My Dog Harvey
Chris from New Orleans, LA asked:
“Julie, I had to put down my dog Harvey a couple of years ago. He had cancer, stopped eating and was slowly starving himself. Harvey was unlike any dog I have ever known, so much so that I called him my alien-dog. He was intuitive, once lying across my torso when I had a stomach ache. He could sense what I was about to do before I did it. And yet he could be a doofus (and I say that with affection). He lived with me and my other two dogs, and he was the senior dog, yet the passive one.
I was told by my vet that I should put him down, that the deterioration from starving would not be a pretty death. I agonized over the right time, and I finally chose the day, asking the vet and his assistant to come to my house. Just before they arrived, Harvey got up and went to the door and wanted to go out and walk around. He never was in a real state of frailty, but was like a beautiful ghostly skeleton walking. I was torn. Was this his courageous goodbye, or was he telling me he was not ready?
When the vet arrived, he said I should proceed, and I listened to him. But I know that I ignored my own intuition (the same intuition Harvey had given to me), and therefore ignored Harvey’s wishes and put an end to his life when the decision was premature, when Harvey was not ready.
Can you help me?”
Hi Chris,
First, I’m sorry for your loss. The death of our pets can sometimes be as emotional as the loss of a loved one.
Second, I did an “instant replay” scan of Harvey at the time immediately preceding his death. His spirit was out of his body (like a dying human’s; see chart at http://bit.ly/1KrI1IO), which meant he was dying. He told me he was in a lot of pain, was ready to go, and wanted to go outside to do his business so he wouldn’t soil your floor when he died.
He also said although he didn’t want to leave you, he was grateful you put him down. He wanted you to know his spirit is always with you and that he misses marshmallows.
Blessings, Julie
By Julie Ryan|2015-04-29T01:32:19+00:00April 29th, 2015