Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Putting Down a Dog

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Putting Down a Dog
  • Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:55:37 -0500


On Aug 12, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Robert Walton wrote:

It is an individual choice, as Gene says, but as long as
she recognizes and trusts you it may not be her time.


That's good advice, she's still here, I'm just taking it a day at a
time. As long as she is able to get around some and learns to deal
with the blindness and deafness. If it was me, I'd prefer to go in the
night.

The dream is to die in one's sleep. I don't know the percentages. My plan has long been to take charge of my final exit. The dilemma with a dog is that we can only guess their wishes, so we must play god.

With Dax, whose cancer had eaten his shoulder full of holes, I used Prednisone and kept him comfortable and alive as long as he seemed to be enjoying most of each day. Only a week or so before his end we went for a great walk in the woods and we were both happy. When he became unable, unless I lifted him up one step, to come in from evacuating, I decided we were both ready.

We had paid the vet in advance and called her the morning we were coming in. Chris drove the car. The Highlander rear seat folds down by halves. I laid down a waterproof tarp and a blanket on top of that. I made a ramp so Dax could get into the car from the front porch and helped him move forward onto the folded-down section. I sat next to him and had my arm around him. When we got to the vet office, Chris went in to tell her we were ready. She came out, Chris opened the door, the vet shaved his front leg, inserted a needle, Dax died and I, well, it was hard. Chris drove home. A friend had stayed with Benny. I had dug a grave with the backhoe weeks before. I slid the body out and into the grave and when I could I covered him and filled the hole.

Special dogs are very hard to lose. One goes though the question of whether it is worth the final pain. I think it is. Benny is twelve and doesn't have lots of time left. When the time feels right we will get some more dogs, probably three. Losing one hurts hard but it helps to have others.

If reading helps you to work through pain, there is a book my daughter gave me for Father's Day, Dog Year, by Mark Doty, a memoir by a gifted writer-poet. I cried when I read it, so I know it is good.

Dying is an important part of life. Loss is painful. Living life fully includes feeling such pain. It is one of the ways we learn important things.

Take your time.



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page