A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

A veterinarian was called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. The veterinarian examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. The family was told there wasn't anything that good be done for Belker and the veternarian offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As the arrangements were made, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, the family surround Belker. Shane seemed so calm while petting the old dog for the last time, that the vet wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. The family sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, they turned to him.

Shane said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."


Isn't that a comforting thought?! How smart is Shane?!!!