I would give anything to put my arms around that huge barrel of a neck one more time, to see the liquid eyes look at me with love. Each night, I went to the grooming area where he slept, I took him a piece of his favorite coffee candy, a small bowl of fresh water with 2 ice cubes, sang him a lullaby and pulled his fleece cover up to tuck him in. He didn't look up as I walked away because he knew one " chirp" and I was back out there. A few times I spent the night out their with him; he just wanted to be outside, looking at his hill, it made him happy.
I think as we age our capacity for love becomes deeper, it's less about self. Some nights Burley Dog would come prancing into the bedroom at one in the morn. He would jiggle and prance, eyes dancing as if to say " I have a grand idea; lets go for a walk " I always got up. We would slip into the courtyard, closing the cross fencing and leaving the girls behind we would sit on a little park bench in the side garden. We were sitting there one night when three Coyotes slipped up to drink from my front fountain. Burley's massive head turned up to me in amazement. He could not believe his eyes, and as they sauntered off, he gave a soft " chirp" like " hey come back, I want to play" He was a dog of constant love. He loved life and all things living, he was once attacked by three pit bulls, off leash, in a park, he just stood there, confused. I never took him to dog parks, the loons have taken those over, some rescues need to check to see if their charges still attack everything in sight.
During the day I hide my grief and go about the business of trying to help the animals who may not be so lucky. Those spending their final days, or even weeks, in pain and fear in shelters that think suffering is a fair way to let an animal die.
I have friends right now who can't afford the $200 to get the family dog put down, they were going to take it to the shelter...For the love of God, why?
The Washoe County animal complex does not help animals in pain, they linger often unable to walk because the shelter will not offer owner requested euthanasia, the humane answer for sick animals. Look at NHS you will see them, the blind, the lame, the anxious & disease ridden, often after the very owners, who cared for them the most could not afford private euthanasia . Disgusting........shame on Washoe County. I'm grateful none of my animals will end up there.
4 comments:
I could not believe the pushback we got from the County when it was suggested they they allow someone to surrender an animal for euthanasia. That proposal went nowhere. So, it doesn't surprise me that NHS is the same way. They want to keep every dog (and cat) alive...yet, they want to wipe out exotic animals.
I echo your comments about how hard euthanasia is, even when it is the right thing to do. I would give anything just to be able to hug my two liger friends again :(
NHS also writes these attack captions about how the cruel owner abandoned the animal in it's final days. Almost all of the really old sick ones are brought here for euthanasia and they need to be put down. we keep them a couple of weeks if we can't farm them off to hospice. They pay for the disposal. Most of the people are sincere, they don't have the money, the problem is the dogs and cats are the ones hurting.
The shelter tries to say we need a hospice, bullshit, the dog had hospice at home, what they now is relief and freedom from a painful body.
I agree with the Lion guy...... it's an incredibly painful decision, and not one you should have to hand wrestle with a political system over. Just be glad you were able to relieve the suffering, soon the loons won't allow that....
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