Grieving always drives me to reflection, and this is a week of great sorrow for my family. We euthanized our beloved dog, Bud, when his cancer robbed him of his joy and ability to eat.
Bud was a rescue dog that we adopted in 2015. His original owner had died, and he had been bounced around through numerous temporary homes … until we found him. We became his “forever family.” Sadly, “forever” turned out to be only 10 years.
Bud was a big goofy Newfoundland mix, who shed too much and constantly drooled. He was my wife’s constant companion in the yard and a playmate to our grandchildren. He loved to swim, and our house is littered with the remnants of his stuffed animals. His favorite food was Tex/Mex.
I am staunchly pro-life, yet I chose to end the life of a creature which I loved. I was nagged by the question: Was I doing the right thing?
I found comfort in the Bible. God ordered (not suggested or encouraged) us to establish dominion over the Earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:26-28) The lord retains dominion over us. “Thou shalt not kill” is a warning to not tread on his domain. But he has delegated his authority over the animal kingdom to us. We have been empowered by him to make life and death decisions for the creatures of the Earth, based upon our judgement and needs.
Thus, when we hunt, fish, or end the suffering of a loyal K9 companion, our motivation is what matters. The killing of an animal is not an offense to God if our motive is pure — to protect a human, to feed a human, or to end needless suffering.
I don’t know if God would have made the same decision for Bud that I made, but I can face my creator knowing that I did the best I could for Bud with my limited wisdom — as God intended. As for other decisions I’ve made in my life, I’ll still have a lot of explaining to do.
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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