Decisions regarding end of life for our beloved animal companions from bunnies to dogs to horses are agonizingly personal and affected by many factors from the course of illness or decline to weather, life changes, and economic considerations.  For whatever reasons of planetary alignment, I have been engaged in multiple conversations already this year regarding that elusive and oh so horrifically painful question -- when is the right time?? I do not remotely have the answer to that question.  I won't even begin to assert that I do.  All I can do is share my very own personal checklist which helps me ground my soul when confronted with this agonizing spiritual and practical dilemma.

Before I begin, I will say that after a great deal of consideration and a long life making difficult decisions about multiple animals and working with many friends and colleagues doing the same, the very least helpful thing I know is the phrase, "You will know when it is time." There is a certain twisted truth in this, but the agony, self-questioning, guilt, shame, and mindless helplessness this phrase has created over the years to so many people are part of what has prompted me to put pen to paper.

I will start by going through my personal checklist.

1. Years ago, while living in Mexico, I was trying to make a decision about my first and dearly loved German Shepherd who had something going wrong in her wrist joint which was erupting into layers of fluid and calcification.  The overt status was clear, it looked like Mt Vesuvius had erupted, but we could not find a cause.  We suspected cancer but all the tests were negative.  However, the pain level was clear and nasty.  When I asked my beloved U.S. veterinarian on the border what/when/if, he looked at me and quietly said, "there has to be a quality of life for both parties --- dog and owner." That shocked me then, mostly because I wasn't expecting the depth of his compassionate insight, and his words resonated deeply.  I have never forgotten those words, and I have come to know the deep truth of them. This from a Catholic boy, I wasn't even sure performed euthanasia. "There has to be a quality of life for both."

1. I will add two corollaries to this concept.Expense is real.The impact of expense on the quality of life for the human is real, and has to be taken into account.If the economic impacts of intervention or continuing treatment are going to carve a negative path of chaos for the human half of the equation that is not creating healing energy.Those considerations matter, and are legitimate and real.We will not at all times in our life have unlimited funds to pursue all options, and we needn't excoriate ourselves for that lack. We each do the very best we can in the moment.
2. A colleague recently used an evocative phrase -- "If you are working that hard to give your dog a quality of life, that's probably a dead giveaway that there isn't a quality of life."Clearly, that will play out on a gradual continuum over time, but it is useful as a reference marker, and again brings us back to the notion of "quality of life for both".

2. On to my friend Liz, a petite British woman who raised Arabian horses, and had raised Dobermans, indeed was one of the original breeders in the midwest, who in later years rescued greyhounds and slept in this gigantic bed with tiny her and about 6 large, greyhounds. As we went through various losses over the years, some timely, some early, some too late and messy she turned to me one night and said, "No matter when you do it, it's either too early or too late, but having experienced both, I'd rather be too early then too late." That became our mantra. After that pronouncement and the discussion that followed, I gave up the notion "they will tell you when they are ready." Perhaps, someone somewhere has such a clear spiritual contract with their animals, but it is a very rare thing, even for those of us who live close to the bone with our animals.  There is no question that some of my animals have given more signs than others, and some have quietly checked out without my participation.  But the vast majority of my personal animals would soldier on with only pieces of their organs functioning and every limb falling off. "I'm fine," they say as they totter up off their beds and stumble to the door, "Just fine." "Is it walk time?"

3. Organ breakdown. Sooo, as a modification to Liz's mantra, I keep my eye on and evaluate organ systems. What signs of breakdown do I see and on how many fronts? The higher the number of systems involved, the closer to the end we are coming.  Start with the basics -- do your senior wellness blood panel once a year if at all possible.  Know your dog's values. Hopefully you have run baseline x rays (minimal just hips, best case hips and spine) when the dog was young at approximately two years of age, so you can evaluate musculoskeletal change as the dog ages. In the best of all possible worlds, money allowing you can run follow up x-rays every 3 to 5 years as your dog ages to check the rate of change.  There is so much we can do now to slow and or treat arthritis and other skeletal changes in dogs.  (See my article on Pain Management options.) Standard annual diagnostic tests help us make the management and treatment decisions.

Acquaint yourself with signs of doggie dementia, what used to be broadly referred to as "sundowner's syndrome".  Again, there is so much more now we can do proactively ahead of time to slow cognitive dysfunction in our pets.

Smells in aging dogs are the stuff of a million memes and bad jokes but smells are important. Know what the sweet pungent odor of ketoacidosis smells like in an aging animal. Pay attention to changes in urine and/or feces.  What is the skin doing?  The hair? The teeth and mouth? Radical changes in smells are a red flag to check with your veterinarian.

If the animal gets to the point where we have 3 or more systems involved, in my opinion we are moving into that twilight world where we need to start asking the hard questions.  It helps to keep notes on our dog's condition, as they give us a reality check on how much, or how little has changed. Comparison is your friend, because changes to our beloveds can happen imperceptibly over a long time until "suddenly" they are in the grey zone, and we are reeling from the emotional impact of that realization.  I just saw an early video of my recently departed elder shepherd and I cringed at the vast changes in movement that had occurred over time.  Our ubiquitous phones can be great allies in documenting posture, movement and attitude over time.  Still pics and videos offer realistic feedback on the aging process or the impact of disease or injury that memory can distort.

