Wow ~ 19.5 Years Old!

[Eva von Selah]

He made others happy, right to the end. Maybe that was his end-of-life mission.

[CaliBoy]

I am pretty upset by some of these comments, judging Baxter's owner, so I'm going to present a brutally honest, blunt, but different perspective.

Maybe I saw a different video, but the Baxter I saw was a clean, very beloved, and very well cared for dog. His entire life was spent bringing joy to people, not with physical mobility but with a certain presence which was soothing and comforting.

Who is to say that the dog no longer had quality of life? Who is to say the dog no longer wanted to live? Perhaps his sadness or depression is your own emotion being projected on to the dog. In fact, some people may really think they are doggie psychics. If I were to play psychic, I am thinking Baxter would say, "excuse me, but I like being alive and doing what I do. If that bothers you and you need to kill something to make you feel better, tell the vet to stick the needle in your heart and you can go and wait at the Bridge. I'd rather stick around, thank you very much."

More and more pet owners use doggie hospice with pain management as the preferred end of life treatment for their dogs, not killing them a.k.a. euthanizing them. I for one do not think anyone has the right to judge. I've had one GSD go peacefully on his own and one GSD that I had killed by the vet ("euthanized" if you find the word "kill" too blunt). The preference, if I had the means, would be doggie hospice, not killing the dog. Even though the GSD that I killed had cancer, I am still not completely and totally at peace with "euthanization" being my only option because I could not provide the dog with different end of life care.

And although the "Bridge" gives people a spiritual framework for feeling better about killing their dog, not everyone believes in the Bridge, or an afterlife, or is even positive that what they did to their dog was the right thing. So, I say, for those folks who cannot live with euthanization, and do not really think it is what was best for the dog, I say cut them some slack.

Remember that Baxter's mom is a hospice worker, dealing with folks that some would like to see get the needle as well and sent to the human version of the Bridge so that we don't have to see them suffer any more. However, it is understandable that if she doesn't believe in euthanization for humans, she may not have wanted that for Baxter either. As I said, we don't have a right to judge her. In the end, she is the one living with Baxter being gone now.

[Bridget]

When I watched this, one of the first things that came to my mind also was that this dog did not look like he had a lot of quality of life left himself. However, I agree that no one can really assess that except the owner and Baxter certainly looked well taken care of.

I am going to start a separate thread to get opinions and experiences about how much mobility affects quality of life, as this is something that may be crucial to me and my dog in the future.

[AbbyK9]

Therapy work can be emotionally exhausting for the dog, just like working with the terminally ill, in disaster relief, etc. can be emotionally exhausting for humans who work or volunteer in those positions. This is why most Therapy Dog organizations request that visits should be no longer than an hour at a time, preferably with breaks, and that handlers really watch the dogs for signs of stress and discomfort so they will not overdo it.

Looking at the video of Baxter, I find this to be a very cruel job for him to perform. I think Baxter would have been a lot happier in his last days (weeks, months) had he been allowed to rest on a comfortable bed with loving from his humans, rather than being carted around the hospice having to interact with so many people.

JMHO.

[Chicagocanine]

Originally Posted by DharmasMom

That is pitiful. Even if he is not suffering, he should have been pampered at home and not been dragged through a hospice.

That is how I feel about it too. However I don't think it is fair to say he should have been put to sleep or that he had no quality of life, without knowing more than what you see in a short video. I provided hospice care for my last two dogs and I feel quality of life it is really something that needs to be looked at carefully and over time, and you need to know your dog.

I think it's great that his owner wants to help people in hospice but there is a point at which even the "best" therapy dog needs to retire.

[selzer]

Originally Posted by CaliBoy

I am pretty upset by some of these comments, judging Baxter's owner, so I'm going to present a brutally honest, blunt, but different perspective.

Maybe I saw a different video, but the Baxter I saw was a clean, very beloved, and very well cared for dog. His entire life was spent bringing joy to people, not with physical mobility but with a certain presence which was soothing and comforting.

Who is to say that the dog no longer had quality of life? Who is to say the dog no longer wanted to live? Perhaps his sadness or depression is your own emotion being projected on to the dog. In fact, some people may really think they are doggie psychics. If I were to play psychic, I am thinking Baxter would say, "excuse me, but I like being alive and doing what I do. If that bothers you and you need to kill something to make you feel better, tell the vet to stick the needle in your heart and you can go and wait at the Bridge. I'd rather stick around, thank you very much."

More and more pet owners use doggie hospice with pain management as the preferred end of life treatment for their dogs, not killing them a.k.a. euthanizing them. I for one do not think anyone has the right to judge. I've had one GSD go peacefully on his own and one GSD that I had killed by the vet ("euthanized" if you find the word "kill" too blunt). The preference, if I had the means, would be doggie hospice, not killing the dog. Even though the GSD that I killed had cancer, I am still not completely and totally at peace with "euthanization" being my only option because I could not provide the dog with different end of life care.

And although the "Bridge" gives people a spiritual framework for feeling better about killing their dog, not everyone believes in the Bridge, or an afterlife, or is even positive that what they did to their dog was the right thing. So, I say, for those folks who cannot live with euthanization, and do not really think it is what was best for the dog, I say cut them some slack.

Remember that Baxter's mom is a hospice worker, dealing with folks that some would like to see get the needle as well and sent to the human version of the Bridge so that we don't have to see them suffer any more. However, it is understandable that if she doesn't believe in euthanization for humans, she may not have wanted that for Baxter either. As I said, we don't have a right to judge her. In the end, she is the one living with Baxter being gone now.

I am a Christian, but I do not know about an afterlife for dogs. There is nothing in the Bible about that. I do not know if I could be happy without them. And it is nice to think about, seeing them again, spending eternity with them. I guess I will just have to wait and see whether my mansion is going to include all the dogs I have ever owned.

Why do I euthanize a dog? Because when there is no quality of life left, I feel it isn't right for me to prolong suffering. In the wild, a critter does not live as long, when they are infirm, often the pack attacks them, and sometimes they simply are not quick enough to run down food and submit to starvation or the elements. Nature is not kind. But that 19.5 year old dog would not be living without humans taking special care of it.

Is it right or wrong? I think that it was right for her. It may be wrong for me. I think you have to make a decision, and if that decision is for the dog: to give a few more days or months of life, or to eliminate the pain of suffering and assist death to make it easier, only the dog owner can say.

This is one of those things it is probably better to not judge.