Understanding the bond that develops between a human being and their dog can often be difficult to figure out, but in many cases, that bond is much like one that’s developed over time with a family member. In the case of one dog owner, the prospect of dealing with the fact that his dog was terminally ill resulted in him crafting a letter that was written from the dog’s perspective.
The letter begins with a description of how the dog named Benny was unable to get out of his bed, forcing the dog owner to carry him outside. Almost immediately, the dog relieved himself, which was out of the ordinary. Then, when heading toward a specific area for dogs to have their bowel movement, Benny’s paws began dragging and an involuntary bowel movement occurred right in the parking lot.
After the owner cleaned things up, they continued walking, but after reaching the end of the lot, Benny appeared to be experiencing dizziness and nearly fell over when attempting to climb a small hill.
At that point, Benny’s owner picked him up and carried him back home, placing him back in his bed. The owner felt his face and paws, with both of them cold. After the owner contacted his friend Jay, the two decided to place a blanket over Benny to warm it up.
Over the course of the day, the owner made some phone calls, with one of them to a veterinarian confirming a 9 a.m. home visit for the following day. Another subsequent call was to cancel an evening out, with the owner eventually beginning to cry over the Benny’s plight.
That evening, Benny briefly got out of bed when friends of the owner came over, but exhaustion quickly overcame the pet. Once the visitors departed, the owner took Benny out to again relieve himself. After going back inside, the owner decided to carry the dog up to his bedroom, where he would enjoy a rare treat of sleeping in the same bed as the owner.
The symptoms that Benny had been experiencing over the past few months included such issues as breathing problems, blackouts and overall weakness. Visits to the veterinarian seemed to indicate multiple issues were involved like cancer, kidney failure and cardiomyopathy. Prescription pills had been the treatment during this period.
The next morning, the owner carried Benny down the steps, took him outside to relieve himself and opened up a can of dog food that Benny enjoyed. During this time, the owner’s friend, Jay, again stopped by, followed by the female veterinarian.
After examining Benny, the veterinarian explained the situation to the owner, saying that it was ultimately his choice. However, she indicated that the lack of color, especially in Benny’s face, was a clear sign that things wouldn’t be improving. In addition, the cold touch to the dog’s head and paws, coupled with his hind legs not working as they should, was a sign that the end was near.
The owner and Jay briefly stepped away, and when they returned, the owner made the painful decision to euthanize Benny. This was based on the idea of sparing Benny the ensuing agony that would eventually come as his health deteriorated.
Prior to the veterinarian injecting a sedative into Benny’s body, the owner said his goodbyes. Just prior to the final injection, the owner discussed the connection that he had built with Benny.
Once Benny had passed away, the owner stood over the dog in sadness, though a look of relief was on his face.
