Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again. But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. (Exodus 11:6-7)I had to put down a dog today. And on top of it all, I have never killed an animal before.
My son-in-law’s dog was over 16 years old and had gone completely infirm. In fact, yesterday she couldn’t even stand. It has been a bone of contention between him and my daughter for a while now, and the obvious suffering of the dog has affected us all.
But he couldn’t bring himself to put her down. She had been with him through some difficult times for most of her life. And he loved her.
She was a Jack Russell terrier, a good-looking dog. And she had been a faithful companion to him through some rough times. But when it came down to it, he just couldn’t bring himself to put her down, even though he knew it was past time.
So I did, using his 22 rifle, and then I dug the grave for him and filled it in.
It is odd, not having her here. She was so bad off at the last that she would just walk in circles and give a breathless howl. She really didn’t even have the wind to howl, but she tried.
I cried myself, but mainly from the sadness of him losing a friend.
