Guilty As Charged

[STARKISS]

Hi All,

I am guilty as charged for getting a dog put to sleep, This dog is a neighbor of mine and I used to dog sit for him... While I was dog sitting one time the dog bite me and I hated that dog for along time... I did forgive the dog and actually dog sat again for him but again the dog bite me this time he did it twice... After that happened the owners went right to the vet and asked for him to be put down... I blame myself so much for his death because maybe it was something that I did to cause him to bite me... Feeling really guilty right now Shelley

[kayc]

Shelley,

I am sorry you find yourself going through this, both the dog bites and the having to have the dog put to sleep. I'm sure you haven't done anything to provoke it, sometimes dogs get older and don't feel good and it affects their brain. I had a sweet gentle golden retriever that did that and we had to have him put to sleep. It's hard but it's what has to be done sometimes.

[STARKISS]

Hi KayC,

Thanks for trying to cheer me up but i feel so very guilty right now... shelley

[mfh]

Shelley,

I am so sorry you are in such pain. I am sorry that guilt is haunting you about the dog. I think Kay is right...sometimes dogs do things for reasons we will never know. I hope today brings you some moments of peace.

Mary

[MartyT]

Shelley, my dear, no one here is trying to take your guilt away from you ~ You feel what you feel. We all understand that. But please consider this: If this dog had bitten you so many times, there was a very real possibility that he would have bitten again ~ and maybe next time it would have been a child. The owners of the dog did what they thought was the most responsible thing to do, in an effort to protect other people (including children) from getting hurt. I imagine this was a difficult and painful decision for everyone involved. You say that you are "guilty as charged," but the only person who is judging you so harshly is yourself. I hope that as you think this through, you will come to see that, in truth, you are innocent of any wrongdoing here. ♥

[STARKISS]

Hi Marty,

Yes I do realize this but it still bothers me that it had to happen, Dogs are so innocent it should be the people who are punished for the crimes of the dog... This dog I am talking about was not care for very well... Shelley

[CJ Anderson]

Shelly, I believe our dogs are our teachers, our healers, our mirrors. For this little soul, the suffering is over and he is playing happily at the rainbow bridge, having been graced with a merciful passing when so may have a painful passing. There were 98,000 pets who passed though Maricopa Animal Control gates last year and about help were euthanized for avaious reasons, including space and behavior. He is in good company and no longer alone or suffering.

I dont know you so I could not hazard a guess. If it was me I would look to the lesson that he gave me.

Arizona is NOT a one bite forgiveness state. Clearly the owner did not know how to change his behavior, did not trust his ability to keep the event from happening again. What is true, is that MY behavior would have lead to the bite. So first I would never repeat that behavior with a dog that was not mine! Second, I would learn more about dog postures and the truth of what they tell us instead of a heman story (ie waging tail doent meand a dog is glad to see me as is an open mouth doesnt mean a smile, both have mean anxiety that is a precurser ti fear and escalation of defernse behavoir...

Maybe I could teach chidren have to avoid bites, saving countless over fourlegged lives. Or maybe I could volunteer for a shelter or rescue. We have several hundred of them. Even helping out at an adoption event at Petco, Petsmart or PACC911.

Since dogs teach me what I am in my other life professionally or relationships, I would probably look at other places where people "bite" me. Alot of the trash (relationships) I could just kick to the curb. The rest like a boss or family, I would learn to recognize the signs to avoid the danger - or learn to protect my self in the correct way. That is how I would honor the life that was sacroficed to help me learned to be a better person here to make a difference on this planet. Thats how I would handle this situation - but I tend to make lemonade out of lemons - especially lemons I made myself out of sitautions I find myself in, especially where womeone else paid the price for it.

I hope that there is something in here that helps you!

Hugs.!

CJ