10 THINGS YOUR DOG WOULD TELL YOU…
1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be painful: remember that before you get me.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me- it is crucial to my well-being.
4. Do not be angry at me for long, and do not lock me up as punishment.
5. You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends. I only have you.
6. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice when you are speaking to me.
7. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget.
8. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that could easily hurt you, but I choose not to bite you because I love you.
9. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I might not be getting the right food, or I have been out too long, or my heart is getting too old and weak.
10. Take care of me when I get old; you too will grow old. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say: “I cannot bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence.” Everything is easier for me if you are there –even my death.
Animals do not think about death. They do not fear its approach. They do not cling to life with all their strength, desperate for just one more day. All the reasons that we humans struggle to hang on for every minute that we can, do not apply with an animal. All it knows is the here-and-now, and if that is filled with pain, there is no joy in living any more.
The kindest gift you can give a beloved pet is to have the strength and the courage to let him go before he hurts too bad. The reason we hesitate is that WE don’t want to lose them; WE don’t want to be without them. But in that moment, we must think of what is best for the pet, not for us.
For as long as he can enjoy life and enjoy your love, you can let him have that. But when he starts down that path where the things he loved most can no longer comfort him, it’s time. Don’t wait.
Be with him at the end, to comfort him, so that the last thing he sees is you and the last thing he hears is your voice, comforting him to sleep. If you can afford it, have a vet come and do the anaethesia in your home, so he can go to sleep in the place he loves, surrounded by the people he loves.
If you have the strength to let him go when your heart would rather have him stay with you, it will comfort you all your life that you did the right thing, and ease the burden of his passing