Well, no, I couldn't do it but I'm not ready to say I think it's wrong.

 

I could never do it. Unfortunately I think it happens more than we care to know.

 

NO :'o(

I have gun experience but shooting emotionally vs. in a state of cognizance IMO is different. Shaky hands, missing, causing doggie to suffer--there are too many risks.

However, I had a coworker who did this. His dog was bit on the nose by a rattle snake (protecting family from it) and they were far from any type of veterinary services. The dog was suffering very much so he put it down himself. Maybe to prevent suffering?

 

I would also have to say no. The only circumstance I could see myself doing that would be if I was very far from civilization and my dog was severely injured and suffering, and would die regardless.

 

I don't think I could ever do it, but I don't think it's wrong. Everyone thinks differently about their dogs. When we put our 16 year old akita/golden mix down, it was devastating for all of us, but my dad took her in and sat with her while it happened. On the other hand, a close family friend of ours took his 9 year old heeler in to get put down and he didn't even bring her into the office, just had someone come get her from his car and he drove home and never looked back. Different strokes...can't really blame people who don't feel the same about animals as we do.

 

I think I'll have a hard enough time taking my dogs to the vet when it's time for them to go! There's no way that I could shoot my own dog or any dog for that matter. But I don't necessarily think it's wrong if you now how to do it and do it for the sake of the dog...

 

I'm with Zeeva, I could never shoot my own dog to put it down. I guess if I were maybe put in a situation where there was no alternative, but I don't think that I would be the one pulling the trigger.
I not too long ago had to euthanize my dog and I had a service, "Home To Heaven" come out to my home so that our family and our beloved dog could be at home when she passed.

 

Well, I think it's horrible and don't know how anyone with a heart can do this to their dogs just to save a few dollars

 

I could not do it myself but I would be OK with someone else doing it with me there. Going to the vet can be stressful, you have to make sure the dog is properly sedated so there's no reaction to the euthanasia, etc. This is all assuming that the quality of life necessitated the dog being put down regardless of method, not that I'd be using a gun because it's cheaper. But I think it could realistically be less stressful for the dog. I know someone who did his own dog this way. The dog attacked a toddler, twice and after the second time he knew it was a dog he could not deal with, no rescue would take, and should not be given to anyone else so they went on a fun walk in the woods and he put him down and buried him.

 

I don't think I could do it but I am not going to judge it as less humane than that trip to the vet, the needle, etc. I wish our vet would have come to our house when we put down Toby. She had an emergency come in and we waited for over an hour which was awful.

 

I think that is a hard one to answer. Is a bullet more painful? I would say yes. But is the stress they feel less than going to a vet office? Again, for most I would say yes. I think there is a trade off.

Our vet will do a "farm call" when it's time for Banshee to go. She'll be stressed for a few moments while he's sedating her. If that is an option for people, I would say that is the best way to do it.

 

I don't think I would be able to do that myself but that is how most of my family handles it and always has. The only exception was with one of our small house dogs, she was pts at the vet. All others my dad took care of. The large majority of the rest of my family is the same way...just take 'em out back and that's it.

They don't do it that way because they don't care or don't love their dogs, in fact my dad did that with one of his favorite dogs ever that was practically an extension of himself. I think for him, that is just how things are done. There is no reason to take the dog somewhere for someone else to do it...if they are your dog then it is your responsibility to release them as well.

But again, no I don't think I could.

 

Shooting a dog (or horse, or cow, etc.) was once upon a time the most humane way to put an animal out of its misery, and I suspect that it is still a humane way to do so, although I sure couldn't do it myself. If you cared for your animals or any other animal in misery, the compassionate person put it out of its misery the best way he could.

 

I would if I had to. God, I hope I never have to. If I had a dog clearly not going to make it, suffering, leg cut off, bleeding, eyeball on the ground, and it's a weekend and the nearest ER is 40 minutes away, I would run in and get the gun. And I would be crying my eyes out the whole time.

Your neighbor, buddy, customer, whatever is an ass. He wanted to get a reaction out of you.

 

Personally no, unless there was no other choice I know I couldn't hold a gun to my dogs head and pull the trigger. I prefer the needle but I don't see a difference between the needle and a bullet in terms of suffering, both are quick if used properly

If shot correctly no animal suffers, the shock of the bullet immediately kills the animal which is why it's so effective in the right hands. My family uses home euthanization as much as possible to avoid stress for both the human and animal do whether it's a bullet or needle a family member is always present

 

With a properly placed bullet, death would be practically instantaneous. No pain or suffering. Definitely a quick, totally stress free (for the dog) way to go. It's been done for centuries and in some areas is still the most common way of euthanizing an animal.

I couldn't do it myself. Not unless the animal had some sort of severe injury that was causing horrible suffering and there was no way to get to a vet in a reasonable amount of time. If taking the time to go to the vet because it would make ME more comfortable was the least humane of the options, I'd hope I could end things sooner for the animal.

But I certainly don't think it wrong for others to do so, provided they know what they are doing and it's a clean shot.

 

I agree with this. I think it's far from inhumane-- it's probably THE most humane way to do it, technically... instant, totally painless, and stress-free.

I couldn't do it, however. I want to be with my boy to the very end, and I could never, ever, ever kill him myself. I just couldn't. Well...not unless, as others have said, there were extreme circumstances. I would never recover from it though. I think what bothers me is the gore of it. I don't want to see him with a bullet hole. A friend had no choice but to euthanize his dog in this manner (dog had been attacked by an animal and they were over an hour from veterinary care), and he said that was the absolute worst. His dog with a bullet hole was an image he saw in nightmares for years to come.

