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A Dog's Life
.
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."
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Namaste'