Long 1

Mary Long

Messer 2

English 12

20 November 2018

The Right Time

The French poet Anatole France once said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of

one’s soul remains unawakened”​(​Goodreads​)​.​ ​In the fictional book ​A Dog’s Purpose​ by W.

Bruce Cameron, readers follow a dog as he experiences a number a different lives. Throughout

his different living situations, one keeps returning to a topic that is debated by people

everywhere; animal euthanasia. The argument on this idea has gone on for years from people's

own morals, law involvement, and the unjust killing due to crowding in shelters. Due to the

narrator becoming different canines every few chapters, readers see different reasons why

animals are lead to this tragic fate. Since Cameron's efforts expose readers to a variety of logical

and ethical reasons an animal can be euthanized, one can see that the morality of euthanasia can

be hard to determine.

From one heartfelt page to the next, Cameron brilliantly illustrates a dog’s life and how it

can meet its end. During the first life of the narrator dog, readers come face to face with the cold

reality so many canines are lead to. While defending his brother from a bigger dog, readers’

favorite pup breaks his leg. The brave narrator must then wear a cast until his leg is all healed.

However a day arrives where all the dogs living at the home are taken away due to their owner

not having a kennel license. Once they arrive at the shelter the injured canine is met with a

terrible fate. ““Unadoptable” the first man said.” “We got too many dogs,” the second man said”
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(Cameron 53)​. Although the helpless storyteller is confused by this conversation, readers are not.

Due to his leg being broken, the shelter finds it best to euthanize him since they feel he will only

waste space and no one will want him. This is important because it shows euthanasia being used

as a solution to a minor problem. Just because a dog has a broken leg does not mean he will

never heal. In addition, the canine is still a puppy; meaning a family would most likely want him

over an adult dog.

Although Cameron shows the horrors of unfair euthanasia, he also provides readers with

a positive way of using it. In his second life going by the name of “Bailey,” the narrator finds

himself living life until his last breath. He begins to notice his body growing weaker and not

being as hungry as he used to be. One day he wakes up experiencing an agonizing pain which

makes his owners very concerned. They take him to the vet’s, and make the heart wrenching

decision that many families decide each year.

“It felt wonderful to receive so much attention, but then a shudder of pain shot through

my stomach so sharp I couldn’t help but cry out loud. The nice man came in then, and he

had another needle. “We need to do this now; Bailey shouldn’t have to suffer”” ​(178)​.

Even though animal euthanasia is looked at with negativity, it can have benefits when used

correctly. In this example, Bailey is on the edge of death experiencing unimaginable pain.

Instead of having him suffer, his family decides to let him go. It is a hard thing to do, but the best

for one’s furry friend. It’s like when families have a brain dead patient in the hospital; sure they

are still living, but everyone knows it’s the end. With that being said, one eases the pain, and

pulls the plug.

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It is tough to distinguish where to establish the limits for humane use of euthanasia.​ In

fact it gets very messy when it comes to who is responsible for setting standards for it

(​Armstrong, Martha)​. Due to this, animals in many different classifications can be put down. For

example, in Canada animals are considered property once someone obtains them. Since a pet is

“property” an owner can euthanize them for their convenience. Angela Welburn, the operator of

Integrity’s Haven Equine Rescue Centre in Chester Basin, once met a woman in a vet clinic who

was about to put her slightly elderly dog down so her children could get a “more playful” puppy

(“Healthy Pets Sometimes…”)​. In this example, a dog is being put to death purely out of

convenience for his owners. Being treated like a technology device, the dog is thrown away so

his owner can have the newest and better version. Another unjust reasoning for an animal being

put to sleep was experienced by a Man named Matt Van Vranken. His elderly dog had escaped

home and was brought in by a local shelter. The vet on-call there determined Matt’s pet too old

and euthanized him. Matt arrived hours later truly heart broken. Matt later claimed, “He had the

usual aches and pains associated with being older, but he was comfortable and happy.”

(Washington Post).​ This incident further more supports the idea that shelters are too quick to

judge because they are worried about space issues and not life itself. By using euthanasia to

solve their problems, shelters are not only ending a life, but destroying families. Euthanasia is an

irreversible chemical reaction, meaning once injected, there is no compound to undo the harm

distributed. To avoid such tragic uses of euthanization, there are many other options, as

suggested by an article in The Washington Post: “Healthy Animals will not be killed… Animals

with behavioral issues work with trainers. Old animals, too, are given the chance to be adopted.

Those too elderly or sick for standard adoption may be placed into foster hospice homes.”
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(Washington Post)​. Animals get put down for all the wrong reasons. However, there are some

cases when it is truly in their best interest.

Sometimes in life the hard decision, can be the right one. No one wants to ever endure

unbearable pain, or have to watch a loved one experience it. One does everything in their power

to avoid such a thing. However, sometimes this means making difficult decisions. According to

the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “euthanasia” comes from the ​Greek word ​euthanatos​,

meaning easy or merciful death ​(“Euthanasia.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster).​ I​n the

world of human anatomy, people will “pull the plug” on a brain dead patient knowing the injured

soul will not have a good quality of life. This is similar to the idea of euthanasia on animals.

There comes a time when one decides it is best to end a loyal companion’s suffering. ​Euthanasia

of animals is truly intended to be used in cases to show mercy to a suffering organism.

According the Washington Post, “Animals will be euthanized if their pain cannot be managed, if

they aren’t enjoying their lives, or if they are deemed too dangerous to live safely in

society”​(Washington Post)​. When used at appropriate times, euthanasia can benefit animals by

giving them peace. Euthanasia can save an animal physical pain, and their owners or caretakers

emotional pain. Overall it is a powerful chemical concept that insures a stress free death of a

beautiful creature; this is why euthanasia can be the best alternative for a suffering animal.

There are a variety of reasons that animals meet a tragic fate of being euthanized. Even

though this fate does seem cruel, there are circumstances when euthanasia can be the right

decision. However, the definition of an appropriate circumstance varies from person to person.

The future may hold a day where enforced laws are put in place to truly identify when this

chemical Grim Reaper should be used on those who are trained to speak, but cannot speak for
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themselves. Nevertheless, until that day comes, the fate of these loyal companions rests in the

hands of the human race. The hope is that the hands they rest in are merciful, and good.
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Works Cited

“A Quote by Anatole France.” ​Goodreads​, Goodreads,

www.goodreads.com/quotes/4432-until-one-has-loved-an-animal-a-part-of-one-s.

Armstrong, Martha. “Statistics, Truth, and Action.” Animals, vol. 127, no. 1, Jan. 1994, p. 32.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=m

Cameron, W. Bruce. A Dog's Purpose. Forge, 2016.

“Euthanasia.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/euthanasia.

"Healthy pets sometimes euthanized for 'convenience'." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 23

May 2017, p.A11.Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492537055/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC

&xid=26cf49f1. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018

"What's a 'no-kill' animal shelter? The answer is more complicated than it seems."

Washingtonpost.com, 23 Jan. 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A478684062/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC

&xid=5d87f85d. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.