Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 27, 2021

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Mountain View News Saturday, March 27, 2021 
11 
Mountain View News Saturday, March 27, 2021 
A REMINDER TO STOP THE HATE! 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges


THE LOVE WE HAVE FOR DOGS 

[Nyerges is the author of “Til Death Do Us Part?” a book about death and the many ways 
to deal with the death of a pet or loved one. The book is available as a Kindle download, 
or from the Store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com] 

My review of the Hachiko story and movie (March 13, 2012, Vol. 15, #1) struck a 

chord with some readers, who shared their own personal stories of the death of their 

own be-loved canines. 

During one discussion, the reader told me of his great conflict of choosing to euthanize 
his elderly and sick dog. He wanted the dog to die naturally, but he consented to his veteri-narian’s 
recommendation that it would be best for the dog to be euthanized.

It reminded me of my childhood, when my own father took our pet dog to the vet when our dog was 
old and sick. He did it during the day when we were away at school. I was saddened and shocked that 
adults in the adult world would willingly kill their pet dogs and tell themselves that it was the best choice 
to make! 

Later that night, after my father was asleep, my mother – who grew up on a farm – ex-plained that she 
used to see animals die all the time. “We just tried to make them com-fortable,” she told me. “Animals 
know they are dying. They usually want to be around their people to feel safe, and not in a cold hospital 
where they don’t know anyone.” That was her way of telling me that she didn’t agree with my father’s 
decision. I was sad for a long time, and vowed that I would never again do that to any pet of mine – and 
I’ve kept that vow life-long, despite the inconveniences that come with assisting a person or pet in death.

The choice to let your pet die in its own time in your own home might seem to be the best organic choice, 
but it’s not always easy, especially in this tight modern world.

Here’s an example. My wife Dolores and I had many dogs, and many other pets as well. We lived in 
Highland Park with a bigger than average back yard, and so we had the room to let the animals live, and 
die. Pretty much every fruit tree in the yard had an ani-mal buried under it!

Our dog Luahona was getting old, and had cancer and other conditions. The vet told us that we could 
improve her diet, and give her special nutrients, which we did, but the vet also advised that it might be 
“kindest” to just euthanize Luahona. Of course, we were not going to do that. 

In the final days, Dolores took Luahona with her in the car on her errands, as well as to the farmers 
market one day. We knew Luahona was dying and her ribs were showing be-cause she would no longer 
eat as much. A woman at the farmers market who observed Luahona’s rib’s sticking out chided us for not 
taking care of Luahona – as if she knew what she was talking about – and she went ahead and called the 
animal control officer. 

The uniformed animal control officer came out and aggressively talked to Dolores. Dolores did her best 
to explain that there was no animal cruelty going on what-soever. Still, after listening to the story, the 
officer told Dolores that it would be in the best interest of the dog to euthanize. She further told Dolores 
that she had the legal right to take Luahona then and there and go euthanize her. Let’s just say that I gave 
her a good dose of what I thought of her! Yes, I might have regretted a bit of my colorful language later, 
but I did not mind telling her that we were doing the right thing for our beloved friend, and that she was 
just a paid factotum for the legality of the state, no different from a Nazi following orders. It didn’t go over 
well, but I did help Dolores and Loahona quickly get into the car and immediately drive home. We never 
saw or heard from that animal control officer again.

In a week or so, Luahona died in her bed at our home. We found it uniquely coincidental that a thunderstorm 
was occurring when Luahona died, with loud thunderclaps. We told ourselves that Luahona was 
saying goodbye, and thanking us.

Everyone has to make the decision for themselves as to how to deal with the death of their loved dogs, 
or cats, or other animals. It’s a decision that is made more complicated by the rules and regulations of the 
state of California, and the County of Los Angeles, and all their well-intended rules and regulations. Still, 
you can always do the right thing if you think through all your steps ahead of time so you don’t have to 
try to decide in the mo-ment when you are grieving the loss, or imminent loss, of your pet. 

FREE ANIMAL HOSPITAL NEEDS YOUR HELP! 

HeyO' Sierra Madre! How ya'll doing? 

Your lovely local 501c3 non-profit, Free Animal Doctor, could use some stuff if you have it and don't need 
it! Plus a volunteer! Here are the deets (as the kids say, the kids from 20 years ago): 

1) Towels. When we do Spay/Neuter clinics we put towels in every metal cage to make it more comfy. We 
also clean up with them. So if you have used towels you don't need, we need 'em!
They can be stained, frayed, even a small hole here or there, just as long as they are clean. Put them in 
a plastic trash bag, and drop them under the mailboxes at 70 E. Montecito Ave... we cannot get enough 
towels! Love 'em!! 
2) Portable canopies. Our big canopy got destroyed in the windstorm. We have a small one, but we could 
use one or two more. It's to shade our staff and clients when they come to the Spay/Neuter clinic and have 
to stand outside. Got one you don't use? We'll use it every weekend! Comment here and we'll connect.
3) Wanna volunteer? We need help checking pets in on Sundays and Mondays. We have about 20-25 
people show up at about the same time, and we need to quickly process paperwork and get their pets 
safely into the clinic for surgery. 
It's 730am until about 930am on Sundays and Mondays at Gate 7 of Santa Anita, right off Baldwin before 
you get down to the mall. You don't have to volunteer every day, but a couple times a month minimum 
would be good. There is a minor bit of training involved, and you get much better at it with experience, 
so we are looking for a bit of a commitment if you wanna help. Let me know, again, comment and I will 
arrange for us to get in touch. THANKS!! 


BRUNO (Mars)! 

From his foster mom: 
“Bruno was rescued as 
a stray. He is not even 
two years old but hasalready lived a veryhard life. I first became 
aware of him due to 
his loud meowing. Hewas an intact male and 
his “singing” had a sad,
plaintive sound to it. SoI named him Bruno,


after Bruno Mars (who also has a cry in his voice). I have been feeding and befriending Bruno for a yearnow. He would show up with battle scars and in the early days, before I could get close to him, a brokentail (he lost the end of it). Two months ago, he was neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Bruno is not 
feral, he must have been a pet who got abandoned or lost and had to survive on his own. The ordeal he hasendured has not broken him. He is sweet and loving and eager to give life another chance. I have tried to 
integrate him into our household but our two cats are not reacting well to a third. This is not Bruno’s fault,
he has been very sweet to them. He deserves a safe, loving home.” NOTE: Cats who are FIV+ usuallyneed no medication and can live a full, long, life as long as they are monitored. They can live with othernon-FIV+ cats if there is no biting or aggressive fighting. The condition is not contagious to humans orother species. See more pictures, adoption information and application on our website at the More Cats 
page at www.lifelineforpets.org. 

Pet of the Week

 Peppa is ten years old and loves affection! She wasgiven a plastic spring toy recently and rubbed it withher chin, but she was much more interested in beingpet. This sweet kitty wants to get to know you first,
but she warms up to people very quickly when cheekscratches are involved. She loves being pet so much,
she’ll even drool when she’s truly content! Peppawould make a great lap cat or couch buddy in a calmhome. This lovebug even does well with other catsand small dogs.

 The adoption fee for cats is $100. All cat adoptionsinclude spay or neuter, microchip, and age-
appropriate vaccines.

 
New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCAAnimal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for 
your pet.

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule a virtual adoption appointment atpasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoptionappointments are available every day at 5:00 p.m. for the following day.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters byphone calls or email. 

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