Hoosier & Emma Mae
One spring day a few years ago, I was on my way to the home of some friends and took a country road and sure enough, a terrier was running down the side of the road. I picked him up and went from house to house, trying to find the owner to no avail. I took him to the vet and the dog had not been neutered and needed another operation. The vet said he had been dumped. This Yorkie mix, “Hoosier,” and I are buddies and the relationship is unreal. I grew up with pets but never had such a relationship with an animal. In time, I decided Hoosier needed a canine pal in the house so I got “Emma Mae” from a breeder. The two are now like brother and sister but at first, I thought I had betrayed Hoosier. In time, the decision was right. I had no clue the human, canine bond could be this tight. What I absolutely can not fathom is the notion of euthanizing a dog for any reason. Perhaps I have a lot to learn, but it won’t happen here, no matter what. “Rescuing Sprite” is an incredible story but can anyone enlighten me as to how putting a dog to sleep is the right thing to do?
Father William from IN
March 17th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Dear Father Wright
Perhaps you are right about putting the dog to
sleep..I was holding our little yorkee and it was so painful and has caused me grief.. She was in such bad health shape thought it a kindness but not
so certain .. I could feel in her little body the
fight to still live.. gone 2 1/2 years and this
brings tears..
March 17th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
excuse me Father William
March 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
We are dog people, my husband and I have 4. People often give me that “are you nuts?” look when I tell them that, they see only the downside never the many ups. May I introduce our pack… Barkley is a 7 year old half Blue Heeler and half Australian Sheperd, we like to call him the smartest dog on the planet, he loves to watch television and will even stop eating when he hears the theme songs to his favorite shows. Max is a Beagle, he is 6 and a lot on the chunky side, there is nothing Max enjoys more than eating and schemes to get food away from the others.He is always in a good mood and everyone is his friend. Dice is a 4 year old Shih Tzu and the world revolves around him and his desires, he is cute and he knows it. Then we have Tilly our only girl, she is half Boston Terrier and half Rat Terrier and she is always up for a trip in the car, and to snuggle. They are all well and hopefully we will have them all around for many years to come. Sure keeping the carpets clean is a never ending job, and we spend a lot on vet and grooming bills but to look in those beloved faces and know that we have 4 loyal friends is worth it.I could talk about them all endlessly, dog people love to share. Every visit to the vet is always a chance to talk about ‘The kids’
March 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Dear Father William,
Being a man of the cloth I can understand your questioning about a decision to have a pet euthanized. You have not been to the point where your old, sick and tired pet will look you in the eye and you know that they want help being alleviated from the pain and sickness and frustration from not being able to do things with you that they are used to. Animals can and do communicate with their eyes because that is where their souls are. It is possible that you would never be able to end a pet’s life and that is your choice but I think that God allows us the other option. I have had four dogs who lived to be very old and until you have been at the end and watched the suffering then you will know. We have just adopted a rescue dog and I believe that God was watching over her when she was found on a lonely road by a couple that belonged to a rescue group…she would not have survived the nite with the extreme cold.
When the time comes she will tell me what to do.
Thank you for listening and I enjoyed your story about Eme Mae and Hossier. I wish you many happy years together.
Susan
P.S. As Will Rogers once said:
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
March 18th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I too have often felt that way. I thought we don’t put humans to sleep, why do we put dogs to sleep. Then my grandmother’s cancer spread to her stomach. It worked its way to her esophagus so she could no longer swallow. There was nothing they could do for her so for, I think, two weeks we had to watch her starve to death. All we could do for her was give her morphine and pray for comfort. But I think now, what was 1-2 more weeks of life? It wasn’t joy it was agony. I’m sure everyone would have felt better, including grandma if she could have left Earth a little sooner.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Dear Father William,
I have looked into the eyes of my sick and suffering dogs and I believe it is the mirror to their souls. They will tell you what to do. It isn’t easy to have your lifelong friend euthanized and I do not believe it is a sin but a gift from God to have a choice.
I is a choice just like the one you made to get Hoosier a companion and was a good decision. Now two dogs have a happy home. May you all have a long wonderful life together.
Susan
March 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
You put them to sleep because you love them so much that you can’t stand to see them suffer as they lay there and die and there is no hope for them. It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I have cried for weeks no years after – but to let them suffer and be in so much pain that they can hardly breathe and they look at you with that look in their eye begging you to help them. And all you can do to help them is to let them go in peace you have no choice but to do it! That’s why it IS the right thing to do – because you love them that’s why!!