Dame Aussie Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I think deep down almost everybody believe their dog will never be happy if they disappear. Which I think is grossly out of proportion to the number of dogs who would actually not cope without the owner. Dogs go through rescue, pounds and sale/rehoming all the time. Maybe we should do as they did in old Egypt and have all our animals and partners killed to be buried with us along with all our money and slaves... Yes, exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 For people to believe that their dog could never be happy with any other owner is humankind hubris at its worst, IMO. Having started off in rescue as a volunteer walker at a pound, rescued and fostered dogs from many differnt pounds and worked as an employee at a pound, I would be prepared to state that the dogs who didn't or couldn't adjust in a new home was be a tiny tiny percentage of the whole. Now admittedly, that would be vey sad, but I would also be prepared to surmise that in these cases, the right home hadn't been found. Even dogs who have a "problem" sometimes are successfully rehomed and the "problem" disappears. To kill a guide dog so the owner can have the dog in her coffin is disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 What if the owner is wrong? ??? Just pointing out that some people believe their dog could never be rehomed and sometimes they're wrong about that. Shame a dog had to die when it could have gone on enjoying life and making someone else really happy. I think it's a selfish act. Ahh, Fair enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 she wouldn't have known if it had been done, they could have just told her they would, and kept it alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I can understand and sympathise to why she did it. so can I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 For people to believe that their dog could never be happy with any other owner is humankind hubris at its worst, IMO. Having started off in rescue as a volunteer walker at a pound, rescued and fostered dogs from many differnt pounds and worked as an employee at a pound, I would be prepared to state that the dogs who didn't or couldn't adjust in a new home was be a tiny tiny percentage of the whole. Now admittedly, that would be vey sad, but I would also be prepared to surmise that in these cases, the right home hadn't been found. Even dogs who have a "problem" sometimes are successfully rehomed and the "problem" disappears. To kill a guide dog so the owner can have the dog in her coffin is disgusting. I agree DD. Dogs are far more able to adjust than people generally. This was an extremely selfish act. There is probably quite a waiting list for guide dogs, I wonder what the organisation that trained this dog thought of it. Even if she was at the end of her guide dog career she was hardly old and deserved a new home if the family weren't able to keep her. There is no way in the world that I would abide by this request by any of my family, it's simply awful and involves the unnecessary death of a young dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Anyone involved in rescue knows that 99.999999% of dogs can happily cope and re-adjust to a new owner/life, as long as that owner/life is well suited to that individual dog (that's not to say that 99% SHOULD be rehomed, obviously some dogs are not rehomable). Some might take a little time to settle in, sure. That doesn't warrant killing the dog. What a selfish woman with an idiotic family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tintin Jac Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Poor dog. It may well have bonded with someone else but wasn't given a chance. This issue hits a bit of a nerve for me. I have a close family member who has two dogs. She has constantly told us that she wants them to be pts when she passes. She thinks they wouldn't cope without her. I believe that the dogs would actually be much better off and could get the chance to have a much better life without her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Poor dog. It may well have bonded with someone else but wasn't given a chance. This issue hits a bit of a nerve for me. I have a close family member who has two dogs. She has constantly told us that she wants them to be pts when she passes. She thinks they wouldn't cope without her. I believe that the dogs would actually be much better off and could get the chance to have a much better life without her. That is vey sad, TTJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I can understand and sympathise to why she did it. so can I Oh, I understand, but I certainly don't sympathise. It is a cruel and selfish thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Are You Serious Jo Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Can someone explain why it's cruel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbear Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Maybe Cruel because it potentially took away an assistance dog from someone who otherwise may not have gotten one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Ah it happened in USA - they probably have different burial conventions. The dog was healthy and only 5 years old - the family should not have done it. Even though the dog mourned immediately after does not mean it would not have settled in with another owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 What a selfish woman with an idiotic family. I feel so sad on reading comments like this ... the family have lost a woman to cancer , they honoured her wish ......no doubt the woman died a long and painful death , maybe it was selfish...but , facing death perhaps the only comfort she could think of was that her dog would be there with her at the end, and forever... Perhaps it is a waste of a resource to the vision impaired community .... I very much doubt the dog was taken out the back and bludgeoned to death..so do not see it as being 'cruel' to the dog ... Sure it is not an ordinary thing ...or something most of us would even consider ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I wonder if they would have honoured her wish if she had asked for her children to be put down and added to her coffin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantis Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 What if the owner is wrong? What if they aren't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Maybe Cruel because it potentially took away an assistance dog from someone who otherwise may not have gotten one? The dog was owner trained. It couldn't have been re-allocated to another blind person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 It seems a waste of an guide dog, however as the owner of an animal, you have every right to request it be PTS. Doesn't make it right, or decent. I know I'd consider taking some of mine to the grave. Perhaps I don't think that my dogs could be cared for the way I do or I don't want to risk them ever ending up in an unhappy place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelp2 Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I can understand and sympathise to why she did it. so can I I can't understand why anyone would want their healthy and relatively young dog to be put down, because they were dying themselves. It seems a very callous and selfish act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricey Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 (edited) Hi all, To me, the issue is simple; should a human be able to dictate that if they die, their dog dies with them? To me, the answer is a simple 'No'. Sure the dog may have been a tad devastated for a while without its human, but it would get over that. The somewhat trite stories such as the 'dog on the tucker box' and 'red dog' pining ad infinitum for their missing human are not the norm. A 5 year old superbly trained Lab guide dog; how hard would this dog have been to rehome? People would have been queuing up! Having said all this, I really have to take issue with the would be vigilantes of Terre Haute who would like to hunt Sheila Stadler's son Andrew down for doing what he thought his mother wanted. Andrew did what he thought he was obliged to do at the time and if he got it wrong, that was not his intention. Me, I figure that Sheila probably just wanted her dog interred with her when her dog eventually died of old age or other natural causes. Sheesh, I'd like my Hobbes ashes interred with me when I shuffle off this mortal coil. I am not sure why I'd like this as I am a devout atheist and hold no hope that there is a life after death. We'd both be dead and in reality we would not be able to experience any comfort from lying together and gently decomposing. Should Andrew 'burn in hell' as wanted by the Terre Haute vigilantes? Nope, hell is a bit of mythology popularised by those kiddy fiddlers in Rome who wear funny hats and opulent robes and think that it is OK to protect paedophiles from the police. In the scheme of things Andrew is as pure as the driven snow. If you are going to get upset about something I'd suggest that there are far better targets for your spleen than Andrew. Cheers, ricey Edited April 5, 2013 by ricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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