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by michaelcor on January 4th, 2007

michaelcor

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Is it wrong to put a dog to sleep on your own? My uncle lives on a farm and though he really loves his dog - when they are sickly and old he shoots and buries them on his own. I personally don't agree with this and think he should have a vet do it.

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Answers. 28 helpful answers below.

  • by AntigoneRising on January 4th, 2007

    AntigoneRising

    I prefer to have a vet humanely euthanize an animal. However, your uncle has chosen a relatively quick and painless method. I cannot fault him too much.

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  • by cristnalyn on January 4th, 2007

    cristnalyn

    If you are doing it humanly then it shouldn't be a problem. My Grandfather was a vet and if we needed to put an animal down we did it at home. It was more comforting for both us and the animal to be in a familiar place and not in some "medical" atmosphere. Either way it is a tough decision to have to make. Your uncle shooting the animal is probably quicker than the drugs the vet uses. I have seen many animals put down and sometimes the horrible moans that come out of them are chilling.

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  • by blessings on January 4th, 2007

    blessings

    Why, or why not, depending on the portion of your question and comment you want answered first.

    It is not wrong to put a dog to sleep on your own, if as AR says, it is done humanely.

    If he, living on a farm, is O.K. with this behavior, who are you or I to say otherwise? Many have had to do likewise in the eons past.

    As a farmer, he is a man of the land, and as such has to deal with more of the 'nitty gritty' than you or I. This is true by the nature of anyone living so close to and off of the land.

    We would not fault him for butchering his own hogs or chickens. To be sure, a family pet is a whole other matter. But to one used to the cycles of life, the life and death processes that are part and parcel to the farming life are often viewed matter-of-factly.

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  • by Firebrand on February 15th, 2007

    Firebrand

    it would not be a method I would use, but a lot of farmers do it that way
    I prefer the vet coming to the house and the soft approach

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  • by AuntFanny on January 4th, 2007

    AuntFanny

    I don't think there is anything wrong with that. My daddy had to put a horse down once. I forget how it happened now but it had a broken leg. He took his rifle out to the pasture and shot it. Then he and my uncles attached chains to it and drug it off somewhere to be buried. It was very sad but it is all a part of life.

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  • by nevets - badgicide on January 4th, 2007

    nevets - badgicide

    ... Well if a vet is going to do it, why not your uncle?

    EDIT

    I think AR has it on the nail.

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  • by Sheriff Raff -Answerhag on August 28th, 2007

    Sheriff Raff -Answerhag

    Your Uncle has balls of steel. I give him a lot of credit for giving his beloved dogs a quick way out of the world when their quality of life is poor.

    I believe you should respect his actions because the death is very quick and almost instant, like a lethal injection. He doesn't have to worry about transporting a dead animal home from the vet for burial because it is already there.

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  • by Leigh Anne on August 28th, 2007

    Leigh Anne

    Mind your own business. . .

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  • by Grammy Robin on April 8th, 2007

    Grammy Robin

    When I was growing up, it was always done at home. There is nothing wrong with it.
    Your uncle knows his animals. You said it yourself, "when they are sickly and old". He knows what he's doing. Why should he have to pay someone to do something he knows needs to be done?

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  • by Allyoop on April 8th, 2007

    Allyoop

    I agree with your uncle. The dog would likely have suffered a few extra hours more if had waited to take it in to the vet.As a farmer, your uncle is likely fimiliar with guns and therefore knows how to use it and would only have had to use one shot.

    Also, farming has one of the lowest pay rolls, often paying less than minium wage jobs for the amount of hours put in. If he had of brought the dog to the vet it may have cost as much as $500 and the dog may feel pay from the drug/drugs.

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  • by Anonymous on February 15th, 2007

    Anonymous

    Many people do it like your uncle does. And I believe he knows how to do it so the animal feels no pain. Most farmers are used to this kind of thing. It's been done for years. For your uncle it's the right thing to do. I'm an old farmer too but these days I'd rather take a pet I love to the vet. I don't like to do it myself. I wouldn't like to see the wound of a bullet in my beloved pet.

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  • by GARY MARSHALL on February 15th, 2007

    GARY MARSHALL

    I think its better for the dog if your uncle does it.I used to help put dogs down at the animal shelter.They first tranqualize the animal then they would give the animal a shot directly in the heart.Its less pain for the dog.Sucks if your the owner of the animal.

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  • by Midnighttoker on February 15th, 2007

    Midnighttoker

    it is not wrong. allowing an animal to suffer needlessly is wrong. i have put down too many to see it as wrong.what other choice would you have with an animal stuck in a trap/tree/gully?i am usually able to talk to the animal and some-what put it at peace. as for pets, i feel it is better for them to hear a caring voice as thier last. they need not suffer any more. i won't say it is painless but i do make it quick and sure. i do not enjoy this at all, it makes me feel bad for days. wether it is someones kitty or a deer stuck in a tree. think what you want, i feel it's right.

