Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Porter

I'm pretty sure my dog is going to die soon. He has been sick and he is almost 15, so it is probably his time to go. The annoying thing is that my family hasn't been putting much effort into taking care of him, I was the one who took him to the vet and my parents decided not to pay for the blood test he needed done. It is certainly expensive, but it's supposed to alert us of any major issues that could be causing him pain. The vet did call us but since I have been working no one answered the phone or called him back to discuss the results of his tests.
I would really like for my dog to be put down if there's something seriously wrong with him. I don't want him to be in pain or to wake up one morning and find him dead on our kitchen floor (which is probably what will happen).
Also, I'm not really sure how I feel about my dog. He has been our only real pet (I had a turtle once, very briefly) and I've grown up with him; we've had him since I was in kindergarten. At the same time though, I don't have a relationship with my dog like other people have with their pets. He is there and I am there, I feed him and occasionally walk him or pet him, but that's pretty much it.
I have learned a lot about what pets can mean to people by watching the Hartzells. They love their pets more than anyone I know. Ashley lost her puppy recently, and I feel worse for her than I would for myself if my own dog died (I think) because Jack meant a lot more to Ashley than Porter means to me.
But I haven't really lost a pet before. I've lost people and that was a big deal, so it seems like a pet would be nothing in comparison. But I do worry about Porter, so maybe that says something, because if I didn't love him I wouldn't worry.
Also, my brother really loves Porter, so I will feel sad for Daniel when our dog dies, because I know he will have a hard time with it.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. I don't really know how I feel so I was trying to think out loud, but it didn't really get me anywhere.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I think you care about Porter. You're the only one who was willing to take him to the vet.

mylordcares said...

Ciara,Yes we do love our pets, they definitely are members of our family. It's sad no-one seems concerned about Porter's "quality of life". He is a living creature who feels pain. If YOU think he is in any pain, please convince your parents to put him out of his misery. It is the decent thing to do and shows respect to the fact that he lived and possibly brought you all some happiness at times, especially Daniel.

Kathi said...

I really find this post interesting because I went through the same thing. When I went away to college my dog died and I remember thinking, ok. It was no big deal to me.

I think that you're great for wanting the best for the dog at this moment and that you'll have sympathy toward your brother. Plus, you never know how you'll really feel once the dog actually dies.