Our last, and often greatest, gift to our animal companions might just be a peaceful passing – indeed, the word “euthanasia” means “a good death.”

A yellow Labrador mix smiles at the camera — *Aleli in her younger days…*

This is often easier said than done, though. How do we just pick a day, especially with an old dog who is undergoing a gradual decline in physical and cognitive abilities? How do we ensure we don’t make them suffer too much? My very old Sato, Aleli, left this world a few weeks ago. Here’s a tribute to a little beach dog’s wonderful, long life, and how I handled these difficult end-of-life decisions so that she could depart with dignity.

My dog Aleli was a very special girl. She was found on a beach in Puerto Rico as a puppy in 2007, and I first met this athletic little Labrador mix when she was a fearful adolescent dog in 2008. Our first meeting involved her hiding under a desk and spooky-barking at me from there. She soon realized that I was a source of fun dog friends and off-leash excursions, and after coming to work with me at the ASPCA and meeting lots of nice people with treats, who didn’t overwhelm her, Aleli became an amazing companion and competition dog.

Learning to do rally obedience and agility increased Lili’s confidence in public and around strangers, and her happy, Labby exuberance combined with her quiet Sato caution made her a pretty much perfect dog in her later years. Always neutral and tolerant of foster dogs and cats, naturally Velcro and obedient off leash, and an excellent traveler, Lili collected a stack of ribbons and enjoyed many road trips over our 15 years together.

*Injuries and rehab*

Aleli blew out the cruciate ligaments in both knees as she got older, but was a great patient at Waghab as she worked to recover from her injuries.

*Aleli helping a fearful dog*

In 2018, I achieved my lifelong dream of moving to a farm, and Lili, even as old age started slowing her down became the perfect farm dog, keeping a gentle eye on the other animals, greeting visitors, and helping me work with client dogs. We moved into a 160 square foot tiny house for her last five years, where she tolerated the close quarters and rotation of house pets with her permanent good grace. Aleli went deaf at age 13, but her training transitioned well to hand signals. Her arthritis prevented her from competing or taking classes toward the end of life, but she continued to help me with client dogs, especially as a gentle puppy greeter, and as a neutral dog to help dogs who were reactive on leash.

We held a quinceanera celebration for Aleli when she turned 15. Lili always loved a good party. (Especially the cake!)

Her arthritis got a lot worse over the next year, and Lili started showing some signs of cognitive decline, getting stuck on the porch and forgetting how to use the dog door, as well as becoming more agitated in the evenings (“sundowning”). Walks got slower, and long road trips were no longer possible. Aleli got a lot of help from Waghab, using their underwater treadmill to help her maintain mobility and strength, and receiving laser and massage treatments to help manage her arthritis.

Over the last few months, I started using Dr. Faith Banks’s excellent quality of life scale to monitor Aleli’s end of life care. After 15 years together, I knew my perfect girl deserved the very best, as always. When Lili’s score got down to 75, I placed her in hospice care with Four Paws Farewell, to ensure her cognitive and physical decline were handled as humanely as possible, and so that we could have regular check-ins with a veterinarian who specialized in end of life care.

When Aleli had her Sweet 16 celebration on her (estimated) birthday, February 14th of this year, I bought her a North Carolina dog driver’s license on the internet. She is the first dog I’ve had who made it to legal driving age!

*Comfort lover*

Born on a beach, young Aleli loved to sleep under the covers! Older Aleli preferred a dog bed in front of a heat source. But she craved comfortable resting places, her whole life.

In early May, I finally completed the “big house” I’d been building for the last six years, and Aleli got to move in and spend her final days cuddling with her brother Theodore by the new fireplace. The stairs in the “big house” were much more challenging for her, and the increasingly restless nights as we struggled to control her pain, recurring UTI’s, and cognitive decline were a challenge for both of us.

I calculated Aleli’s Quality of Life score every month or so, and in late April I found we had finally dipped below 50 on the scale - the number where euthanasia needed to be considered. It can be so hard to see when your own dog is suffering when the decline has been a gradual one, over years.

I talked to friends and reflected on the final days of previous pets, to help me decide when to make the final decision. Dr. Teresa, our hospice vet, came out for a final quality of life consultation, and agreed that many folks would choose euthanasia for a pet with pain and mobility issues that were no longer responding to medication. We scheduled the appointment for the following Tuesday.

At Pibble Hill, we have had some very good, peaceful dog deaths. After leaving one dog suffering in a vet clinic cage three days too long, many years ago, I had resolved to always err on the side of “a day early” from there on in. I’ve also had to do the run to the emergency vet (always, it seems, late at night or on a weekend) for a rushed euthanasia when a pet of mine was suffering with an acute episode, and these have been a lot more traumatic for both humans and animals. You don’t have time for that last walk, that last meal, for friends to come by and pay their respects, and walking out of the emergency clinic, red-eyed and sobbing, with a small cardboard box or an empty collar is such a difficult last memory to have of a beloved pet.

I resolved to give Aleli a great last day, as I have for a number of my geriatric or terminally ill pets here at Pibble Hill. I let her friends and pet sitters know the date and time, and that morning I took her for a last, slow amble on a perfect, cool, sunny spring morning in our favorite forest preserve. She could only walk a short distance from the car to a very nearby creek, but Lili slowly sniffed all the smells and stood in the creek for a long time, letting the cool water soothe her sore joints.

*Final moments together*

We returned to the farm, where some of Aleli’s friends gradually dropped by to pay their respects. A nice, rare steak was cooked and Lili enjoyed eating small pieces of it in the top pasture where my animal graveyard is, overlooking the whole farm. The veterinarian arrived, a blanket was spread out, and then the sedative, and finally the euthanasia solution were given as we all petted and held this perfect old girl.

Aleli was buried at the very top of the pasture, surrounded by friends, wrapped in a blanket and sprinkled with flowers. I let my other dogs see her after she was gone, and my pit bull, Theodore, cuddled next to her body for a long while after Lili was gone.

There is a pink dogwood tree planted on top of my Perfect Dog, that will bloom every year at around the time of her death, and I will order a plaque to mark her grave, as I have with the others who have gone before.

*A well-loved dog*

Aleli’s final resting place

Do we need to wait to make that final decision until our pets are no longer able to eat, or stand up on their own? This is a choice each family needs to make on their own, there is no right or wrong answer. Personally I prefer to have the time to plan out a truly good death for my pets, and avoid that frantic rush to the emergency vet - usually in the middle of the night. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had end-of-life moments like that too - sometimes you have no choice - but I believe Aleli had one of the best last days I’ve given a pet of mine. Lots of love, and some favorite activities and food.

That wonderful last day with Aleli, my longest-lived animal companion ever, will stay with me as an example of the type of death I hope I can give all my animal companions, when it’s their time. And I hope your pets have peaceful last moments as well. It’s truly a gift.

Aleli and Fifi the Doberdog (2000-2011), now back together again…

A Good death

kittens shouldn’t be single

fetch!