Jay Cronley: Pet's death brings out kindness in strangers
BY JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist
Friday, June 29, 2012
6/29/12 at 3:21 AM
One decent thing to come from a terrific old dog's dying is the reaffirmation of the fact that a lot of people are admirable.
Going by the automatic popoff reactions filling responder columns, you'd think that the average citizen was a confirmed sourpuss, quick to criticize and slow to stand up and take personal responsibility.
But there are a lot of people out there on the nice side of humanness, readers moved by kindness to respond.
I have heard from hundreds of readers with thoughtful messages relating to the death of my near-perfect old dog Dottie. Compassion without a motive is the best of communication.
Angry people seem to have more free time than do pleasant people. The reason for that could be self-explanatory, as the angriest people might be by themselves a lot.
Veteran veterinarians: Here's a little something about veterinarians.
It's not all about fuzzy puppies and hairballs and hot spots and spa days over at the clinic.
Sometimes it's a stray left in a sack at the front door, or a wild disease in a young animal.
Veterinarians grow up with the pets of their clients and come to know them the second best of everybody concerned.
Dog care in particular has come to mimic human care in many areas, expense included.
How can pets that cause allergies be allergic themselves? It happens a lot. See a specialist, there's an opening a week from tomorrow. Hip replacements have made arthritis and breeding defects treatable. Ultrasound is a routine diagnostic tool.
Anybody who has spent $500 on far-reaching tests to find out that nothing is wrong might think again before taking in a pet for a wellness checkup. So a punk economy probably results in veterinarians seeing dogs when they're experiencing a more advanced degree of illness.
Extended family: The job of providing care for animals has become a very competitive field.
Universities are turning out veterinarians almost at the rate of journalists. In some big cities, stray veterinarians can be found loitering on street corners outside fully staffed clinics.
Profit and humanity are integral parts of a good veterinary practice.
So it's a veterinarian's pet, too, to a lesser degree, when a client's dog or cat dies.
Veterinarians don't minimize the sadness. They manage it better than most. They know positively that good pets make people better.
Original Print Headline: Pet's death brings out kindness in strangers
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