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Putting Pets Down,


April

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I don't mean by bringing them to a vet.

 

I was absolutely appalled by something I heard last week, and am frustrated with it but realized it's more common than I thought.

 

I just had to put my dog down, but before bringing her to the vet, my cousin told me to just shoot her. At first, I thought he was joking until he told me that his family shot their dogs when they got to a certain age.

 

I'm all for not letting pets suffer, it's why I brought my dog in. But shooting? I then found out, as we were at a party at the time, that many people there have done this as well.

 

Am I the only person that finds this is cruel? What is so hard about bringing a pet into be put down, the humane way?

 

It costs money, yes. But if you go to sites like Craigslist and ect, and post the pets picture and let people know that you're stuck, they'll help you. This is what I had to do.

 

I don't personally think less of anyone that does this, or agrees with it. I just find it shocking, and can't imagine doing that.

 

What are your opinions on the matter? Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

This topic can relate to any sort of pet, not just dogs.

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No you are not the only person that finds this cruel. I am against it almost 100%. There are times where there is an exception in my opinion, but that is only when the animal is suffering or in too much pain and a vet would take too long.

 

In October we put our 10 year old Jack-Russell to sleep. My in laws were able to get this medication a few years ago to use on their dog(s) when they got porcupine quills. In a sense it's a tranquilizer that kind of puts them in a bit of a stooper. We used this medication on Angel and just overdosed her. With a normal dose the medication will sedate the animal and slow their heart rate slightly. With the amount we gave Angel it stopped her heart. It took several hours to take affect, but the whole time she was sound asleep, in no pain and was peacefully relaxed. She passed away in her home, in her favourite spot, on her favourite blanket with her favourite toy.

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I'm conflicted.

 

Would I ever be able to do - heeeck no; however, I can understand why some people would like to do it on their own terms, but I believe that's a conversation you have to have with your pet. I can totally see how some people would like that "honour" or feel like they're doing justice to their animal but doing it personally. I don't entirely feel that it's cruel or heartless because I feel that's something that's very hard to do.

 

What bugs me the most is that the chance of something going wrong and surviving the initial gunshot is fairly high... then what?! Try again? That's where it becomes cruel. I'd rather it be quick and painless as humanly possible - for the animals benefit and your sanity because the whole entire thing just seems traumatizing on so many different levels.

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What bugs me the most is that the chance of something going wrong and surviving the initial gunshot is fairly high... then what?! Try again? That's where it becomes cruel. I'd rather it be quick and painless as humanly possible - for the animals benefit and your sanity because the whole entire thing just seems traumatizing on so many different levels.

 

Exactly! A vet is a professional who does that sort of thing regularly. Why take the dirty risk of missing your proper target and having the dog suffer for a bit? And honestly, I get the whole "he's your dog you're getting rid of it's pain" blah blah blah, but how does a gun shot help? Then again, they seem pretty terrified of the vet, too.

 

My friend had us take her to the vet to put down her beloved cat, Kitty. It was awful. Kitty hadn't ate in days and was slowly starving to death. She had cancer. When they tried to put her in the cage, she struggled, a lot. Had I been my friend at the time, I would've waited a bit longer, since the cat obviously had a lot of fight left in her.

 

I have a cat, she's only 1 and I don't want to envision have to put her down. It seems horrible.

 

hat his family shot their dogs when they got to a certain age.

 

Uh? So even if their dog is still healthy, just old, they shoot it? That is cruel. One can be healthy and old! If my pet wasn't suffering, I wouldn't put it down.

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What bugs me the most is that the chance of something going wrong and surviving the initial gunshot is fairly high... then what?! Try again? That's where it becomes cruel. I'd rather it be quick and painless as humanly possible - for the animals benefit and your sanity because the whole entire thing just seems traumatizing on so many different levels.

 

I completely agree with this. That's what I said to my friends, and they all said 'but how can you miss when you're so close? I've heard of people attempting suicide with a gun and living. It's possible. And it's painful. Even if it's 'only' a few seconds of pain... I've been shot before. Not in the head obviously, but it is some of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. And the last thing that pet will know is the pain their loved one put them through.

 

 

 

Uh? So even if their dog is still healthy, just old, they shoot it? That is cruel. One can be healthy and old! If my pet wasn't suffering, I wouldn't put it down.

