|
Why
Dogs Live Shorter
Being a veterinarian, I
had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish
Wolfhound named Belker.
The dogs owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa and their
little boy, Shane, were
all very attached to 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 as
though Shane might 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 difficult 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, "People are
born so that they can
learn how to live a good life -- like loving
everybody all the time
and being nice. right?"
The four-year-old
continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so
they don't have to stay
as long."
Live simply. Love generously. Care
deeply. Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.
|