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  • by Lydia on January 4th, 2007

    Lydia

    I believe that the vet should do it becuase what if one time the shot doesnt work and then the animal doesnt die the first time round, quick and painlessly but ends up in so much agony. I beleive the vet is also a more humane way to do it because that way you dont have the blood of something you loved on your hands, its less messy and the animal just falls asleep.

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  • by O_hare on January 4th, 2007

    O_hare

    With a vet enthusiaze it, its a bit more of a slower death with vets, sometimes before the pet dies they might feel pain from the shot of whatever the vets give them. But its your opinion but if it's your uncles choice to do it himself you have to know that doing it yourself puts more grieve than a vet because your uncles the person who puts them to sleep, he's gotta be a tough man to do that.

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  • by We miss our girl! on August 28th, 2007

    We miss our girl!

    I personally couldn't do it, but a lot of people were raised that way. As long as the dog isn't tortured or injured or anything, if it's a nice clean shot, then it's fine. If your uncle loves his dogs, he's not being mean, he's doing what needs to be done, as difficult as that might be.

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  • by Chopsy the Diver on August 28th, 2007

    Chopsy the Diver

    I'm glad he has the courage to do it...BUT...seeing as people seem to have more affection for their pets these days, it would be equivalent of taking the law into your own hands and putting your suffering relative out of their own misery, maybe i'm over exagerating but who are we to decide whether we should put that person or animal out of their misery without involving a professional....i have nothing against it but from a moral aspect thats how it could be seen....just an opinion :)

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  • by KevinW42 on February 14th, 2007

    KevinW42

    As long as he is able to kill the dog instantly on the first shot, such as a shot in the head, it's fine. But if he shoots it in, say the gut and it was a slower more painfull death, he should have the vet do it or learn to do it right.

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  • by P. W. Pasobrio loves Marines on February 14th, 2007

    P. W. Pasobrio loves Marines

    No, saves the vet bill and it's quick and painless. All the dog feels is the cold of the gun barrel and then nothing. If he lives on a farm then taking the dog to the vet would be a long and painfull trip for the dog. And taking the dog to the vet would be highly stressfull since most farm dogs get their vet care either by the owner himself or the vet when he comes out to see the other animals. If your uncle has been a farmer his whole life he's more than likely been trained on how to do this either by his father or by the vet himself. I, myself, was taught how to put a horse down with a gun by a guy I worked for so that if one of the horses went down I would be able to do it humanely.

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  • by romelang1 on January 4th, 2007

    romelang1

    Your uncle is right. As a farmer he is obviously familiar with guns and hopefully capable of doing the job correctly with one shot.

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  • by Glory on August 28th, 2007

    Glory

    I guess it's all in what you're accustomed to on how you were aised. A bullet in the head is humane, painless and is cheaper than having a vet do it.

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  • by Anonymous on January 4th, 2007

    Anonymous

    IF A DOG WERE INJURED WITH NO HOPE FOR IT THEN YES, THE HUMANE THING TO DO IS PUT IT DOWN URSELF AS WAITING AROUND WOULD BE JUST TOO CRUEL. PLUS IF BEEN PUT DOWN AT LEAST THE ANIMAL WOULD NOT BE SCARED OF A VET AND STRANGE SURROUNDINGS

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  • by Nom de guerre on January 4th, 2007

    Nom de guerre

    If he can make sure that he will kill the animal with the first shot, I see no harm in doing it himself. Saves him a vet bill, too.

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  • by jdborchardt on December 5th, 2007

    jdborchardt

    one .22 small caliber round to the head and its over, no big mess of brains and blood, really small hole. death is instantaneous, i know from experiance that it can take up to 5 minutes for an injection to kill a pet. i personally bellieve its more humane. plus, you dont want a complete stranger in an awkward place to be the one to end your friends suffering do you?

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  • by memmotronic1 on December 28th, 2007

    memmotronic1

    Well...right now we have a sick dog that is taking up space along with two more poodles. The poodles are fine, but the sick dog, he's more on the other side than on this side. I've been wanting to shoot the poor thing...but I don't have nor know anyone who has a gun.
    Believe me, it hurts me to see him sick and cureless.

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  • by jeanbean89 on May 29th, 2009

    jeanbean89

    That is actually animal cruelty. Even though the dog is sickly and old, they still should be humanly euthanized. It is painless and it ensures they die without suffering. Shooting a dog doesn't necessarily make it quick or painless. Not only that but if he were to take them to a vet, the vet would tell him what he could do to make the dog more comfortable during the older ages. I completely disagree with people doing this. If you honestly love your dogs then it would be way too hard to shoot them. It's even hard for people to euthanize them when they love them. So to answer your question yes it is wrong and illegal, unless you are your own vet. Honestly, why would you want your pet to suffer in that much pain before they actually die. That moment of betrayal.

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  • by OmegaWolf747 on December 29th, 2007

    OmegaWolf747

    That's how things were done in our great grandparents' time. I don't fault it as long as it's quick and painless.

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  • by RockyRun2011 on January 4th, 2007

    RockyRun2011

    If the dog bit you or harmed you in any way, I would say that it isn't wrong to put your dog to sleep. Although, it would be very hard to put my dog to sleep by myself.

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