 

I think I wouldn't be able to do it myself for fear of screwing up and missing and causing more pain, but I think I would allow someone else that I trust to do it if it was necessary.


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Geesh, no. The blacksmith I used many years ago said he did one dog that was very old and dying over a weekend. This was a brusque old man and he said it was the worst thing he had ever had to do and would never do it again.

 

Actually, if you shoot properly it can be more humane to euthanize an animal via a bullet. It's no uncommon on farms at all, and I've known a few horses (though luckily didn't have to witness it) who had to be put down this way because a tragic accident had happened and the animal was suffering, and a vet couldn't get there quickly enough (usually this is a middle of winter middle of the night issue here).

Could I put my own dog down this way - no, not unless it was a situation like the above. Buried in snow and ice, dog falls and breaks it's neck but isn't dead kind of freak situation....but personally, I don't have a problem with someone else doing it, who knows where to aim.

Euthanasia is NOT always "peaceful" and "going to sleep" like some people invision, or in some cases experience. Honestly, I've had to put down a few animals in my time and most of them were not what I would consider peaceful. My first GSD was VERY old and in a lot of pain. In all reality, I should have put him down sooner. I have made darn sure I've not let an animal get that far gone since then, because I regret it to this day. He should've been put down at least a year, if not two, prior. He was in so much pain (hips mostly) at the vet, that he had to be muzzled and sedated before he could actually be put down. The euthanasia itself was, I suppose, peaceful, but leading up to it - no, it was anything but. He was scared, hurting, and almost bit my vet because she was trying so hard to get the needle in without fighting him. He was, in his younger years, and loving friendly excellent example of a GSD and was great at the vets office.

I had to put down an ancient cat years ago, she went pretty peacefully but honestly she was on her way out, anyway.

Most recently, I had to put down a young male GSD that had a host of physical medical problems. I'll spare the details for the younger crowd, but needless to say, it was not peaceful (for me) to watch. I can nto answer as to how peaceful it was of a death for him. The first two euthanasias were at one office, and the second at another. Both are VERY well respected in this area, they didn't do anything wrong in either case.

Horses tend to get horrific injuries at the worst of times. Trying to "put to sleep" a 1200 lb animal with a broken leg is just not as peaceful as a non horse person might think. I've known several that were shot, and they were animal people on a level the average dog owner can't understand. I'm told it was instant, I didn't witness so I can't answer myself.

Personally speaking, regarding an above poster saying the bullet is more painful. I don't know about that. I believe the nerves don't fire fast enough to transmit the pain to the brain to feel the pain before the animal is dead. Generally, animal or human, if shot in the correct place on the head - it's instant death.

 

If either of my dogs were suffering, in agony, and vet care wasn't available because of distance, yes I would. My responsibility for my dogs doesn't end when things are their worse.

 

I couldn't but my husband has had to do it a few times. We live over an hour from the nearest e vet and why make the dog suffer for that long ? If we know it is coming we plan and take the dog into the vet but there are times when it is a kindness to not make them suffer that long.

 

Could I do it? Not unless that was the only option I had. Do I think it's wrong? No, it's probably faster and more humane if done correctly.

And I agree with Michelle, I had the vet come to the house when we had to put TJ to sleep and he was very calm and happy. Kya and Phin were by his side as were my husband and I. The cats were also a few feet away. That was the calmest and most peaceful euthanasia I had ever seen.

 

My ex-husband recently shot his dog. She was at a stage where euthanasia was definitely in order, and she hated going to the vet. She would start whining big time in the car as soon as they pulled in the parking lot, then lock her legs and they would have to drag her into the office. He planned it out, took her up north, carried her to the woods, gave her a McDonald's hamburger, and shot her twice at close range. He said it was super hard to do, but he and his girlfriend felt it was more humane for this particular dog. He felt she had a peaceful, quick death.

As for my own dogs, no I couldn't and I wouldn't let anyone else do it either. I plan to have a vet come to my house when it is my lab's time to go. I plan on my GSD Ruki living forever so I won't need to worry about him.

 

I plan on my GSD Ruki living forever so I won't need to worry about him.

Ha! I always tell people that I got Tango, my first dog, with the expectation that by the time she was old we would know how to make them live forever I'm not happy that we aren't very close yet...

 

I forgot about the extreme cases and would do it only in that situation if it came down to the animal suffering for long periods of time.That's about it though. This must have expected some kind of lecture from me because he had this awkward silence,but I just finally said ' As long as she different suffer when you did it'.

This wouldn't be MY first choice,but I would reconsider if it would be faster than a vet trip and the dog was suffering.

Most of our animals have been put down at the vet's office or at my house with a vet coming here. Fortunately I haven't had any extreme accidents that required vet care right then!

 

Sometimes you don't have a choice. If you have an animal that is suffering and it's within your ability to end that suffering, you do what you need to do.

I had a goat once that the neighbor's dogs gutted. She lived through it protecting her twins (they survived). A goat screams like a child. She was screaming in pain and for her babies. The fastest time ANY vet could come out to my house was going to be over an hour away. I was alone.

It would have been terribly cowardly of me to allow her to suffer in that way till she died, or the vet arrived. Her death was quick. That was all I could do for her. I've never had a goat since.

If I had no other choice, I'd do the unthinkable.