# Wow ~ 19.5 Years Old!



## GSDLoverII

*



*


----------



## GSDLoverII

It's pretty amazing the strong bond some people have with animals, and vice versa.....right to the end.:angel::angel:


----------



## kess&ellie

I've seen this video before and it still brought tears to my eyes.


----------



## Daydreamer

I'm sorry but that is so pitiful. It is time to let this dog go.


----------



## GSDLoverII

I wouldn't have changed a thing !:thumbup:


----------



## selzer

I did not think about letting the dog go, he did not seem to be in pain. And that old lady seemed to really enjoy having him there with her.


----------



## irongrl

selzer said:


> I did not think about letting the dog go, he did not seem to be in pain. And that old lady seemed to really enjoy having him there with her.


I agree. He didn't look like he was suffering.


----------



## Daydreamer

I am all for therapy dogs but this one just struck a cord with me. Something in his eyes seemed very sad. Looks like he can only move his head. Please don't misunderstand my sentiment I just feel that quality of life out weights quanity. I do think that the therapy animals bring alot to the patients they visit and am thankful for the people who take the time to provide this much appreciated service.


----------



## Mrs.K

Daydreamer said:


> I am all for therapy dogs but this one just struck a cord with me. Something in his eyes seemed very sad. Looks like he can only move his head. Please don't misunderstand my sentiment I just feel that quality of life out weights quanity. I do think that the therapy animals bring alot to the patients they visit and am thankful for the people who take the time to provide this much appreciated service.


Yeah, I saw it too and know what you mean. It is time to let him go. :help:


----------



## Eva von Selah

Baxter went to the bridge in October 2009.


----------



## ChancetheGSD

I'm sorry but there comes a point where keeping an animal alive becomes cruel and Baxter seems like one of those cases. I'm sure he was very loved but he couldn't even walk because of his age and possibly a medical condition. It's not just about the ability to walk but the ability to live. Considering his lack of mobility, this dog was probably peeing and pooping all over himself on a daily basis, putting him at risk for burns and infections, for god knows how long before passing. Seeing as he couldn't move anything but his head (and barely that) there is also bedsore risk. Even with the best care I'm sure this dog had a lot of problems and was at a high risk for natural problems that come from a lack of mobility.

I know putting an animal to sleep is hard, especially one who has been in your life for so long, but there comes a time when we need to set aside our emotions and attachments and do what is best for the animal.

I couldn't even watch it all because it was too depressing, this dog obviously had no quality of life left.

Don't get me wrong though, I think it is wonderful that this lady takes the time out of her day to bring therapy dogs in to bring joy to people but I really don't think Baxter, at the end of his life, was fit for it. I think it was retirement time and that a younger dog would be a better choice to work with.


----------



## KZoppa

19.5 years old is a good long life for a dog. However, whether he was good or not, dogs, even old dogs, unable to walk, should have been let go. You have no idea how sad it makes an animal when they cant walk. Thats a basic instinct and without the ability, they can become depressed. I imagine in his prime he was a beautiful dog but personally feel he was past time to let go. I know my dogs would be upset if they lost their ability to move about on their own.


----------



## GSDLoverII

Somebody should set up a poll and see what everybody thinks.
I don't know how to do that?
Obviously, there are mixed opinions here....
But that is what makes the world go round.
I personally, don't "think" i could euthanize my dogs if they weren't suffering.
However, I have not experienced this, (thank God), and I don't know if I would still make the same choice after actually living it.


----------



## DharmasMom

That is pitiful. Even if he is not suffering, he should have been pampered at home and not been dragged through a hospice.


----------



## Lucy Dog

GSDLoverII said:


> I personally, don't "think" i could euthanize my dogs if they weren't suffering.


Assuming the dog was in absolutely no pain or discomfort, i don't think i could do it either. If the dogs still eating, coherent, and still having good days than I wouldn't do it. Let the dog die naturally and peacefully.



DharmasMom said:


> That is pitiful. Even if he is not suffering, he should have been pampered at home and not been dragged through a hospice.