 

They believe them to be 'suffering.' Which is something a vet would be able to tell better than them. I can't even understand why people do it. It makes me so frustrated, honestly.

 

At least with the vet, too, they're unmarked. If my dog had blood all over her, I wouldn't have been able to bring myself to touch her, let alone bury her. Which is something that is important to me. I guess it's not important to anyone but I find it rude.

 

The only exception? If the dog got run over or something, is in a lot of pain, spitting up blood and you CAN'T get to a vet for a couple days. Then all means, please put the poor thing out. But other than that? No. Not at all.

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Omg... it makes me so sad that people even could shoot their own pets. At times, putting them down is necessary for their own good, but I just can't see how someone who loves their pet could do something like that. Definitely necessary if they got in an accident, like mentioned, and needed to be put down immediately, but other than that I just see it as cruel. Not sure about anyone else, but I think also that it's just disrespectful to the animal itself who has been sweet and loyal to you their whole life. My cousin had this really sweet dog who, once she got real old, could no longer walk. Her dad carried her out back and shot her. I was traumatized just hearing about it. It's just a subject that horrifies me. I mean, I love my animals so much I couldn't imagine ever taking their life so I can't understand how other people can do it without a thought.

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Omg... it makes me so sad that people even could shoot their own pets. At times, putting them down is necessary for their own good, but I just can't see how someone who loves their pet could do something like that. Definitely necessary if they got in an accident, like mentioned, and needed to be put down immediately, but other than that I just see it as cruel. Not sure about anyone else, but I think also that it's just disrespectful to the animal itself who has been sweet and loyal to you their whole life. My cousin had this really sweet dog who, once she got real old, could no longer walk. Her dad carried her out back and shot her. I was traumatized just hearing about it. It's just a subject that horrifies me. I mean, I love my animals so much I couldn't imagine ever taking their life so I can't understand how other people can do it without a thought.

 

I completely agree with you. Glad to see I'm not alone in my view point. It made me sick. I can't believe I didn't know people did this before. Is it even legal? I mean, I am sure in cases of an accident the police would understand. But what about a family that could hav eafforded to bring their pet to a vet?

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Why is it considered mature to shoot your pet? Surely survival to the animal is probably of utmost importance, regardless of pain. I'm not disagreeing with "putting down" an animal who is in pain, namely, I don't comprehend how a human could shoot their own companion - the companion loves it's owner and trusts it, it just seems horrible that YOU are the one doing it, it's protector for it's entire life. I get the whole thing about YOU being it's savor but in many circumstances it's probably better to leave that to the vet.

 

I also don't think being "old" is suffering; some discomfort is anticipated, but really. A vet should make the final call.

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Why is it considered mature to shoot your pet? Surely survival to the animal is probably of utmost importance, regardless of pain. I'm not disagreeing with "putting down" an animal who is in pain, namely, I don't comprehend how a human could shoot their own companion - the companion loves it's owner and trusts it, it just seems horrible that YOU are the one doing it, it's protector for it's entire life. I get the whole thing about YOU being it's savor but in many circumstances it's probably better to leave that to the vet.

 

I also don't think being "old" is suffering; some discomfort is anticipated, but really. A vet should make the final call.

 

You share some of my thoughts. I don't understand how a human could do it either. The last thing that pet sees before dying, is you. And animals CAN sense your emotion. No one can tell me they'll be perfectly fine doing so. There will be some nerves, sadness, ect. And the pet will sense that. Fear will make the pet uneasy as well.

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From the other side of the fence, I sort of understand there point of view. It isn't a fun topic in any sense because no one wants to think about putting a pet down, but at the same time it is necessary. I took my dog in to be put down and that was very hard for us,also very expensive. I could understand the idea of not wanting to take the pet to an unfamiliar location to see unfamiliar people. That is a stressful situation for the pet. And you can't tell me that car ride there isn't going to have any fear, nerves, sadness ect. They will know something is wrong and they will start to panic as it is. Either way someone is playing god and deciding the length of life so why do you want a complete stranger to do it for you.

 

I am not saying I could do it myself. Although I kind of find it sad that they could, I think i kind of understand why.

