A Veterinarian’s Story

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. It has changed the way I try and live.

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.”

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Real Proof That Dog is Man’s Best Friend

Dog Mourns at Casket of Navy Seal 

Image via Lisa Pembleton/Getty Images

This photo yanked at the heart-strings of millions of Americans in August 2011, as images of a grieving labrador retriever graced the pages of newspapers across the country. At the funeral of Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson, attendees could see his faithful companion Hawkeye lying by the casket. In front of 1,500 mourners at the beginning of the service, Hawkeye ambled up to the front of the room and laid down next to his master — showing his loyalty until the end.

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Love you til the end

There are so many opinions these days on which emotions our pets can actually feel.  It would sometimes appear that they can convey guilt, happiness, sadness, indifference, and just about every other human emotion.  But the truth is, as far as science can understand (and I’ll admit I cannot figure out how scientists come to these conclusions) dogs do feel emotions, such as happiness, grief, anxiety and any other emotion you can imagine would come in handy in the wild.  Jealousy, pride and guilt are examples of secondary emotions that animals simply do not feel.  It always cracks me up when people tell me their dog looked guilty.  Dogs are very smart animals.  What you are most likely seeing is a learned behaviour pertaining to action and reaction.  If Fifi poops on the rug and gets in trouble, she may learn over time and more accidents that if she looks away, and behaves in a certain manner, her punishment is not as harsh.  This is not the same as guilt, this is self preservation!

The one emotion that I can guarantee dogs feel is love.  There are many stories of dogs who stick with each other through thick and thin, such as a seeing dog behaving as his blind friends eyes, or a large dog protecting his smaller companion.  I have even seen video of a dog who was hit by a car being dragged off the highway by his companion.  (you can see the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpYRITtLSg)

I can attest to the fact that my dogs love one another.  Two years ago we had to say goodbye to our beloved 10 year old german shepherd Maxi.  That evening, after the deed was done, our 4 year old golden retriever lay out on Maxi’s bed.  This in itself was strange behaviour, because in the 4 years we had owned Oscar, he never set foot (or paw as the case may be) on her bed.  He had his own bed.  Well that night as he lay out on her bed, I realized he was just lying flat.  I don’t know how to better describe it. He was not resting, or trying to sleep, it was almost as though he was breathing in her scent or her essence and somehow saying goodbye.  Within one week of Maxi’s death, the entire length of Oscar’s back turned white, and it remains that way to this day.  Lucky for him, he is blonde or he would look like the worlds biggest skunk.

Fast forward a few weeks and we adopted Kahshe to round out our family once more.  While initially, Oscar found her to be an immature pain in the tail, literally, they gradually bonded.  The one time we separated them and my husband took Kahshe up north with him, they were both despondent. (The dogs not my husband!)  Their joy upon reconciling was quite evident.  It kind of reminded me of our twin boys when they have spent a day apart.

There are days, when Kahshe, being 5 years younger than Oscar will drive him crazy, but come the night, it is very rare for them to be sleeping apart.  I have no doubt that when the day finally comes that we have to say goodbye to Oscar, not only will I have to deal with my own grief and that of my children, but I will probably be dealing with a grieving german shepherd as well.

You can read more about dog’s and their emotional states in our March newsletter at http://www.petbreederconnection.com