Re: Re: [Chat] I'm Sad/ Why dogs have short lives

Guess that is true for cats, too.

Cathy, west central IL, z5b

On Sep 8, 2005, at 11:02 PM, TeichFlora@aol.com wrote:

> Why dogs do not live as long as people...
>
>>> 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
>>> there were no miracles left 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 the four-year-old Shane to observe  the procedure. They  
>>> felt
>>>
> Shane
>
>>> could 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, "Everybody is born so that they can  learn how to live a  
>>> good
>>>
> life
>
>>> like loving everybody and being  nice, right?" The four-year-old
>>>
> continued,
>
>>> "Well, animals already  know how to do that, so they don't have  
>>> to stay
>>>
> as
>
>>> long."
>>>
>
>
> In a message dated 9/6/2005 8:46:06 PM Central Standard Time,
> gardenchat-owner@hort.net writes:
>
> I don't  understand why
> dogs have to have such short life spans  compared to us.
>
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