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The
Hardest Thing You May Ever Have to Do
By
Allen and Linda Anderson
Barbara, a reader of our newsletter, wrote to us not too long
ago about what she considered to be one of the most difficult
decisions she ever had to make in her life. Her dear animal companion
of fifteen years, a dog named Bear, had struggled to combat a
hyperthyroid
condition for almost two years. By then, Bear had lost one quarter
of her hair. The dog was constantly hungry and miserable, losing
weight and wailing in pain most of the time. After doing everything
she could to keep Bear alive and depleting herself financially
in the process, Barbara had to struggle with whether or not to
have the dog euthanized.
Even though Barbara believed that Bear would be in a better place
after death, she worried and felt guilty about euthanasia. She
wondered whether she had done the right thing. She says, “I
looked up the word euthanasia and learned that it comes from Greek
for 'easy death.' God, I hope so. I did not want Bear
to suffer anymore.” She closed her letter by asking the readers
of our weekly, online Angel Animals Day Brightener Newsletter
to let her know what they thought about the practice of euthanasia.
We put Barbara's request in the newsletter and got an avalanche
of response to it. We forwarded all the letters to Barbara and
published a few of them over several weeks. Many of the letters
offered such wisdom and compassion, that we want to share them
in this article. Perhaps they will offer comfort, and in some
cases, even challenge your opinions about euthanasia. Anyone who
has an animal companion may be faced with this heart-wrenching
choice one day. We hope the following responses will help when
you have to make that most difficult decision.
A
Sample Letter to Barbara
Dee
expressed what many of our readers felt about euthanasia. She
wrote, “I know it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, it's
the last, best, most loving gift we can give our animal friends,
to free them from their painful, failing bodies and let their
spirits soar. I also believe that they will be with us in eternity.
They're waiting for us in heaven or at the Rainbow Bridge.
Though it may, and does, break our hearts, we can rest in the
knowledge that we were unselfish at the end and did what was best
for them.”
A
Respectful Difference of Opinion
Most
of our readers were in agreement that euthanasia was necessary
to end an animal's pain and opted for quality of life over
longevity. Some even wished that euthanasia would be an option
for humans. However, a Buddhist practitioner named Trisha wrote
to express a differing opinion. She referred readers to an article
by Trish Deitch Roher, “Putting Spot Down: What is the Compassionate
Thing to Do?” from Tricyle: The Buddhist Review, Summer 2002.
Trisha quotes Roher as saying, “Most Tibetan teachers...
have told practitioners that it's inadvisable to kill
any being under any circumstances. To care for an animal through
the pain and suffering of old age and death is courageous and
kind.”
According to Trisha, “the article emphasized that we tend
to euthanize companion animals primarily to relieve our own suffering
and not the animal's, even though we adamantly feel we are
doing just the opposite.” Trisha went on to say, “From
the Buddhist standpoint, we may do our companion animals a disservice
by creating karma for them by prematurely taking their lives.”
So
how do you know what to do?
Many
people take the animal to a veterinarian who lays out the options.
Then they face the prospect of incurring staggering medical bills
or watching an animal they love struggle to stay alive in a depleted
or debilitated body.
After euthanasia, several of our letter-writers were reassured
that they had done the right thing when they were visited by the
animal's spirit during a dream. Joy writes about her retired
racehorse, Franklin, “I had a dream about him a month or
so after. I was kissing Franklin's muzzle and telling him
how much I love him. He was no longer in pain and was very happy.
Perhaps Dee best said what a lot of people have come to understand
about this troubling decision - your animal friend will help you
figure out what to do. Dee writes, “How do we know it's
time? I think, at the end, they tell us. I knew. With both my
dogs, Shadow and Kaylee, even though I desperately wanted to deny
it and hold on, they were ready to go. It was me who wasn't
ready. But I know that we will be together again someday. And
that's what I hold onto now.”
The epitaph Lord Byron wrote and had inscribed on the grave of
his dog, Boatswain, in 1808 expresses the memories many of us
have about our beloved animal companions. Lord Byron wrote, “Near
this spot are deposited the Remains of one who possessed Beauty
without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.”
Allen
and Linda Anderson are co-editors of Angel Animals: Exploring
Our Spiritual Connection with Animals. Send story submissions
to P.O. Box 26354, Minneapolis, MN 55426 or email at AngelAnimals@aol.com.
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Animals
