Why God Made a Dog's Life 7x Shorter
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I cam across this story on Aizanity {my tumblr}. The human life to dog life ratio is really depressing. How I wish dogs could live as long as we do. As to why God deemed this ratio as the right thing, this kiddo may know.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything 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 six-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 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, “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 six-year-old continued,
Aww, I wonder where the child got his idea. Maybe Belker taught him that. A dog's love is so pure that another pure soul learned how to love with a pure heart. When I read dog stories, I feel the strong urge to find a way of bringing my dogs here in Cavite. I'd like to share each beautiful day with them. I'm really hoping this blog can speed up their moving out.
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.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything 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 six-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 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, “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 six-year-old continued,
“Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Aww, I wonder where the child got his idea. Maybe Belker taught him that. A dog's love is so pure that another pure soul learned how to love with a pure heart. When I read dog stories, I feel the strong urge to find a way of bringing my dogs here in Cavite. I'd like to share each beautiful day with them. I'm really hoping this blog can speed up their moving out.
