I've been reading Arthur's story and have been refraining on commenting because I wasn't really sure what to say. This whole situation really breaks my heart. I cannot imagine how JC must be feeling right now, and really, I think the way a lot of you are commenting is going to tear her heart apart. I'm not trying to condemn any of you...I know you feel strongly on this issue, BUT put yourself in JC's shoes for a moment. Just for a moment. Suppose you had to make this horrible, 'nightmare-for-a-pet-owner* decision. You are torn inside, your heart literally bleeding, and you're constantly asking yourself if you made the right decision. You come to PT for love and support, and instead, you have to hear comments like this. HOW would you feel??? If you're ALREADY so hurt over the fact that you made such a difficult and painful decision, and your 'friends' react in this manner, how would you feel? I think its just rubbing salt on the wound. The time of a pet's death is never the time to bring such discussions up. It would only make the animal's death 1000 times more painful for the owner. If you all HAD to say this, I think it was best to give JC some time to think and grieve before bringing this up. Just imagine how she's going to feel now.

None of us know JC in person. We don't know her dogs in person. We do NOT know what she was going through at that time that caused her to make this nightmare of a decision. Who are we to judge her decision? What if we were put in her shoes and had to make this decision, only to find the entire board against us for that? What if she gave Arthur another chance, and he jumped over a 5 1/2 foot wall and killed a child? Then what would you all say? If he really was this aggressive that he would jump over a high wall to get Charlie, and that beating him with a shovel wasn't enough to stop him, he could have gotten away with something MUCH worse. The fact is, WE were NOT in JC's shoes at the moment, and we do NOT know how severe Arthur's aggression was. Her heart is already breaking over this, so I think we should just stop adding our thoughts and feelings against it, and just offer support right now. None of us like to see animals put down....none of us. We ALL love animals here. Sadly though, sometimes, and in certain cases, that is the best that can be done. EVEN if there was something else that 'could have' been done, the fact is, it is now too late. The decision was made, the deed done, and nothing can bring Arthur back no matter what we say. There's no need to rub salt on the wound when there's nothing that can be done about it now. It has been done. We don't know what situation JC was in that she had to make such a decision. Its best to offer support for the loss of her pet, whom she obviously, loved dearly. We all do the best we can for our pets, but the fact is, we are human beings. We *can* make mistakes even when trying to make the best decision. Its best to let it go. If you have to say something, say it later...but not when the wound is so fresh and open.

JC, I'm so sorry about your loss. I know your decision was a painful one, and I can't imagine how you're feeling right now.