Mans best friend - shooting vs euthanasia

[5MilesBack]

If you'd rather shoot your own dog than pay $200 for a vet to come put a needle in him, please stick to cats.

I'd prefer shooting the cats, but have no problem with putting dogs down either. The cats eventually always got taken by coyotes, so never had to put them down. My dad used to sit out with the hogs and talk to them and rub behind their ears while they ate the corn he just brought them. But come springtime, he never had a problem putting the rifle to their foreheads and then butchering them up.

We did have an older woman here that lived out in the country that shot her dog and buried it on her property when it could barely walk anymore. Her neighbor turned her in and she was arrested for animal abuse as was stated before. Ridiculous.

Whether it's the vet with a shot, or you taking the shot.....it's all euthanasia.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Maverick and Charlie agree. Lets have more dog pictures!!!

I had a Chocolate Lab named Maverick back in the late 1990s. Great name

 

[displacedtexan]

I didn't and won't read all of it...

I'm not doing it myself.

 

[TreeWalking]

Taken three dogs to the vet. Peaceful. Hits me harder than losing a parent bedside. Dogs are loyal and do not betray you. Petting the dog as the meds hit and the muscles go from tense to relaxed gives closure to my family. Reminded me of when my father-in-law took his last breath while we kept vigil bedside. Peaceful as the moment passed knowing he would feel no more discomfort.

I don't think I could have had my 8 year old twins each holding Sam while I put a .22 into the skull. At the vet, my sons learned a bit more about the circle of life without the smell of gunpowder and ringing ears when Sam took his last breath.

 

[hicountry1]

Vet. They deserve nothing less than a peaceful ending.

 

[fmyth]

My dog ran under the truck as I was driving up the driveway at my family farm. She was 15 years old and losing her sight and hearing. The truck crushed her abdomen and rear legs. My 2 young kids and my little sisters saw it happen. They were mortified. Thank God my mom was there to take the kids inside and comfort them. It was a Sunday and the local vet was closed. My only choices where to let her die naturally in what was obviously tremendous pain or put her out of her misery. I did what I thought was the most merciful thing I could do and shot her in the head with a .22LR. I buried her behind the barn where our other pets were laid to rest. Digging her grave was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. It's been 25 years and I'm still haunted by the memory of that day. No way in hell I'd put my dog down myself if there was any other option.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Had to take my Mom's Weiner dog to have put down a couple years ago.
I did not realize how attached I was. It was like he had chosen me for his Buddy.
I've lived through a lot of hardship but that was one of the hardest things.
Sounds silly just typing it, but true.

 

[KurtR]

I do find it interesting that a lot of these folks think nothing about shooting a deer or an elk at 600 yard or even farther, but are afraid of botching a shot at a stationary animal at one foot.

You want an honest answer. I could give shit less about that deer or elk in comparison to my dog. I haven’t lived with deer or elk every day. I haven’t traveled the country with that deer or elk. That deer or elk has never been there unconditionally for me no questions asked always happy tail wagging.

 

[realunlucky]

I thought I would be firmly in the do it yourself side of this conundrum until I actually found myself in the unfountate position of having to make the choice.

Only as a terrible last resort could I find the strength to do it myself.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[S-3 ranch]

toughest things I have to do, FWIW I had to go to the veterinary office just today for my wife’s dog , but I had a disgruntled hunter poison my Boykin
and I had to take her for a walk, it was not a act of violence, but a quick act of love
to end her extreme suffering,
tough times when a loved one has to pass

 

[CRJR45]

You know who kills their own pets ?
Jeffrey Dahmer and the Taliban ! Thats who ! LOL



Just kidding ! To each their own .

 

[t_carlson]

When I was a kid, our family border collie escaped from the yard. We got home from an event in the dark that night. I didn't see her, but apparently, she had gotten into a porcupine and also hit by a car before dragging herself back to our yard.

My dad, being the perennial cheapskate he is, decided to take her out and shoot her so that we didn't have to pay for an after-hours, emergency vet appointment. She flinched at the last second (or maybe my dad did) and the 20 gauge shotgun blast just wounded her. To make matters worse, the gun broke or jammed or something and he couldn't fire a second shot. He had to call a friend to bring him a working gun. The dog, of course, had to wait the entire time, and I did not find out about how it all went down until years later.

I'd like to avoid something like that. All involved suffered for that decision. Also, I couldn't splatter my dog's brains all over the ground, even if it did die instantly. But that one didn't, and it had to live the last 45 minutes of its life with part of its face blown off and whatever else it feels like to have a 20 gauge discharge inches from your head.