Agreed


----------



## selzer

A member of the board had several paralyzed GSDs. The dogs were enjoying some form of life. They were young but due to slipped disks or whatever, they were paralyzed in the back end. 

One of the hardest things about putting my boy down was that he was young and he still seemed to have a strong life spark. The vet said surgery was not a good idea and they agreed that the best thing to do was euthanize. They said that it would be extremely difficult to keep him from getting sores and infections, and I felt that with the other dogs he would always feel a lot of anxiety not being able to get around. So I went ahead and euthanized him. 

I do not think anyone should question someone's decision to euthanize or not to euthanize. The people that live with the dog are the ones that know whether the dog seems to be experiencing some quality of life. It is a hard decision to make, and it takes some of us longer to make it than others. I was lifting my cat in to his litter box and then cleaning him off before I finally decided it was time. I may have waited too long, but I would not have wanted someone else to make that decision for me.


----------



## selzer

We do not know what the dog really likes. Maybe he likes to see different things go by. maybe he likes going with his owners in his wagon. 

Sometimes people just do not see how far gone their animal is. 

If the animal really did not want to be there, it would have probably grumbled or even snarled at people. 

I think it depends on the dog.


----------



## zyppi

I'd question quality of life too, but, at almost 20 he was loved, needed and provided a great service to some people in his same condition.

He licked, they smiled -- at least there was that.

I hope, should I ever end up in Hospice that someone brings me a fur person to feel and love.


----------



## CHawkins

I have mixed emotions about this dog.


----------



## Eva von Selah

People, Baxter died in October 2009. 

give him honors and stop talking about what "I would do", enough.


----------



## Eva von Selah

He made others happy, right to the end. Maybe that was his end-of-life mission.


----------



## CaliBoy

I am pretty upset by some of these comments, judging Baxter's owner, so I'm going to present a brutally honest, blunt, but different perspective. 

Maybe I saw a different video, but the Baxter I saw was a clean, very beloved, and very well cared for dog. His entire life was spent bringing joy to people, not with physical mobility but with a certain presence which was soothing and comforting. 

Who is to say that the dog no longer had quality of life? Who is to say the dog no longer wanted to live? Perhaps his sadness or depression is your own emotion being projected on to the dog. In fact, some people may really think they are doggie psychics. If I were to play psychic, I am thinking Baxter would say, "excuse me, but I like being alive and doing what I do. If that bothers you and you need to kill something to make you feel better, tell the vet to stick the needle in your heart and you can go and wait at the Bridge. I'd rather stick around, thank you very much."

More and more pet owners use doggie hospice with pain management as the preferred end of life treatment for their dogs, not killing them a.k.a. euthanizing them. I for one do not think anyone has the right to judge. I've had one GSD go peacefully on his own and one GSD that I had killed by the vet ("euthanized" if you find the word "kill" too blunt). The preference, if I had the means, would be doggie hospice, not killing the dog. Even though the GSD that I killed had cancer, I am still not completely and totally at peace with "euthanization" being my only option because I could not provide the dog with different end of life care.

And although the "Bridge" gives people a spiritual framework for feeling better about killing their dog, not everyone believes in the Bridge, or an afterlife, or is even positive that what they did to their dog was the right thing. So, I say, for those folks who cannot live with euthanization, and do not really think it is what was best for the dog, I say cut them some slack. 

Remember that Baxter's mom is a hospice worker, dealing with folks that some would like to see get the needle as well and sent to the human version of the Bridge so that we don't have to see them suffer any more. However, it is understandable that if she doesn't believe in euthanization for humans, she may not have wanted that for Baxter either. As I said, we don't have a right to judge her. In the end, she is the one living with Baxter being gone now.


----------



## Bridget

When I watched this, one of the first things that came to my mind also was that this dog did not look like he had a lot of quality of life left himself. However, I agree that no one can really assess that except the owner and Baxter certainly looked well taken care of.

I am going to start a separate thread to get opinions and experiences about how much mobility affects quality of life, as this is something that may be crucial to me and my dog in the future.


