The Loss of a Friend
On Thursday, October 11th, 2018 my family will be losing a member. The third member of my family of five. We will be putting down my dog Lucky.
This is a very strange situation for me. I have hunted and fished my entire life, but this is the first time that I have made a conscious decision to end the life of a family member. His health is beginning to fail and his temperament with my two kids, one 5 and one 2, has become much less tolerant and lead to him biting my 5 year old last week pretty badly. Not bad enough for stitches, but just shy of it. It was this incident that started the conversation between my wife and I about ending his life while he still had his dignity. His hips are failing with only 10% of the cartilage left which leads to him having alot of difficulty getting around. He has snapped at us before, but there was a warning growl beforehand. This time he just full mouth bit my son. With my daughter at eye level with him and the fact that I don’t trust him anymore with my kids is a driving factor behind this decision.
He was a rescue that we took in and he was downright mean when got him. This was before we had kids and I was able to devote a ton of time to him. He has been a loyal protector of my family and would lie in the doorway between my pregnant wife and the world, alert to any threats, ready to jump into action. When I wasn’t home I knew he was keeping an eye on her. When the kids came around, he protected them as if they were his own, always positioning himself between them and any direction he percieved danger might come from. He is only the second dog that I have ever owned in my life and I love him dearly. It pains me to no end to be in this situation, but ultimately I have to do whats best. I need to ensure the safety of my children.
He has a beautiful soul and because of the cruelty of some people when he was born he had a tough life until he joined our family. We have given him the best life that we could and he has been happy and a joy to share our lives with up to now. This may sound like an excuse, but I think putting him down is an act of kindness at this point for him. I believe in reincarnation and I know that he will be back on this planet as soon as possible. I hope that we can meet again in his next life because I know he will be a kind, compassionate person.
Its tough but I think this is best for everyone in the long run. This is the most difficult decision I have ever made and there is no clear “right” answer.