Doggone Etiquette —

Journey’s End

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

In a few ways you dogs are fortunate when your life comes down to its final days. For one thing, you do not anticipate getting old, or being terminally ill, or any other life-ending catastrophe that might happen to you. But try to understand this: some people, perhaps your very own people, spend a lot of time on such things for one reason. They would really like you to live forever even though they know that’s not possible. They also know that dogs’ lives are much shorter than people’s. You dogs just don’t ever worry about it, which is all to your benefit. What’s more, dogs don’t have to prepare Wills in order to leave their prized possessions to certain family members or their best-friend dogs or cats. What you do leave are memories – may they all be good ones.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

This subject came up recently and I was asked to write about it – sad and difficult though it may be. The actual life expectancy of dogs depends on a number of things. However, all things being equal, very small dogs tend to live longest and the very large dogs have the shortest lifespan. Good nutrition, exercise, and proper overall care are most important, but of course genetics also figure largely into the picture.

The actual death of a pet that has been part of the family – or perhaps the only family – for any length of time leaves a big emptiness in our lives. Even if there has been a prolonged period of concern leading up to it, whether due to aging or illness, the end is hard to take. What you do next is significant. Grieve! Let it all out. Be sure to let the kids know, too, that it is okay to express their feelings of sadness, emptiness, and even to question the “why me” or “why my dog” part of the loss. The fond, happy memories will come in time.

The question also came up as to the right or wrong way to dispose of the dog’s body. This has nothing to do with religion. No matter how much we may like to think sometimes of our dogs as saints or sinners, they do not have religious ties. Therefore, if Rufus is put down by the vet, or left at the vet’s to be cremated, you have a choice. You can either end it all right there and the veterinarian will dispose of the remains, or you can return to collect the ashes.

Then follows the question of what is the right thing to do next. In the latter case, you could retain the ashes in a special place in your home, or bury them as you would if you still had the dog’s body. And that’s where I’ll step in with my personal outlook on the subject. Every dog I’ve ever owned and that died in my possession has been buried “outside the fence.” In other words, the dog’s final resting place was always in the garden or field beyond where it had been safely confined in its lifetime. It could be equated to letting the dog be “free at last” or just as a peaceful spot the dog itself might have chosen.

This whole subject is a bit on the glum side, but every dog owner faces it at one time or another and I’m sure lots of readers have their own ways of coping with it. An even harder challenge to face is ‘if or when’ to have an ailing or aging dog put down. Best not to drag it out, but to let the journey’s end go kindly, gently, and humanely with the help of the dog’s own doctor.

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained, and showed Welsh terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs; Rescue Me! received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.