This was left as a comment 6 years ago when Dickens died. I’d forgotten about it until I went to re-read my post. I wanted to share this with all of you pet lovers who’ve dealt with losing a pet (all of us, I’m sure).
The Good Life
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 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.”
Author: Unknown
And I’d like to add: out of the mouths of babes…
Its so true they are love, pure love, angel of love who teach us a lot.