Prayer For Pet's Euthanasia

Heavenly Father, I had to face a decision that I never thought I could make. I had to have my beloved pet euthanized. What a struggle to come to this decision. What anxiety and grief I feel. And now there is the guilt.

Father God, this decision was not made with haste. I believe that You are the giver and taker of life. I have never before had to place myself in this position. I made this choice with great love and compassion in my heart.

Almighty God, I ask for your forgiveness for taking a life and for not waiting on You as I have done with all my other pets. I am glad that we have this option to spare our pets from inhumane suffering and that we are able to give them a peaceful death.

Lord God, I thank You that You have given this means to trusted Veterinarians that mourn an animal's death and that have compassion and understanding for the owner who struggles with this decision.

God of all comfort, I thank You for ministering to me during this procedure and afterward when reality haunted me. I thank You that I did not have to face this alone. I thank You for all the family and friends that granted me solace during my grief. I thank You for a wonderful support system.

Creator God, I thank You in Your wisdom that You have given us companion animals to love. I thank You for my animal's loyalty and faithfulness. I thank You for the rich memories I have to hold onto.

Lord, in Your mercy I have returned my pet to You. In Your mercy I believe You hold him in Your heart for his faithful service to me on earth. I pray that I might have peace of mind and presence of spirit to know that You are indeed in control. I bring my petition before You, in the name of the Good Shepherd. Amen

:th: for posting this. Much needed and appreciated. :) :grace:

I posted this in The Bod Squad Challenge chat, but I will mention it here as well along with a tribute fo our Maxx.

This Monday, 2/19/2007, we will be taking our beloved dalmation Maxx to the vet for the last time. We will be saying goodbye to him and having him put out of his misery.

This has been an extremely difficult decision. Last summer the vet diagnosed Maxx as having a tumor very close to his anus. Shortly after that he lost all control and was doing all of his business in the house. He is in some pain, and is very weak and shakey now. He's had cataracts in both eyes for several years and his vision is now quite poor. It is time to say goodbye to our dear friend, a brother to Russell and Geordan, and another child for Fayrda and me.

He is a big dog for his breed, at almost 75 pounds. We travelled 2 hours in a blizzard to get him in January 1995. We had promised our sons that as soon as Geordan was potty trained, we would get a dalmation. That happened, and immediately they wanted the dog. Maxx had been born on December 4, 2006. The reason we travelled so far for him was that the ad in the paper listed him for only $150.00, which is an excellent price. We were fooled unfortunately by the owner as she had no real papers for Maxx. Turns out he is probably not fully dalmation. A friend thinks he is part harlequin great dane, which is white with black markings and a signature long bone on the top of the head, which Maxx has.

When we brought him home at 6 weeks old he did the typical puppy thing and cried all night. I spent the first three nights sleeping with him on the utitliity room floor. We have seen him eat and pass whole socks. He developed the nasty habit of eating used tissues out of garbage cans, which he has never been able to break.
Even with those few faults, Maxx had been a very good dog.

Maxx (we jokingly say his full name is Maximillion Puddles) has been a loyal companion and good friend for over 12 years. He will be missed and always have a special place in our hearts.

How sweet the memories we behold. I am glad you wrote this tribute to your faithful companion. I am glad he was a family dog so that he was loved and appreciated by multiple persons. I am glad you you have shared Maxx with us. I am glad God has given Maxx specifically to your family. Maxx will run again.

Thank you, Candy. Oh, there I go, lubricating my contact lenses again. :)

A special request while I'm thinking of it - could you please try and find the smilie of a dog, and the one of a cat as well? Thanks again.

I can and will. I think Maxx will be our Grace mascot. O.K.? Do you know what I mean? We need a mascot here and I would like to tribute him because you have talked to us and posted his pic.

I would LOVE it if Maxx could be our honorary GTD mascot. Now my contact lenses are REALLY lubricated. :th:

While both Fayrda and I are emotional, I tend to be a little bit more so, and I admit I am having a hard time right now. To be able to honor Maxx here would mean a great deal to me. Thank you.

I will ask you when you are up to it to re-post your tribute of Maxx along with a photo of him. Title it GTD Mascot and anything else you feel led to do. We will then make it a sticky, but leave it open to posts. If Catholics have a St. Francis why can't Non Dom's have a St. Maxx? :)

Here we go to cheer you
:dog:
:cat:

It's done. After Maxx is gone I'll edit the post so it is in the proper tense.

Thank you so much. I took my contact lenses out about an hour ago because it was time, but I am still lubricating my eyes. :lol:

Candy said "Maxx will run again" and the vet tonight said "Maxx is running now" after he was gone. We did stay in the room, and it turned out to be the right decision.

Maxx is running now.

Thank you.

:dog:

:) You were brave to stay in the room. I couldn't stay when my little dog was put to sleep. May the void be filled!

Dick and I both stayed in the room with K-9 and I am glad you did, Dave. Either way you had my support. I sorrow for your loss.

When my Elijah passed away I was right by his side. I was struck with such grief. When we buried him, God spoke to my heart,"Run, Elijah, run." It reminded me of Scripture when the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah and he ran to serve God. I sat down and made one of those slate's I had given you, with a portrait of my beloved dog and that three word sentence. It brought some closure for me over my loss.

How bittersweet life can be... Helping Maxx to have a merciful way out was not an easy thing to do. May you be comforted much because you loved much.