06/10/2026
WEDNESDAY WISDOM:
How To Know When It's The Right Time
We have some sad news to share today. If you have come through our Basic Obedience Training a few years ago you probably met our Irish Sette namedr Storm. He is one of the sweetest dogs we have ever owned. And recently he even starred in an upcoming Amazon movie! I had bought Storm as a Christmas present for John years ago when he was doing the horseback field trials. And for years he did compete in them but it was never really his thing. I think he truly just wanted to be a companion to us.
Anyway, today's topic is a hard one. Knowing when it's time to say good-bye to your pet is a very hard and difficult decision. None of us want to have to make this decision but honestly it truly is one of the kindest things we can do for any animal.
At its core, euthanasia serves as a final act of love—a compassionate choice to prevent further suffering for our beloved animals. We often focus on the sadness of saying goodbye, but it’s essential to remember that euthanasia is fundamentally rooted in our desire to preserve dignity and prevent pain for our furry family members.
These decision are certainly not made easily or carelessly. But as pet parents, we may find ourselves asking critical questions: Is my dog still enjoying their daily routines? Are they experiencing more struggle than joy? When we notice diminishing happiness or increasing discomfort despite our best care efforts, it signals that we need to consider all available options, including compassionate euthanasia.
Here are some signs that may help you in making this difficult decision:
1) Loss of appetite and weight changes
2) Mobility and movement challenges
3) Signs of chronic pain despite treatment
4) Loss of basic body functions
5) Withdrawal from social living
6) Changes in temperament
In addition to the above there is an effective method for evaluating your dog’s well-being using established quality of life assessment tools. It's called the HHHHHMM Scale and it evaluates seven key areas:
1) Hurt
2) Hunger
3) Hydration
4) Hygiene
5) Happiness
6) Mobility
7) More good days than bad days
For each category, you can assign scores from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating better function. A total score below 35 typically suggests significantly compromised quality of life that may warrant end-of-life discussions with your veterinary team.
However, we all know our dogs better than just rating them on a scale. Numbers alone don’t tell the complete story. Your intimate knowledge of your dog’s personality, preferences, and typical behavior provides crucial context that no assessment scale can capture. Consider whether your dog still shows interest in things they used to love, if they’re able to enjoy basic pleasures like food or gentle petting, whether they seem more comfortable than uncomfortable most days, and if they’re able to maintain dignity in basic functions. But doing the right thing for the animal and not for ourselves is honestly a gift we can give them. Most times that decision is very hard to make but is usually the right thing to do. In our case we know that Storm has lived an incredible almost 15 years with us and we have been blessed to have had him in our lives for so many years.
We are one week two of our Basic Obedience Training tonight and are looking forward to seeing everyone again. It's always so fun to see the progress the dogs make each week. If you think you and your dog could benefit from Basic Obedience Training give us a call at 231-845-0550. Also, we are almost completely booked with boarding dogs in the next few months so if you have any vacation plans don't forget to be sure to make your boarding reservations with us. It looks like it's going to be a summer of travel for a lot of folks! *photo credit of Storm to my sister
