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An interesting take on Euthanasia


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I like his perspective. I agree that I am the guardian of my dogs who through medicine and science live longer then 'in the wild' lives. They are also breed specifically for our companionship/partnership and therefore our responsibility as Alpha is to care for them.

 

In the wild, an alpha pack animal doesn't ness. kill off the weak one, but it does run it off, know it to be dying and not taking the risk of attracting extra predators.

 

When the time comes, I may have to make the choice as to when to euthanize my pets - I haven't to yet, but I'm sure the day will come and I will do it to honor my pet, my friend - because I'm sure if they could, they would go off in a corner to await death, but their loyalty holds them fast.

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Thank's for sharing. I would like I had this article some years ago when I couldn't convince an aunt to euthanize her 18 years old dog, who finally died postrated, full of ulcers, almost blind and deaf and obviously lost and senile. Probably one of the most cruelty and bigger case of misunderstood love I've ever seen.

 

I feel your most caring option is to subordinate your own interests to his. You have to make his interests yours, and that's hard, because by doing so, you are making his comfort (which you promised you would do your best to give him) more important than the relationship itself.
How selfish we can become when it's related to our pets! We have the duty to ask ourselves "I want to keep him alive because of him or because how much I am going to miss him'"
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A thought about "in the wild" and our obligations as "alphas." I think the metaphor breaks down in the case of euthanasia. Wolves very often do kill cubs, young upstarts, and older members of the pack, particularly if food is scarce. It's the lucky few that are run off or manage to escape, and perhaps by dint of hard work or dumb luck manage to survive. Most will not.

 

Nearly half of the wolf cubs born each year do not live to see their first birthday. Many starve, some are killed by other members of the pack.

 

The motivation of the alpha wolf has nothing to do with caring for the individual animal and releasing it from suffering. It has to do wtih survival of the pack and order within it.

 

Our obligation to the animals in our care includes making the decision to use the tools at our disposal to release them from suffering as humanely as possible when the time comes. The alpha wolf has no such obligation to the members of his or her pack.

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I found that article to be a difficult read, but I agree with the basic premise - as a pet owner, you are ultimately responsible for your pet's comfort and well-being. We had to put down one of our cats this weekend. She did not seem uncomfortable until Sunday, when the light just seemed to go out of her eyes. We knew it would not be fair to make her wait any longer.

It was hard to explain to the boys, but I believe they understood. This has got to be one of the hardest things about owning a pet, and if we are lucky it comes to us only after our companions have had a long, happy life with us.

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