Oh, you'd [insert 20/20 hindsight here]? Murphy's law will strike you too. I'm sure my dad DID NOT anticipate either wounding the dog on the first shot or the subsequent gun malfunction. There's a lot of other things that could go wrong. It just doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do to an animal that will love you like a dog will.

It's funny to watch people try and argue in favor of shooting their own dog, though. The "old ways" die hard. I remember when I got into training bird dogs. The old timers told me that I'd ruin my dog's nose if I kept it inside. That was their excuse for not allowing their dogs inside, you see. 100% b.s., and I ran my dogs in the field against theirs many times after that with no ill effect.

 

[ThorM465]

My kids were present for my Sage dog's passing. I gave them the choice and they decided they wanted to be there for their dog. I explained everything in kid terms and when the vet came they got to say their goodbyes and then were quiet and respectful "when the angels came to take him away."

I can't imagine trying to teach a young mind incapable of grasping nuance how to respect our friends by shooting them. Glad I don't have to.

When I was five I watched my old man pick up his best friend (an old Boxer) and carry him off to the back 40 to end his suffering. I still remember the sound of the pistol being fired. It was in that moment that I learned what it means to be a man. It's doing the right thing no matter how hard it is.

 

[LoggerDan]

@KurtR

maybe so but a dog, no matter how fond of it I am/was never fed my family for a whole year. And when you say you don’t give a shit, that’s very telling.

 

[william schmaltz]

I had two different dogs when I was a kid. Me and my Dad went and shot the dogs when it was time. It wasn't traumatic, it was a lesson in responsibility. Never seemed like that big of a deal. We also had a butcher shop and I've seen probably tens of thousands of animals take a bullet and never once was the result anything other than instantly dropping. Same with shooting countless coyotes, fox, coons, etc in traps.

Dog threads are always interesting to me. The personification of animals and watching hunters play into it is especially something that always intrigues me as that's what's driving the anti-hunting narrative. It's why we have the laws discussed in this thread where people are not allowed to shoot of their own dog, even in the instance where it's more humane than waiting for a vet. I worked with a wildlife vet for a few years. Watched him put a lot of animals down with drugs. He always said that dogs are just wolves/coyotes that were dumb enough to be caught and trained. His view was that it was more messed up to shoot a smart wild animal than a less smart domestic one. Not sure I agree, but I always thought that was an interesting take. That a wolf in a trap that everyone on here would cheer the shooting of is as much or more aware than a dog; personal attachment and relationship aside. I have a pretty black heart from life experience that includes actually having to bury a child, which makes it extremely hard for me to relate to any of this. Do what fits you I suppose. I personally can't get past simply viewing a dog as just another animal.

 

[realunlucky]

A lot of unnecessary drama on here lately. Don't be a that guy-- think before you post or you'll have plenty of time to reflect on during time out.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[ThorM465]

@KurtR

maybe so but a dog, no matter how fond of it I am/was never fed my family for a whole year. And when you say you don’t give a shit, that’s very telling.

Everything is relative. Relative to my dog I don't give a shit about the game. Relative to my dog I don't give a shit about the guy down the street. Relative to the outcome of a football game, I absolutely care about putting any game down quickly and ethically.

 

[LoggerDan]

@william schmaltz

i tend to agree. After seeing good men die in the riggin on the side of a mountain while logging,good men, a dog‘s passing doesn’t move me so much.
I too grew up near a slaughterhouse.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Sombering thread. My GSP is 4.5 hopefully this decision is a long way down the trail.

I don't fault any opinion on this thread. Whatever is best for the dog. IMO it's only about the dog. Only the owner knows the answer.

Personally, I would have a hard time with the visual s/p GSW. My dog LOVES humans so she would be perfectly happy going to the vet. I will probably have the vet come to my house. I will be an absolute mess and I prefer to be a mess in the privacy of my own home.

 

[mtnwrunner]

I do find it interesting that a lot of these folks think nothing about shooting a deer or an elk at 600 yard or even farther, but are afraid of botching a shot at a stationary animal at one foot.

Really?? It is NOT even comparable. That deer or elk hasn't been with you for 16 years, hasn't seen you go through tough or happy times, hasn't saved your life, hasn't been your wingman, hasn't been a permanent seat ornament..........I could go on and on. As others have said, each to their own.
And yes, I've seen plenty of close botched shots and the potential for one is certainly greater with passion and emotion involved.
I, for one am certainly glad for vets that come out to your place to put them at peace. And my vets all cry right alongside me.

Let's see some happy faces!
Beans and Franks, Taz and Stella.

Randy