Opinion | 'As much as we would like pets to die peacefully in sleep and relieve us of this grave responsibility, it is rarely that easy.'
Human beings can see beyond pain and suffering, as a hospice volunteer I can attest, but animals cannot; they are overcome and must be relieved of a burden they cannot bear.It seems but a short time ago, I brought home from the dog pound a tawny, six-week-old pup. I named her Bacon because I always found food names for pets funny. Her blue eyes turned the color of honey and the shepherd markings faded as the thick golden chow coat came in.
Bacon had the keen intelligence and playfulness of a German shepherd and from the chow stock independence akin to a cat’s. She knew more than a dozen commands by voice and hand signal but sometimes treated them as suggestions. She loved to roughhouse but only with me. Though a guardian to my chickens and a companion to cats, horses, and dog friends, she liked to brawl with dogs she didn’t know. We didn’t go to the dog park. Instead, we walked.
This year the walks started getting slower and shorter. In late January she and I took our last hike. I believe her strong will and exuberance concealed the pain she was in. She never cried or whimpered. A few months ago I noted it was getting harder for her to get up and she sometimes arched her back, a sign of pain. There was a time when I would ask “who wants a belly rub?” and immediately she would assume the belly rub position, but she no longer wanted them.
Loss of mobility, arched back, shaking, holding the head below the shoulders, and excessive panting are signs of pain. In the last 24 hours of her life, Bacon experienced all of these symptoms. In the last 12 hours of her life, she wouldn’t eat or drink and for the first time in her life showed no enthusiasm for the leash, her cats, or her treats. I know from the loss of my cat Boo Boo some years ago that cats also exhibit a loss of interest in toys, food, and water when they are dying.
I have not gone walking since she died though I will again. Like my beloved dog, venturing is in my soul. I cling to this – in heaven she waits to walk beside me once again.
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