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From the other side of the fence, I sort of understand there point of view. It isn't a fun topic in any sense because no one wants to think about putting a pet down, but at the same time it is necessary. I took my dog in to be put down and that was very hard for us,also very expensive. I could understand the idea of not wanting to take the pet to an unfamiliar location to see unfamiliar people. That is a stressful situation for the pet. And you can't tell me that car ride there isn't going to have any fear, nerves, sadness ect. They will know something is wrong and they will start to panic as it is. Either way someone is playing god and deciding the length of life so why do you want a complete stranger to do it for you.

 

I am not saying I could do it myself. Although I kind of find it sad that they could, I think i kind of understand why.

 

Totally agree.

 

On top of that, not everyone has the same type of relationship with their pet as we might.

 

I have friends that have lived on a farm their entire life and their dog(s) have never been in their house before - ever. They are outside during rain, snow - whatever. At most they are in the garage if it reaches 30 below because their dog houses wouldn't protect them enough. Eat at 6 am and 6 pm. Play with sticks and mice. They remain dogs.

 

Where as my dog was my own kid and slept in a $100 plush bed with a 'human' pillow, ate whenever he wanted, had expensive toys that he broke in 5 minutes and treats - heck he even had a water softener with fountain for crying out loud. He even had boots so he could play out in the snow without getting cold toes (Yesss he was super spoiled)

 

I'm not sure if they have ever euthanized any of their dogs themselves (I know they have with a few of their cats who had various injuries - again only lived in a barn) but I could never ever imagine having my dog sit outside in the pouring rain or freezing cold and they think I'm crazy for having my dog be inside the house to begin with.

 

It's just a different type of relationship, which I find sort of "old fashioned" (if such thing exists) because there are better ways of going about euthanizing a pet.

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I can't agree with this. Lots of people bring in their pets for regular check ups. I understand this is expensive, but I honestly feel if you can't afford to take care of your pet, you shouldn't have one. It sounds harsh, but they deserve the best.

 

I wasn't really even trying to get at the part of it being expensive. I was more saying that pets can pick up on emotions, like you said here.

 

 

You share some of my thoughts. I don't understand how a human could do it either. The last thing that pet sees before dying, is you. And animals CAN sense your emotion. No one can tell me they'll be perfectly fine doing so. There will be some nerves, sadness, ect. And the pet will sense that. Fear will make the pet uneasy as well.

 

So I can understand the idea of not wanting to prolong the situation by taking the pet to an unfamiliar place and having someone they don't know there. I am not saying that I agree the solution is a gun.

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*hugs* aw, so sorry about your pet sweetie. :( when my pet died i was absolutely devastated for weeks.

 

as far as putting an animal down is concerned, whatever method is used, the death should ideally be quick and painless--and that goes for both the pet and the owner.

 

a bit off topic, but one of the things that makes me wonder is how we don't even show the dubitable courtesy of shooting animals in our so-called "modern" meat industry. how some of the meat plants operate today is just...ugh. cows and pigs are at least as smart as dogs, and yet the method of butchering them is absolutely horrible. if a pound killed their dogs and cats the same way that meat plants kill their livestock, that pound would be suspended and the owners would be charged with multiple felonies. but it's fine if it's pigs or cows? animals that are giving their lives so we can have a hot dog or steak? just horrible. i'd be grateful if the meat industry would start shooting its animals; would be much faster and more humane.

 

experiment protocols are even worse, but i don't want to even get started on that tbh.

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April I'm so sorry to hear that!

 

On the topic, I think that the way you put your pets down is a choice you have to make for your pets. some people may think the vet is the best way to do it, and some people may think that at home would be the right place.

 

Myself, I would not take the chance of causing my pet more pain and could never ever bring myself to shoot a pet. But I can see why people would want to be the one that ends their pets' suffering.

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I'm conflicted, as I think it depends on the circumstance.

 

When my mom was a girl, her dog managed to get rabies. The only person it wouldn't freak out at was my mom. Her dad, an army doctor, shot him. This scenario happened in India around the '70s, where there weren't vets. That case, I can handle. It's sad, but understandable.

 

If someone decides to do that nowadays, when they have full accessibility to vets, I would find it cruel. There's no reason to use such a violent way to send your pet off. Even lethal injection is used for the death penalty now, as opposed to always using a firing squad.

