We continue to struggle on with old Monty dog, who is suffering from a rectal hernia and enlarged prostate, together with severe arthritis. It is very easy to say put him down and he will be happy, but when a pet has been the focus of the family for 17 years nobody wants to make that decision and be the one to blame. He also seems to have doggy dementia at times, as he often stands staring into the middle distance as if trying to remember what he was doing.
Needless to say, it is I who have the task of rubbing, bathing, cleaning up, feeding medicines and generally getting him settled at night. One can only wonder how quickly a decision would be made if others who shall remain nameless were required to take on these duties, and yet my input on the most merciful solution is not required. I had to watch two cats reach the ripe old age of 20 with considerable difficulty on their part and a great deal of attention on mine, again.
I often think about why animals and particularly our beloved domestic pets are not designed to live as long as us, giving us multiple opportunities over the years to experience the hardship of deciding when enough is enough, feeling guilty in case we made the wrong decision, feeling guilty although we made the right decision and then grieving for the loss of a companion that provided so much more than we humans appear capable of giving to each other. Perhaps that is the reason. To make us reflect on how we interact, so that the natural cycle of life can be borne more easily knowing that we always tried our best to be kind and caring to all.
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