Before they left for Utah, Meri invited all of the Brown children to her house to say goodbye to Drake and have their photograph taken with him.

'I just didn’t feel like it was fair or nice to have Drake just disappear... I wanted the kids to be able to say goodbye'

'I just didn’t feel like it was fair or nice to have him just disappear. I wanted the kids who were close to him and who loved him to be able to say goodbye,' she said.
Back in Utah, Kody is visibly emotional and breaks down as he digs a grave in a wooded area, where another family pet is also buried.
Through his tears, he explains: 'It’s very depressing… because not just because of Drake but also because of all the memories here.'
The Browns were forced to move to Nevada in January to avoid charges of bigamy. However these have now been dropped.
Since the move to Las Vegas, the Sister Wives have been attempting to get their vast family to bond.

Emotional goodbye: Kody, Meri and Mariah returned to their former home in Utah and dug a grave for Drake in a wooded area close to where another family pet had been buried

New beginnings: Meri and Kody Brown (pictured), along with his other three wives and their 16 children, were forced to move to Nevada in January to avoid charges of bigamy in Utah

However Christine Brown, Kody's third wife, still feels that the overall family structure is suffering and they aren't spending as much time together as they did in Utah.
She said: 'I feel like we’re failing as a family right now, I’m sorry. Because we haven’t gotten together a lot, we’re not each others' support system right now.
'I think that’s frightening and that’s absolutely terrible.'
Next week, the family is taking a road trip, and a teaser shows Meri and Kody arguing over driving. 
The Browns are members of the Apostolic United Brethren Church. In addition to Meri, he is married to Janelle, with whom he has six children, Christine, with whome he fathered another six, and Robyn, who has three from her first marriage and a new baby with Kody.
While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has officially rejected polygamy, the family openly continue with the practice.