Been there and done that, it's never easy, and it shouldn't be.

I don't have MY dogs anymore, just miss daisys little ones, she insists letting the vet do it, and he's really good. Has no problem knowing I used to do it to, we were BSing and he admitted to over 5,000 euthanasias in his career, said it's not unusual for 3-5 a day...

I would still take care of them, but got to admit it's easier on me...just wish the vet would come over and help dig the holes...

I just shut down the part of my brain and just go on muscle memory. I know what I have to do so don't think on it just do it. . One of our buck goats had to be put down while I was in the hospital . I just coached my wife on the phone and she was able to handle it.

The horses I put down i looked up where to shoot them. Good thing it was making an x from ear to eye and just a little above the x. I would probably have went from the side into the ear had I not thought about looking it up. Looking it up also pointed out the obvious like tieing them incase something went wrong and so your not chasing a wounded animal around and to stand off to the side so you dont get smashed if they fall forward.

One I used a 357 mag carbine on one the other my .40 glock. Both instant to the ground and out. Always feel relieved when ther is no thrashing and kicking.

Since then I had to put down one of my family dogs. Used bigger than needed gun shot at an angle that goes through the brain and down into the spine. No kick or twice just drop and relaxing of muscles.

Those were the 3 hardest things I have ever had to shoot my dog being the hardest. May have taken the dog to the vet but it was 2:30am and I could not move her to get her out of the snow without hurting her. She had cancer cut out years before it came back, her kidneys were shutting down, she had lost weight and hips were going out as well. It was time. I couldn't leave her in the snow to freeze .


I know how bullets work and have been hit in the head hard several times to know lighst out is painless. Those shots may just make them not be able to move but still feel the pain of their heart stopping we just cant see it sins they don't move. So as bad as it feels to put them down I prefer to do it myself. That said I dont know if I will be able to with our current dogs if its not a 2 am in the snow and not beaning able to move then without pain. Im very attached to my dogs. Time will tell.

I had to put a dog down one Sunday morning. The closest vet was 60 miles and not open on Sunday. I selected a gravesite in the woods next to a lone Confederate soldier, and marked it with a stature of a dog. Visited her often.

Our next dog died in my wife’s arms.

We probably won’t get another because a dog’s lifespans is longer than our at this point in our lives.

Me and my oldest son is who does the deed for folks around here...
Really dont like it but it needs done. Im proud hes kinda took over for
me now.

Been doing it my whole life for friends and family

Always a sad chore, and not always clean and quick, but If I take care of an animal it's whole life, I feel obligated to take care of them that one last time. I have 11 Beagles buried out back and one more running around.

I take them into the vet, drop them off and leave. I don't care what anyone else does or what they think of the way I do it.

Yup and I’ll never forget those times I was told to go out, kill my dog’s puppies and bury them BEFORE got to school! This started when I was in grade school and my dog, Queenie was a heck of a pheasant, ruffed grouse, & rabbit dog but was the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) of the neighborhood!! My old man would tell me when I got up to eat breakfast and get ready for school that Queenie had had her pups and I needed to go out and kill’em(a wack behind their heads with a stick) & bury them. This burying was an ordeal because my old dog would track me down to where her pups were buried unless I walked all over the field before digging the hole. I had to haul cement blocks out in the field to the burial site to cover where I’d buried the pups so she couldn’t dig them up! This is what I had to do every frigin time she had pups before going to school!

Wouldn't it have been easier to get the dog spayed?

Likely, but, not cheaper. Think "The Yearling".

The story doesn’t end with me killing Queenies pups. She had a batch while I was at school and the neighbor’s boxer had come over and was attacking Queenie(I’m sire she was protecting her pups). I’m in the house seeing the boxer had my dog in it’s jaws and shaking her so I grabbed the old man’s .330 Savage and ran outside. The fight was over and the boxer was running back to it’s home (new neighbors) across the road. The boxer got blew up about half way to the road!!! My dog was ripped all to heck with her bag almost torn completely from her body. I got the .22 and buried her & her pups that afternoon. Neighbor was (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) but the old man told him to F-off and that this dog had killed mine. End of story!!

Well, good for you Angela.

Splayed??? Heck, who would splay a mongrel dog in the 1950’s for goodness sake's, a dog with “papers” maybe but not a mongrel!!! If my dog hadn’t been such a good hunter the old man would have had me “splay” her with a .22 even before I had to!

2x

This is where I am at. It just sux is all. All of mine have been as clean as possible and very humane. Dead as soon as the trigger is pulled. Doesn't get any faster. I just hate pulling the trigger.

Need to be like wolfie and go into that other mind set. Business now, cry after.

But I tell everyone to hurry up and get another dog. If you are a good dog owner, there is another dog out there in need of your companionship.

t’s obvious most in this thread grew up different than I did in Mid-Michigan and maybe in another time than I did when of high school age! LOL I was given a hound by my dad’s friend because it wouldn’t mind him and since I was always hunting & trapping I took it. One day me and the hound were supposedly rabbit hunting and I heard a lot of dogs barking and they were coming in my direction. Pretty quick a little doe ran past me and a pack of mutts were running her. My hound took off with the pack. It wasn’t long and the dogs barking was coming toward me again. The doe ran past me pretty darn close with it’s tongue hanging out and the pack close behind with my hound toward the front. I was using a Remington Model 11, 12ga with high-base 6’s (if you remember what kind of a shotgun that was) I killed my hound 1st and two dogs close by before they took off to the north and the doe went west. Took my collar and walked the 2 miles home!!

You are one dog killin' dude.

Been following this thread today and all I can say is that veterinary staff may be overwhelmed and scarred over from what we do, but we have patience and empathy during this difficult time for owners and pets. I cannot imagine having to perform euthanasia on a pet in any other way. But I realize that it is a humane option and not everyone has the funds for veterinary euthanasia. Although in my opinion , it is not expensive. (I’ve spent tens of thousands on care for my pets and that’s my choice and have no regrets)
We have a separate quiet suite for this procedure with a couch and a lamp to make everyone more comfortable. Often when owners choose not to be present the staff will remain with the animal and speak softly and give cuddles and special treats. We gave one dog some breadsticks from Olive Garden, she wolfed down three while we were placing the IV and didn’t seem to mind.
The pre med drug is an opiate that takes away pain and makes them calm. I can’t speak for the animals for what they’re thinking and feeling at the time but we do our best with what we know.

I have been, learned at an early age!! So when people ask these kinds of questions on this board and there are honest people who can tell the history of the answer, it might be best if they didn't ask the question for the answers may not be all sweet & roses!!!