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Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year old Irish
Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and
their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were
hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer I told the family
we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the
euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be
good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as
though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the
last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a
few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to
accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about
the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who
had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next
stunned me.
I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life
-- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The
four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so
they don't have to stay as long."
Hate hearing this. My basset is going to be 11 this March, squarely in the 10-12 year life-expectancy for his breed. He's as active and energetic as a dog half his age but I know that can change quickly with dogs. I dread the day he passes.
Just a quickie of Nya today. It's hard to get her to look at me since she gets me to take her out, then keeps looking down waiting for me to let her chase the laser light. Dexter likes to chase it too, but she figured out that if she rings the bell to go out she gets it all to her self outside.
Just a quickie of Nya today. It's hard to get her to look at me since she gets me to take her out, then keeps looking down waiting for me to let her chase the laser light. Dexter likes to chase it too, but she figured out that if she rings the bell to go out she gets it all to her self outside.