 

I lost my dog a few years ago. He got really sick, couldn't recognize us, didn't respond to our voices or his name. He could barely walk. It was as if he had lost his mind. It was frightening and devastating to witness. We called a vet, and he actually came to our house, and injected my dog with tranquilizer, he fell asleep and died while in my mom's arms. She held him the whole time.

 

Pets deserve painless deaths too.

 

I'm pet-less now, and I never want to have another pet again because they all die :( I don't want to go through that again.

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i could never ever shoot or injure an animal intentionally and especially not one of my own pets, so i am personally against this (and EXTREMELY against hunting for sport). i don't like hearing about other people doing it, either, although it is their choice. it's pretty common among some communities, especially in the farming sector.

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i don't believe its legal here.. but i could be wrong. i do know that you are allowed to hunt certain animals, but to shoot a family pet is totally something i could never do.

 

plus i don't think you are allowed to use guns like that here.. could be wrong :S not sure. no-one i know owns a gun.

 

if anything happened to my kitty. i would pay the money. even if i had to sell my phone, anything. i know not everyone has the same relationship with their pets (friend gave hers away, i could, never do that for the reasons that she did.) but mine is really close, and even though she is a cheap $20 cat from the local pet store, and we have spent alot of money on her since then, its not about the money, shes family. i would take a loan.

 

my real extended family don't see pets that way thats for sure. but our family does.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I grew up in the country and this is common practice, especially for people who are very poor or unable to transport their animal to a veterinarian (or unable to pay for it.) The shot is performed in the head and causes instant death. They aren't shooting them randomly or in the chest.This is the common way to put down large livestock such as horses, cows etc. Any injured animal that was obviously suffering or in pain (gored, attacked by an animal etc) were put down this way. It takes a lot from a person to put down their own animal this way, it's not easy but it is the right thing to do rather than load up a 1000+ animal that probably can't stand, drive three miles into town/or wait three hours for the mobile vet to come see your animal.

 

ETA: The barrel of the gun is flush with the animal's skull, there is no chance of you missing your target unless your an idiot. It is quick and I highly doubt the animal feels any pain since they are gone in a matter of seconds.

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I'm conflicted.

 

Would I ever be able to do - heeeck no; however, I can understand why some people would like to do it on their own terms, but I believe that's a conversation you have to have with your pet. I can totally see how some people would like that "honour" or feel like they're doing justice to their animal but doing it personally. I don't entirely feel that it's cruel or heartless because I feel that's something that's very hard to do.

 

What bugs me the most is that the chance of something going wrong and surviving the initial gunshot is fairly high... then what?! Try again? That's where it becomes cruel. I'd rather it be quick and painless as humanly possible - for the animals benefit and your sanity because the whole entire thing just seems traumatizing on so many different levels.

Complete agreement. I am fine with doing it yourself if you are a good shot, but most people wouldn't do it properly on the first shot, and that I can not abide by.

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Yeah, I don't really have a problem with just putting animals down. It's sad, but it removes the pain that would otherwise be nearly unbearable. However, my girlfriend refuses to even consider euthanasia an option - she believes that we have no right to take away their lives, and would not want to kill her animal. She's more sentimental like that, but I find it almost cruel in a way.

 

That being said, I wouldn't shoot my animal unless I had an extremely compelling reason to do so. Not everybody thinks like that though. For example, the Amish in my area simply view their horses as a tool, and treat them as such. Makes me a little angry, actually.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

Animals are a big part of my life. I get way more easily attached to animals than humans so I understand not wanting to shoot your pet. However, when you can hear a horse shrieking in pain in the pasture because it broke it's leg when you're in the house and live half an hour or longer out of town, then shooting it becomes the humane option. Thankfully this hasn't happened to met yet, but my mom used to work in a vet clinic so I've heard a few stories like these... and for those that don't know, when a horse breaks its leg, 99% of the time it can't be fixed and it means they have to be put down anyway.

I don't really agree with shooting your dog just because he's getting old though.. The only time I agree with shooting them is if you actually know for sure whatever happened can't be fixed and they have to be put down regardless and they're suffering A LOT. Like when they're bleeding out from an animal attack, or with a horse a broken leg, stuff like that...

And if it's my pet, as hard as it would be, and as emotional I would be, I like to think that I would be able to do it for their sake. The last thing I'd want to do is prolong their suffering to wait for the vet... when there's not even a guarantee the vet would make it on time..

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