Why dogs don't live longer

[k9mania]

:D 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 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.

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
four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they
don't have to stay as long."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply, Speak kindly. Leave the
rest to your dog.

[Violetdogs]

Touching story, thanks for sharing. I think Shane falls under the saying "Out of the mouths of babes", it's amazing how small children think so clearly and logically sometimes. His parents are raising him right.

[Emma]

just the story i think i needed to hear. I am loosing my best friend of 10 years. How can one little boy be so wise in a time of pain. I admire him and i admire you for doing the job that u do. It would be so hard to put an animal to sleep 4ever.

[Carol]

That couple showed their respect for their son and their dog when they wanted the son to be present as the beloved family pet went to the Rainbow Bridge. How wonderful for that child that he did not miss the experience.
How wise and wonderful his word were.
Just before I accepted Casey into my life, my beloved ginger Cat "Calvin" suffered congestive heart failure after 10 years of living with not a single health problem.
I thought he had been injured or hit by a car. The whole traumatic episode started 10 minutes after I let him outside. He came to the door to be let back in and could not walk....no idea what strength it took for him to make it up the 3 steps to the back door. His cries were pitiful and his back end was paralyzed. This was a weekend and the vet's office was closed but I called her emergency tel # and she was on a call at someone's house so she offered to call me back when she was done with that call. I met her at her office a short time later and she gave me the bad news about Calvin's condition. It is something that some are born with and it is just waiting to rear its ugly head. It could happen at age 3 or age 14. At this point I was desperate to relieve my dear companion's suffering and took the only road available, euthanasia. He was so distressed. I got to hold him and talk to him as he went peacefully to sleep.
From onset of the trauma to peace for Calvin was less than 2 hours. Sudden and shocking but, had I had to wait until after the weekend, I think I would have been a basket case.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to a Vet that makes herself available to the best of her ability o matter when and what the problem is.
She is now Casey's Vet and I know should I ever have a serious situation with Casey this Vet is the person I want in her corner.
K9 I think you are that kind of Vet too, since you went to their home. Thank you so much for making such a sad time a little easier for that family.

[Carol]

I belong to a website for cocker owners as well as this one.
One of the topics that comes up regularly is the things that enable a dog to have a long healthy life.


Good breeding helps. Responsible breeders check for things like hip displaysia and ear problems and retinal problems in both parents before breeding. Puppy mills are famous for producing puppies with problems because they won't pretest parents for genetic abnormalities.I am so lucky so far with Casey. She shows none of the signs that plague lots of cockers.

Good vet care helps. From the time they are born puppies and adult dogs need regular visits to catch little things before they become incurable. Casey got fleas from my daughter's cats last summer. I thought treating the fleas was all I had to do. But I ended up having to treat a skin infection from her chewing her stomach because she was in agony. Thanks to our Vet. There are new things happening all the time in medicine and a lot of these things can be used in animals with human diseases like diabetes, Cushings, cancer.

Good diet helps. Whether you believe in raw diet or organic or homemade, a dog needs the diet that is right for him/her. If your dog has allergies and you feed the wrong food, it is miserable and can develop so many other health problems and cause huge bills for tests and treatments.
I am determined to have Casey on a 100% balanced diet that I can control and know exactly how much food she is getting daily and know that the stuff going into her body is good for her and won't harm her and that it has no salt, sugar or animal predigested whatever in it.

Proper exercise helps. I feel that when someone decides to have a dog, they should be ready to commit to a certain lifestyle for that dog. If you only have a few minutes a day to give your dog and he requires a half hour or hour walk or run to stay fit, why bother ? get a cat, or a budgie.

Love and attention helps. They look to us for security and they are so loyal.
If we return their love for us, they will be happier and healthier and so will we.
Nothing like a canine wiggle-butt meeting you at the door with their tongues hanging out.

Most important of all: Being a responsible owner really enables a dog to live longer. Treating a dog as though he is a beloved member of the family will ensure he is always safe, healthy and happy.