This week a social media friend of ours said goodbye to her dog. It was a long, joyous farewell. The dog was diagnosed with kidney failure a couple years ago. Our friend did everything she could to keep her dog comfortable and happy, but he recently let her know it was time.
She did something we’re not sure we could. She made their appointment with the vet for a week later, took vacation time, rented a cabin by a lake, and spent the days giving her dog the best few days ever.
And then she said goodbye.
It’s so personal
She chronicled her dog’s last few days with happy pictures of swimming, and barbecues, little walks he could manage. There was even a squirrel he chased. She made sure her dog’s send-off was filled with joy.
She’ll have those memories forever and shared them with her friends on social media. And, as always seems to happen these days, another “friend” commented on one of her posts “Don’t kill your dog! He has lots of life left in him.”
We’re sure the comment hurt our friend deeply. She did block the person, but the damage was done. Whenever there are tough decisions, we always second-guess ourselves, and think most everyone does the same thing.
She promised him
When her dog got the fatal diagnosis, she promised him he’d never suffer. She believes that it’s better to let them go a day too soon than a moment too late. It’s a tough call when that day might be. Every dog owner dreads it.
But we’ve pretty much come to agree with our friend. We’ve lost dogs in sudden crises, and said long, slow goodbyes, too. Given the opportunity, we’d have spared our dogs the pain and panic those crises brought. But we had no way of knowing they were imminent.
The best we can do
Our friend’s story hit close to home. Three of our dogs are seniors – 15, 11, and 9. We don’t obsess about life’s fragility, but we worry. When Tango (Brussels Griffon) gets lost in the backyard, or Booker doesn’t want to jump up, or Torque’s back leg slips out, we worry.
We’re not sure we’d have the fortitude to create a week of memories knowing what’s on the calendar. We’re more likely to stick to familiar routines they love. We let our dogs know, as part of our everyday lives, they matter. Because they do.
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