by Jeannine Miles

Created on: April 09, 2009

When you make the decision to bring an animal into your home, you are accepting full responsibility for their happiness, health and welfare. Because they rely entirely on you for their food, water and exercise, this can sometimes be overwhelming to a new pet owner.

My mother adopted a Maltese puppy when I was only two years old. Until I was seventeen, I never pictured life without that dog. He absolutely adored my mother and it was obvious that she adored him. The look of adoration in my mothers eyes when she spoke to that dog was evident to everyone who visited. He was truly her best friend.

Until he was twelve years old, he lived a long, happy and healthy life. When my mother took him outside one day, I heard her frantically screaming his name and crying. While he was walking around the backyard, he suddenly and violently fell over and couldn't move; we later found out that he had a seizure that paralyzed his entire body. From this day forward, he would be put on constant watch and numerous medications. My mothers husband was allergic to his coat and couldn't be near him, so she had to sleep in the guest bedroom with her dog to ensure his safety.

This went on for two years and eventually the seizures did get better, although he was still taking medication every single day. When my mother wasn't home, she had to leave a pet gate up to isolate him from the majority of the house so that he couldn't harm himself when she wasn't there. Around his thirteenth year, my mother would come home to find her usually snow white dog covered in his own feces. Ever day when she came home she would have to bathe him because he could no longer control his bladder. It killed her to see him this way, but it would hurt her too much to see him go.

One day when it was evident to my mother that he could longer go on living the way he was, she called her vet to discuss euthanasia. He reminded her once again that she should have made this decision months ago and this was what ultimately gave her the courage to bring her beloved dog to the vet. She gave him one last kiss and finally let him go.

When my mother told me about his death, she said he died in his sleep. I would find out years later that she euthanized him. She was embarrassed to tell her family that she ended his life because she was so unsure of her decision; however, it was the best thing she ever did for him. To have him continue living in the conditions in which he was living is pure abuse. We has humans want to leave this world with some sense of dignity and we owe it to our treasured companions to do the same thing for them.

When an animal is no longer able to care for himself and is in so much pain they can barely walk, euthanasia is the only option. It should never be considered a shameful act and I would give anything to convince my mother that what she did was the right thing. To ignore the obvious and allow our animals to go on living in pain and suffering is pure and simple abuse. We must stand up and do the right thing; end their life with love and happiness, not pain and suffering.

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