A Dog's Purpose from a Six-Year Old

Being a veterinarian, I had been 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, andthey were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was ill and dying. I told the familywe couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform theeuthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it wouldbe good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt asthough Shane might le arn something from the experience. The next day,I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surroundedhim. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time ,that I 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 anydifficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker'sdeath, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives areshorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, pipedup, "I know why."Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth nextstunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He 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?" Thesix-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, sothey don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.