----------



## AbbyK9

Therapy work can be emotionally exhausting for the dog, just like working with the terminally ill, in disaster relief, etc. can be emotionally exhausting for humans who work or volunteer in those positions. This is why most Therapy Dog organizations request that visits should be no longer than an hour at a time, preferably with breaks, and that handlers really watch the dogs for signs of stress and discomfort so they will not overdo it.

Looking at the video of Baxter, I find this to be a very cruel job for him to perform. I think Baxter would have been a lot happier in his last days (weeks, months) had he been allowed to rest on a comfortable bed with loving from his humans, rather than being carted around the hospice having to interact with so many people.

JMHO.


----------



## Chicagocanine

DharmasMom said:


> That is pitiful. Even if he is not suffering, he should have been pampered at home and not been dragged through a hospice.


That is how I feel about it too. However I don't think it is fair to say he should have been put to sleep or that he had no quality of life, without knowing more than what you see in a short video. I provided hospice care for my last two dogs and I feel quality of life it is really something that needs to be looked at carefully and over time, and you need to know your dog.

I think it's great that his owner wants to help people in hospice but there is a point at which even the "best" therapy dog needs to retire.


----------



## selzer

CaliBoy said:


> I am pretty upset by some of these comments, judging Baxter's owner, so I'm going to present a brutally honest, blunt, but different perspective.
> 
> Maybe I saw a different video, but the Baxter I saw was a clean, very beloved, and very well cared for dog. His entire life was spent bringing joy to people, not with physical mobility but with a certain presence which was soothing and comforting.
> 
> Who is to say that the dog no longer had quality of life? Who is to say the dog no longer wanted to live? Perhaps his sadness or depression is your own emotion being projected on to the dog. In fact, some people may really think they are doggie psychics. If I were to play psychic, I am thinking Baxter would say, "excuse me, but I like being alive and doing what I do. If that bothers you and you need to kill something to make you feel better, tell the vet to stick the needle in your heart and you can go and wait at the Bridge. I'd rather stick around, thank you very much."
> 
> More and more pet owners use doggie hospice with pain management as the preferred end of life treatment for their dogs, not killing them a.k.a. euthanizing them. I for one do not think anyone has the right to judge. I've had one GSD go peacefully on his own and one GSD that I had killed by the vet ("euthanized" if you find the word "kill" too blunt). The preference, if I had the means, would be doggie hospice, not killing the dog. Even though the GSD that I killed had cancer, I am still not completely and totally at peace with "euthanization" being my only option because I could not provide the dog with different end of life care.
> 
> And although the "Bridge" gives people a spiritual framework for feeling better about killing their dog, not everyone believes in the Bridge, or an afterlife, or is even positive that what they did to their dog was the right thing. So, I say, for those folks who cannot live with euthanization, and do not really think it is what was best for the dog, I say cut them some slack.
> 
> Remember that Baxter's mom is a hospice worker, dealing with folks that some would like to see get the needle as well and sent to the human version of the Bridge so that we don't have to see them suffer any more. However, it is understandable that if she doesn't believe in euthanization for humans, she may not have wanted that for Baxter either. As I said, we don't have a right to judge her. In the end, she is the one living with Baxter being gone now.


I am a Christian, but I do not know about an afterlife for dogs. There is nothing in the Bible about that. I do not know if I could be happy without them. And it is nice to think about, seeing them again, spending eternity with them. I guess I will just have to wait and see whether my mansion is going to include all the dogs I have ever owned. 

Why do I euthanize a dog? Because when there is no quality of life left, I feel it isn't right for me to prolong suffering. In the wild, a critter does not live as long, when they are infirm, often the pack attacks them, and sometimes they simply are not quick enough to run down food and submit to starvation or the elements. Nature is not kind. But that 19.5 year old dog would not be living without humans taking special care of it. 

Is it right or wrong? I think that it was right for her. It may be wrong for me. I think you have to make a decision, and if that decision is for the dog: to give a few more days or months of life, or to eliminate the pain of suffering and assist death to make it easier, only the dog owner can say. 

This is one of those things it is probably better to not judge.


----------

