4Real Forums: pet's death

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: pet's death

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glinNC
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Posted: May 04 2011 at 8:22pm \| IP Logged

We just experienced a "first" ... having to "put a dog down" because he was dying/suffering. My kids are aware that this happened ... I told them that it is sinful to do that to a human. It seems so cold to explain that to them ... that it's OK to kill an animal who's suffering but that it's breaking the commandments to do it to a person. (Of course, I told them that humans are made in God's image with a soul whereas animals do not have souls.) Has anybody had to deal with this before and can offer some suggestions to follow up? Thanks!

JodieLyn
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Posted: May 04 2011 at 8:41pm \| IP Logged

I also talked about how people are capable of understanding why they're dealing with pain and some of the stuff that accompanies it (offering your suffering for others and all that).. while animals don't understand and don't have souls and it's kinder to them to stop their suffering.

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SeaStar
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Posted: May 04 2011 at 8:52pm \| IP Logged

I dealt with this often in my working days...

It is a tough one to explain. I always come back to the explanation that although we love love our pets as if they were human, the truth is that they are *not* human.

Is it OK to kill and eat a fish? Yes- God made fish, but they don't have souls like people. Would it be OK to kill and eat a person? No- never.

God knows we love our pets, and so in His Mercy he has given us the ability to make the decision to end their lives when they are suffering.

But God made people in His very own image, and we are so precious to Him that only He can decide when our lives should end. He has a plan for each of us, and only He knows when we've finished our work for HIm and are ready for heaven.

We don't know God's plans, so we can't decide to end someone's life.

Animals are different- they don't think and reason like people because they are not people... so the "rules" are different for them. Does that make sense?

Then they always ask if pets go to heaven... that is another tough one. But if God provides for all our needs- and He always does- and we need to have Bunny cat or Sammy the goldfish with us in Heaven, then they will undoubtedly be there.

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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)

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JodieLyn
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Posted: May 04 2011 at 8:58pm \| IP Logged

oh.. another one is in Genesis where man is given dominion over the animals.. which would give us the permission, the responsibility, to make those types of decisions for animals.. we're never given that for people.

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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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hylabrook1
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Posted: May 05 2011 at 11:55am \| IP Logged

A friend recently told me that she had talked this topic over with a priest who told her that for humans suffering can be redemptive, whereas for animals it's just suffering, so there is nothing to be gained by it. Mercy would have us minimize/end that suffering.

Peace,
Nancy

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