Putting Pets to Sleep

[vervex]

I wouldn't put an animal to sleep unless its death was imminent (few hours) and it was in pain (broken bones etc right now with no hope of help such as an uninhabited island)

I agree with Cyan on this one. It's a very sensible topic but I feel animals have the same rights to live we do, even when they are old. As long as we live, there are still things we can learn, even when we are in pain because of old age. Since they are also part of consciousness, the same applies for animals who are living beings just like us. If the animal gets hit by a car and its insides are out however (sorry for the horrible image), killing it out of mercy could be tolerated. But ideally, everything in our power should be done to save the animal's life first.

This topic reminds me a comment an old lady living in my small apartment building said to me a few months ago. She was basically complaining because the neighbor above her has an old (but incredibly sweet) dog who, last summer, accidentally let himself go on the balcony. The pee fell into her plants. Displeased, she told me "it's an old dog, he should put it to sleep already!". I just looked at her, and wondered how she could not see that she too was quite old. I wondered why the dog should die and she should live, if age and incontinence were the only arguments she had to judge the animal's worth.

My point is the following; if we valued animals' lives like our own, we would not be having this discussion right now. It is only because we, as a society, still see animals as below humans, creatures of lower worth, that we wonder if we should put them to sleep when they reach a certain age.

My personal rule of thumb is that I treat my furry companions the same way I treat fellow human beings. If my grandma was sick and in pain, "putting her to sleep" would not be an option unless she'd ask for it, something very unlikely. Same goes with animals.