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it's always hard to say goodbye
Dec. 3rd, 2003 05:22 pmThis began as a comment in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladybug007's journal; by the time I was finished, I realized it was an entry on its own.
Having been through this myself not so very long ago, I'm not certain I can completely agree with the first part of your entry. If you have allowed an animal into your life as friend and companion, then being there for the m at the end- when illness or injury makes said end unavailable- seems, to me, to be the ultimate extension of that friendship and compassion. You're making sure that you're the last thing your pet sees, and personally ensuring that their death is as quic k and painless as possible (say what you will about getting shot with a .357, it's an extremely quick death for an animal which, as you say, was old and suffering.
Now, please note:
a) I am NOT referring to the sort of fucker who, say, puts a pet to sleep because he's moving and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of finding a home for it. I'm talking about responsible euthanasia for a suffering friend, not exterminating a pet as though it was a pest.
b) There are people who get so wrecked by t h e death of a friend, even an animal one, that they simply can't function in this case (which is wholly understandable, and speaks well of your closeness with your pet). In that case, it's definitely best to take it to a vet- you'll be too upset to end y our friend's suffering appropriately, and your pet shouldn't see your sobbing, suffering face as its last memory.
c) Hunting is a whole different kettle of fish (granted that there are areas where, say, the deer's natural predators have been exterminated, and if the population wasn't regulated, the deer would simply deforest the area until they began to starve). I place recreational hunting- which often leaves the animal wounded, in pain, and slowly bleeding to death- in the same category as, say, bullfi ghting- it's simply a shitty, shitty thing to do.)
It hurts every time you have to say goodbye. There's no reason- and no excuse- for creating that pain unnecessarily.
( Updated to say: After some thoughtful comments by platypus, I realized I hadn't fully addressed certain issues, and I then wrote the following as an addendum: )
ladybug007's journal; by the time I was finished, I realized it was an entry on its own.Having been through this myself not so very long ago, I'm not certain I can completely agree with the first part of your entry. If you have allowed an animal into your life as friend and companion, then being there for the m at the end- when illness or injury makes said end unavailable- seems, to me, to be the ultimate extension of that friendship and compassion. You're making sure that you're the last thing your pet sees, and personally ensuring that their death is as quic k and painless as possible (say what you will about getting shot with a .357, it's an extremely quick death for an animal which, as you say, was old and suffering.
Now, please note:
a) I am NOT referring to the sort of fucker who, say, puts a pet to sleep because he's moving and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of finding a home for it. I'm talking about responsible euthanasia for a suffering friend, not exterminating a pet as though it was a pest.
b) There are people who get so wrecked by t h e death of a friend, even an animal one, that they simply can't function in this case (which is wholly understandable, and speaks well of your closeness with your pet). In that case, it's definitely best to take it to a vet- you'll be too upset to end y our friend's suffering appropriately, and your pet shouldn't see your sobbing, suffering face as its last memory.
c) Hunting is a whole different kettle of fish (granted that there are areas where, say, the deer's natural predators have been exterminated, and if the population wasn't regulated, the deer would simply deforest the area until they began to starve). I place recreational hunting- which often leaves the animal wounded, in pain, and slowly bleeding to death- in the same category as, say, bullfi ghting- it's simply a shitty, shitty thing to do.)
It hurts every time you have to say goodbye. There's no reason- and no excuse- for creating that pain unnecessarily.
( Updated to say: After some thoughtful comments by platypus, I realized I hadn't fully addressed certain issues, and I then wrote the following as an addendum: )
