[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by kjc

Just as there are stages throughout life, also there are stages in death. It is very shocking to be thinking you will be able to help an animal, only to discover you have arrived much too late to be of any assistance in sustaining it's life. Or even to be expecting something warm and vibrant with life, only to be found cold and unmoving in death. I firmly believe that when an animal dies, it's spirit moves on. So the last breath it takes, the last sight it sees, the last words it hears, the last beat of it's heart, and the last thing it can do is to move on and go with God. What you found in the cage was not the pug you saw on the balcony that day, but the body he lived in. His physical body failed him and his spiritual body had moved on by the time you got there. He is okay with God, and has many friends there. He no longer feels pain, nor neglect, and can breathe freely. Thank God you kept your presence of mind to hide the fact of his passing from the couple's young child. As for the woman's husband, I believe men feel things, but are not keen on showing their softer side. And some people who own pets never have a rewarding relationship (like we know is possible) with their pets, and I too feel bad for those pets, because their full potential is never known. I think you were chosen more to protect the child, than to help the dog, in this instance, by fate or destiny. You need to find a way to think about it so it is no longer an insult to your psyche, but an experience you can learn and benefit from, and maybe add the skills and strength of this knowledge to be available to you in the future, should the need arise. God never gives us more than we can handle.

Great post.