Why cats and dogs don't live as long as us.
 

Subject: Why cats and dogs do not live as long as people...


Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long

Wow - that's beautiful (and true)...

The four years old is right . Thank you very much for sharing .

Made me cry thank you for sharing

So Very Sweet
 

From the mouths of Babes... :rolleyes:

No truer words spoken~ :)

That is so precious..I'm keeping that one! ;)

That is so profound! Leave it to a 4 year old to be able to explain something so complex and be absolutely correct about it! Thank you for posting this, I love it!

Wow, that made me get goose bumps! Such a mature answer for a 4 yr old. Thank you for sharing that story.

That brought a smile to my face on this beautiful morning!

Really beautiful and true! If we could be like an child, so pure in heart we probably could understand many more things!!

It is absolutely the truth! What an insight. Thank you so much for sharing that story, I'll be sharing it with many people I know who have lost pets.

That's so beautiful, simple yet very profound. Thanks for sharing! :)

If we all still had the minds of a child then the world would be a better place...that is amazing story...thank you so much for sharing!! I am going to print it out and hang it up!!

Wow, that's so sweet! Children are precious!!

I'm at work and have tears in my eyes! Thanks a lot! So sweet and so true... I wish they would live longer. The thought of even losing Stomper bothers me...

Isnt that the truth! When I had my 16 year old cat put to sleep, and considered a dog,, I put it off, cause I thought I dont ever want to go through that heartache again,, but then I got Bailey,,, they give so much love and happiness,, I guess,in the end, its worth the pain we will someday have to endure.

Thanks for sharing that. Children can have such amazing insight. That was a blessing to read.

How true is that! Just comes to show how pure kids are and so close to nature!

Thanks for sharing! :thumbup:

That's beautiful!! Kids put us adults to shame sometimes!!

Smart kid! :)

thanks for sharing that was really touching and heartfelt

That is so sweet and beautiful. Thanks for sharing! :)

That made me cry!

How sweet and perfect is that.

Somebody pass me a box of kleenex. *sniff*

That was really nice...brought tears to my eyes.

wow thank you so much for sharing that! gave me goosebumps!

OMG! I literally have tears running down my face. The tears started to well up as I was reading the first part, but then I read Shane's answer and I just started blubbering... here.... at work!
That is such a wise and sweet boy! I hope he's right.

What a sweet story!

Wow... That made me misty eyed... It does make a lot of sense. Children always see things so clear and simple! Thanks for sharing!!!