Lucy-dog...

Just a few words today about Lucy, our steadfast companion for the last 17 years.  She came to the end of her journey with us last Friday, and even though we had known the time was coming, the final goodbye was painful, as it always is with one you have loved so dearly, and who has loved you in return.  When we adopted Lucy, the agency  thought she was around 3 years old.  She was a mix of who knows what all, but I think we finally decided she was surely part dachshund and part corgi.  You can't help but love a dog which is such an oddity that people always have to ask, "What kind is she?"

None of that mattered, though, because she was our friend.  It was hard to find a picture of her alone because that would never have been her preference.  She was going to be where her family was, and there was no denying it.

I have never had to make an end-of-life decision for a pet.  My father had always been the one who shouldered that, so I had never had to come to grips with my feelings about the morality of that decision.  So, I have decided to jot down a few thoughts here, in case they might possibly be of any help to others agonizing over a decision.

First of all, there is the recognition that every single situation is different - the variables are too numerous to mention.  Given the particulars of ours - Lucy's already exceedingly long life, her declining ability to do the "everyday", and then her precipitous illness at the end - there was absolutely no question that her time was very near.  However, those of us from the Judeo-Christian tradition cannot help but hear the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" ringing in our ears.

I will not profess to have any answers to how to reconcile that teaching with easing a beloved pet into the next life. However, as I held her in my arms, the look from her eyes was one of absolute trust and peace, knowing and remembering, and then going to sleep. I can't imagine that she, or God, will hold that against those who were gathered there to love her along.  Best dog in the world.