Spare A Thought

[Ludwig Venter]

I still recall, that the very first animal that I had to euthanaze personally, happened to be (as luck would have it) a St Bernard.....

The dog was almost 13 years old (which is a ripe ol age for big dogs) and was lame in the back legs.... The family was very attached to the dog (all 4 of the kids grew up with the dog) but they could not transport the dog to the kennels, so I had to go to their house to do the dirty work.

Equipped with a syringe that we usually injected horses with and a full bottle of euthanaze (Cream Soda)....I pitched up, and the guy said to me, he wanted his whole family to be there whilst I'm putting the dog down and boy!.. did he have a large family...even uncles & aunties shared their home.

They all arranged their chairs outside on the front lawn in a circle around me and the dog in the centre. Intending to make it quick, I almost trebbled the dosage that we would normally use to euthanaze a dog of that size.... and then... I could not find a vein... no matter where I looked, they were all flat.

After the 3rd injection, the dog was still looking me in the eye... and the whole family was sobbing uncontrollably... So I just joined in (I am married for 37 years already, & my wife has never seen me cry).....

It was only after the 7th (grossly overdosed) injection that I could finally announce that the dog was dead.... At that stage, I was in such a state that the whole family forgot about their own grieves having lost a beloved pet, and they were all round me to try comfort me...

I spent the rest of the day (alone) back at the kennels (after burying "Sebastian")...before I had the guts to go back home.....

 

[dthoffsett]

That's so sad Ludwig, but wonderful that he was so well loved by such a compassionate family.

I've had 2 cats that I've had to have euthanized. The first was 8, he had diabetes that could no longer be controlled and you could just tell he was miserable all the time. I felt so guilty having him put down, but felt even worse forcing him to live. The second was 14 and her poor organs were just shutting down, she also had arthritis and crackled when she walked. I held both of them as they were put down and cried like a baby the whole time.

 

[Saracirce]

Also.... If you (as total stranger) leave your pet with me for a weekend to look after it... By Monday, when you arrive to collect this animal, he/she has told me so much about you, the owner... I know you as a person like I know the palm of my hand. At feeding time or when I attempt to pat the head, crouching in a corner is a clear indication that you are not a nice person....A dog beaming with confidence & always ready to play comes from a happy family where he is part of it. etc. etc..... They have an extended vocabualary.

That's not exactly true. A dog could be part of a very loving family who is great but the dog just has major fear issues or doesn't feel confident without their owner around. They could cower from you when you come to feed them. Our dog is like that then again she's also extremely people aggressive and only gets away with it because she's a little chihuahua mix. Both of our cats are like that as well. While Boo will come see strangers if you have food (he's all about the food), Reese just tends to hide unless the person sits down for a while. She's always been fearful like that and it stems from how she was taken care of by her past owner (kept in a nasty basement with little socialization into normal life). I mean, she even growls at our mailman even though he always comes at the same time of day and does the same thing each day. He doesn't even stop to talk to us or anything. We've had her for almost three years now, from when she was a kitten, and, though we try, she still has these issues with no signs of them going away. While she's a whole lot better then she used to be, I don't think it's ever going to fully go away. It's just too ingrained into her and I think that it might also stem from her parents because they were kept in the basement as well (as far as I know)

As for rescuing, I'm all for it. Boo's a rescue and I can't express how much I love him, how thankful I am he's in my life. Got him and his sis as kittens from the city pound and they had so much wrong with them. Ear mites, intestinal worms, kennel cough, fleas and one had an std in her eye. Every day, three times a day for two weeks I had to give them medicine (I was in middle school at the time too) and, though we had to rehome his sister before a big move (she was just too aggressive to people and animals), I still have my Boo. Because of how strongly we bonded when he was a kitten and the medicine, he trusts me to do just about anything to him and I'm the only one. He's my baby and there are some days he's the only reason I get up. That was especially true back when I was dealing with a whole lot of family drama and I was super depressed. I'm the one who feeds him, takes care of his wounds after he gets in fights (he's an inside/outside cat) and I just plan cuddle with him all the time. Next pet I get, it's going to be a rescue. There's just no words to explain how great it feels knowing you've taken in an unwanted animal and the thanks and unconditional love you get from them.

I would be so distraught if I ever had to give Boo away. He's just too precious to me and there have been times it's been close. Thankfully, we've pulled through or the issues resolved themselves (aka, I was backed up by our other neighbors when an ignorant one claimed Boo was 'vicious'). If I ever did have to give him away, though, for whatever reason, I'd give him to a trusted friend who can take care of what ever problem it is and who doesn't have other pets so I don't have to worry about Boo fighting for his spot in another home. Also, that way I can come visit him, which I'd want to do everyday.