Would you want your pet euthanised if you died?

[Seziah]

I saw a Facebook ad about the Blue Cross’s service where you sign up for free and they take in your pet after you die with an aim to rehome. More than one person commented that they have it in their will that they want their pet to be put to sleep when they die so it can (in their words) go with them.

I’ve never heard of this before and I’m a bit shocked! It sounds selfish and cruel to me, unless the animal is old or unwell. I’m an atheist and don’t believe in an afterlife so maybe others think differently, but I’d want my cats to live on without me. Is it even enforceable - would a vet put a healthy animal to sleep? Have you heard of this before and/or is it what you’d want for your pets?

I'm not an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, so no.

I wouldn't want dcat to be put to sleep, there's a life out there for her!

But if she were poorly or very very anxious and clingy, then yeah it would be the kindest thing

I think they had their slaves killed to go with them too.

It was the other way around for me. When my dog was PTS earlier this year, I wanted to go with her.

My beloved Ddog has sadly gone, but while he was here we had a pretty substantial provision in our will for any family member or friend who volunteered to take him on (bearing in mind there are quite a few people in that pool, most of whom will hopefully outlive us).

If I had no one and he was elderly or sick, then yes, a PTS order might be appropriate, but I can’t fathom the selfishness of dictating a younger, healthy animal should die just because its owner says so. It’s surely completely unethical?

Exactly what it brought to mind for me too! Horribly narcissistic.

Wives have been expected to go with their husbands not that long ago

My neighbour has said this. He is 84 (fit and healthy). I suspect my other neighbour would actually take the dog in in the event. I definitely would want my dog pts if anything happened me and dh - but he is nearly 17.

I don't think it is fair to do this to a dog if you can rehome. A relative fostered a 10 year old dog whose owners died- clearly a very much loved and well trained dog. that dog stayed with her until he was pts 5 years later and they two of them had such love and joy together.

It's not really 'euthanised', is it, if you're just killing a healthy animal because you can't care for it any longer and you don't want anybody else to have it.

I'd understand a lot more if your pet was elderly and frail, and you'd been looking after them as long as you could and delaying the inevitable; and you may well think that 'it's time' for both of you - as chances are that any 'rehoming' place would PTS anyway.

I'd say, if you're so selfish that you would want your healthy pet to die if you could no longer have it, you'd be better just not getting a pet (dog or cat) after the age of 60 at the latest, just to make sure they wouldn't (naturally, if not killed) outlive you - and hope that you wouldn't get seriously ill or have an accident that took you before your anticipated time.

i heard from a friend that when one of her guinea pigs had to be PTS, they also had the remaining healthy guinea pig PTS too! I was aghast!
Guinea pigs can be bonded with another guinea pig so it was really unnecessary.

Genuine question but if you have decided your guinea pig owning days are over and you are left with one what do you do? Would it be happy for a while on its own?

not suggesting it be pts, could be rehomed I suppose to another lonely guinea pig household

Mine is written into my will who gets custody , the person l knows of course & luckily are in agreement .
They will be financially very well compensated but I know he will be loved & looked after

I'm going to have mine stuffed and buried with me.

What the fuck no??? It’s not her fault I died??? Unless she kills me… but even then I would let her off because I’m a soft touch for that cat.

No, unless she was very old and ill and likely to go in the next say, month or so. She goes to my ex. If ex got ran over by a bus, she goes to my friend.

It's a very fair point. There must come a time when - even after the days of having Bubble & Garfunkel, Pepsi & Cagney, Laurel & Dec- you're eventually going to be left with just a single pig, and it's not possible/feasible to get another one, for whatever reason(s).

I suppose it's a bit like with humans: it's stinking obvious that you're going to be a young widow(er) if you're 20 and you marry a 70yo; but even if you marry somebody who was born on the exact same day as you, you're still extremely unlikely to end up with neither of you being left alone for at least some time.

No! That’s just perverse.

Definitely not, but I do have a collection of ashes that are to be buried with me.

A few years ago my Aunt died, she had always requested my late dogs ashes (Lancashire Heeler) be buried with her as he was such a comfort to her during her late husbands illness and death. I phoned the undertaker to explain and got his very wet behind the ears assistant. I explained about the promise Id made but wasn't sure if it was ok as some areas don't allow it and how I eventually wanted a "sign" on the headstone. She checked it and out and said "Its ok as long as its not a very big dog". I never needed a laugh more and still randomly think about his wee mahogany box of ashes being too big for a coffin. Im convinced she thought Id kept him in the freezer until the time came.

Do you think the posters on Facebook were just trolling?

Nowhere would put a healthy animal down because its owner had it in their will

This reminds me of the Queen and her corgis.
Very responsibly she decided to let her dogs’ line die out (they all descended from her first) because she didn’t want them to be distressed or sent to live with other people if she died first.
And then that a-hole “Prince” Andrew went and got her more! They were to be left to him on her death IIRC.

When we got DDog we knew he had a life expectancy of about 15 years, which will bring us into our early (me) and late (DH) 70s.
He’s definitely our last dog and since he’s no trouble even now DD says she would have no problems taking him on.

I knew a family that had their old dog stuffed and placed in front of the fire!
It was getting a bit moth-eaten when I saw it (DIY job by the father)…

Been thinking about the diagnosis (narcissist? psychopath?) of someone who would have a healthy animal destroyed because they don't want a stranger to give them a happy life. I am not a doctor, so I will settle on them being a murderous cunt.

I have 2. One is insanely bonded to me, he's my shadow and if I leave him alone with anyone else, he point blank refuses to acknowledge their existence. I went away for a week, for 3 days he refused all food and water, for 7 refused to go out the house for walks. If I die, he's being buried next to me.
It's not selfish to not want him to suffer.

My other dog, well she would not care provided her next meal comes on time.

I made this decision after watching my Dad's dog after my Dad's passing and seeing the poor thing being passed around from relative to relative because no one could cope with this little grieving dog.

Overall I do agree with you but a friends dad has a dog with a bite history ( level 5 i think so pretty serious) Who will never be rehomed. To my knowledge the dog can be safely managed where he currently is and isn't around anyone apart from the dad. I do believe the dog should be put to sleep if the dad dies/becomes too unwell before he dies.

It would never have even crossed my mind to do this. I think its quite sick.

I have 2 cats. DS would have them. I'm hoping to have another good 10years with them by which time I'll be close to 70, if I'm still around! (I got them as kittens).

After that I'd probably just have older rescues. I don't want to be without a cat but it wouldn't be fair at that point I think to get kittens again.