I heard a story on the news the other day that a dog was taken from its home, without consent of the homeowner or dog parent, and brought him to the vet to be euthanized.
The dogs was a 15 year old chocolate lab. According to a note that was left, the “strangers” took him to the vet and were told the dog had no quality of life.
The story caught my attention mostly because I have a ten year old black lab. I have started noticing some signs of aging in the poor guy. I would not react well if someone made the decision for me. I had my big Bo since he was 6 months old and if anyone ever decided how I should take care of my big baby, we’d be having some words.
So this story raises a lot of questions. Was the dog not being well taken care of, was he really in that bad of a state and the owner just didn’t seem to care so people took it into their own hands? Were these people just mean people? It is an issue, no matter how you look at it, breaking into someone’s home. So the question becomes were they really trying to do what was best for the dog or were they getting back at the owner somehow?
And, that leads me to another question; how do you know when/if it is time for something like that to happen to a beloved pet? How does anyone make that decision?
I had a dog growing up, a Siberian Husky named Inka. We got her when she was 2, I was about 13 I believe. She was my best friend. She was my dog. I always said so, I always took care of her.
When I left for Basic Training, I had to leave her behind. When I got stationed in Hawaii, I had to leave her behind. I didn’t want to, but, I had to. I checked in on her for a while. But, when I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mom and sister anymore, I couldn’t check in on her anymore. I knew I should have taken her when I moved to Colorado. She should have come with me. I wish I could have made it happen.
A few years ago, I found out she was given to a friend of my sister’s. While finding that out, I also found out she had left the world a few months before. I was very grateful to hear who was taking care of her because that made me feel she was being taken care of. I was very sad to hear of her passing, though. Even after so many years away from her, I cried when I heard the news. It broke my heart, she probably thought I had abandoned her. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her.
I know it sounds like crazy person talk to a lot of people, but she was my best friend. She was always there for me when I needed her. She protected me from everyone. She listened. She cuddled. She sat with me.
But, I did not get to say goodbye. That was hard to swallow even though she hadn’t been “my” dog in years.
It is ironic, she actually passed the same month we rescued our 2nd dog. He’s part Husky so I have decided she lives within him.
And my dogs now take care of me and sit with me and listen to me. As my big Bo ages and slows down, I worry about him. Hearing stories like this make me ask questions about how you know when it is time. But, I do know that if someone ever took them away from me like that, they would know that was not acceptable behavior.
The dogs was a 15 year old chocolate lab. According to a note that was left, the “strangers” took him to the vet and were told the dog had no quality of life.
The story caught my attention mostly because I have a ten year old black lab. I have started noticing some signs of aging in the poor guy. I would not react well if someone made the decision for me. I had my big Bo since he was 6 months old and if anyone ever decided how I should take care of my big baby, we’d be having some words.
So this story raises a lot of questions. Was the dog not being well taken care of, was he really in that bad of a state and the owner just didn’t seem to care so people took it into their own hands? Were these people just mean people? It is an issue, no matter how you look at it, breaking into someone’s home. So the question becomes were they really trying to do what was best for the dog or were they getting back at the owner somehow?
And, that leads me to another question; how do you know when/if it is time for something like that to happen to a beloved pet? How does anyone make that decision?
I had a dog growing up, a Siberian Husky named Inka. We got her when she was 2, I was about 13 I believe. She was my best friend. She was my dog. I always said so, I always took care of her.
When I left for Basic Training, I had to leave her behind. When I got stationed in Hawaii, I had to leave her behind. I didn’t want to, but, I had to. I checked in on her for a while. But, when I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mom and sister anymore, I couldn’t check in on her anymore. I knew I should have taken her when I moved to Colorado. She should have come with me. I wish I could have made it happen.
A few years ago, I found out she was given to a friend of my sister’s. While finding that out, I also found out she had left the world a few months before. I was very grateful to hear who was taking care of her because that made me feel she was being taken care of. I was very sad to hear of her passing, though. Even after so many years away from her, I cried when I heard the news. It broke my heart, she probably thought I had abandoned her. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her.
I know it sounds like crazy person talk to a lot of people, but she was my best friend. She was always there for me when I needed her. She protected me from everyone. She listened. She cuddled. She sat with me.
But, I did not get to say goodbye. That was hard to swallow even though she hadn’t been “my” dog in years.
It is ironic, she actually passed the same month we rescued our 2nd dog. He’s part Husky so I have decided she lives within him.
And my dogs now take care of me and sit with me and listen to me. As my big Bo ages and slows down, I worry about him. Hearing stories like this make me ask questions about how you know when it is time. But, I do know that if someone ever took them away from me like that, they would know that was not acceptable behavior.