Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a
ten-year-old blue heeler 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 animals' 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."
Unknown
