Our pets have nothing but love for us.  We should be there for them when their time has come.

Kelli Bender, of People Magazine, shared what happened when an animal lover posted on her account about a recent question she asked her veterinarian, and the doctor’s heartbreaking response.

Her article is titled, “Vet Reveals What Happens in a Dying Pet’s Final Moments, Breaks Hearts Around the World.”

“Sometimes your best friend isn’t there when you need him most.  That is what a veterinarian reportedly described to Twitter user ‘@jessi_dietrich.’”

According to “@jessi_dietrich,” “‘I Asked my vet what the hardest part was about his job & he said when he has to put an animal down 90% of owners don’t actually want to be in the room when he injects them so the animal’s last moments are usually them frantically looking around for their owners & tbh (too be honest) that broke me,’ the Twitter user posted on July 26.”

“Over the past month, the tweet has been retweeted more than 41,000 times, liked 140,000 times and has received hundreds of comments.  Many of the responses to the heartbreaking tweet come from pet owners who have stayed with an ailing pet while they were euthanized.  While most remarked on how hard the choice was, almost all of the animal lovers confessed they were happy to give their pet peace and love in their final moments.”

When that time comes for us to assume the responsibility and do the best thing for our pets, it is a very difficult time.

Our pets are completely dependent on us, and they look to us for our approval and reassurance all of the time.

It’s very upsetting and very sad to watch this soul you have come to love take its last breath.  But it is something we need to do and something we should do.  We owe our pets at least that much, and a lot more.

Picturing the scene, where the poor animal is looking around for some reassurance from a familiar face, like the veterinarian described, is heartbreaking.

Having gone through this with one of our own family dogs, I know this is a very hard thing to do, but something that, ultimately, I’m glad I was there for.

“Others responded with messages of despair that pet owners would leave their furry friends in their deepest moment of need.  After the tweet began to receive widespread attention, @jessi_diectrich responded to the numerous users who said her original tweet made them horribly sad.”

“‘Didn’t mean to break everyone’s hearts just wanted to raise awareness!!!!! I’m so sorry :/,’ she wrote.”

“It appears @jessi_dietrich has succeeded in her mission; shortly after her post started to spread, a New Zealand-based animal hospital posted a similar message from a ‘tired broken-hearted vet’ on its Facebook page.”

“‘They search every face in the room for their loved person.  They don’t understand why you left them when they are sick, scared, old or dying from cancer and they need your comfort,’ reads the post from Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital.”

“Similar to the earlier tweet, this post quickly spread across the Internet with 89,000 shares and 14,000 likes.”

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”  – Will Rogers

Me too Will.  Me too.

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