Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish
Wolfhound named Belker.The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their
little boy, Shane were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for
a miracle. examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the
family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the
euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements,
Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old
Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from
the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's Family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time,
that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes,
Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's
transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while
after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives
are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped
up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him.
What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more
comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn
how to live a good life -- like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The
four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they
don't have to stay as long".
Wolfhound named Belker.The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their
little boy, Shane were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for
a miracle. examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the
family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the
euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements,
Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old
Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from
the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's Family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time,
that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes,
Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's
transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while
after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives
are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped
up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him.
What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more
comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn
how to live a good life -- like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The
four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they
don't have to stay as long".