In conclusion, I would like to end with another apt phrase from a dear and deeply knowledgeable colleague.  "If you are asking the questions, there are in fact, already reasons why you are asking them." This is where, yes, for sure, pay attention to your intuition but couple that with information. What are you observing or wrestling with that is leading you to ask end of life questions??  Write that stuff down. Observe. Talk with your vet.  Research.  Yup, dialogue with your animal. These decisions are intensely personal. I can only share with you the constructs I use to keep myself from spinning off the planet during times of intense grief.

1. What is the quality of life for both the two legged and four legged members of the partnership?
2. For me, sooner is better than later. (And this will be a very personal choice for everyone. I am just stating my bias.)
3. Where are we on the continuum of system breakdowns?

My deepest compassion to anyone confronting these choices.

(c) Studley Ozuna 2024

I am no stranger to stories about dog trainers committing acts of abuse or neglect. I’ve seen it firsthand, in the news, and have heard far too many personal accounts from clients regarding their experiences with other dog trainers. Still, I wasn’t prepared for the mountain of news articles yielded by a simple Google search for “dog trainer investigation.”

https://abc7ny.com/animal-abuse-rahway-dog-trainer-bubba-luv-training/12949997/
“Police in Rahway are investigating after multiple disturbing videos surfaced from a dog training center. In one, you see what appears to be a man beating and choking a dog. Another shows a man, kneeling on a dog.”

https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/loxahatchee-acreage/dog-trainer-faces-five-charges-of-animal-cruelty
“A 21-year-old dog trainer in Loxahatchee has been arrested and faces five charges of animal cruelty, including video evidence from the owner that shows her apparently choking and kicking dogs.”

These incidents appeared to have happened in “board and train” programs. This is a popular program that involves the owner leaving their dog with a trainer for an extended amount of time. I’ve offered these programs myself with many happy clients as a result. But it’s clear that in too many cases, board and train programs are becoming a massive problem.

This issue is not specific to any particular type of trainer or training philosophy. It transcends the arguments over tools, labels, or techniques. In the articles I found, abuse involved riding crops, leashes, bare hands, feet, and body weight. Abuse requires nothing specific. Neglect, of course, requires nothing at all.

Why does this keep happening? And how do we stop this?

The “why” can be hard to understand until you consider a couple of facts about board and train programs:

• They are expensive programs that tend to appeal to newer/inexperienced dog trainers due to the amount of money that can be made.

• They tend to be marketed in a way that leads the dog owner to believe that they will have the perfect dog in a matter of weeks or a couple of months with little to no work on their part.

Those two facts can create a recipe for disaster. A newer or inexperienced trainer looking to quickly make a living from dog training can easily get in over their head. Through their marketing, they make promises they can’t keep in the time frame given or with their limited skill set. This puts a great deal of pressure on the trainer to deliver results fast. An inexperienced trainer may resort to heavy-handedness to get those results.

Unfortunately, that heavy-handedness is often not caught unless someone manages to get a video or the dog ends up with visible injuries. More often, the owner only sees that their dog is performing the commands it is given. The trainer gets a glowing review and continues to make a large amount of money by repeating this process.

They take more dogs because that’s more money. And then, in so many cases, they burn out but don’t stop. They can’t stop as they now rely heavily on the income they’re receiving.

That’s when the neglect happens.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2023/05/31/dog-trainer-arraigned-animal-cruelty-charges-burlington-firefighter/
“All of the dogs either lost a “significant” amount of weight, were injured, or both. One suffered a foot puncture wound, while another lost 20 pounds, officials said.”

https://www.sylacauganews.com/local/sylacauga-dog-trainer-arrested-for-animal-abuse-amidst-heartbreaking-stories-from-pet-owners
“Several other owners took to social media and reported similar incidents of their dogs returning home injured, starved, or missing after being trained by Shotwell.”

https://www.fox4news.com/news/professional-k9s-dog-death-garland-leia
“Daniels provided FOX 4 with documents showing the results of the necropsy. It confirmed Leia’s cause of death was severe dehydration and heat stroke. “

So, how do we stop this horrific cycle?

Owners - The simplest answer is to choose a different training option. However, I want to be clear that there are many respectable, compassionate trainers offering board and train programs that can be very beneficial. To find them, consider these suggestions:

• Don’t assume the trainer is a good choice because they’re a “nice person.” Some of the worst cases of cruelty come from otherwise “nice” people.

• If you don’t know much about the trainer, take a group class or private lessons with them first. This will give you a glimpse of their training style, personality, and whether or not they are a good fit.

• Forget about labels (force-free, balanced, etc.). I’ve seen horror stories come from all tribes of trainers. DO ask for details about the training process. Be sure you’re comfortable with the response.

• Ask what you might need to do in order to maintain and continue the training once it’s done. If you don’t get a detailed response that you’re comfortable with, be skeptical.

• Ask where the dog will be staying and if you can see the area first, even if they train from their home. It should be safe, climate-controlled, and clean.

• Ask about zoning, insurance, and licenses. A professional should have all of these things in order, if required. (Note: Depending on location, dog training may not require a license, but anyone running a business should have a business license.)

• Ask about experience, and be wary if the trainer is vague. Certification is a huge plus if it comes from an organization like NADOI that looks closely at level of experience as part of the criteria for certification.

• Understand that even in a board and train program, you WILL have to do a considerable amount of work. These programs are fantastic for getting you and your dog on track, but they are not a quick fix.

Trainers - Staying quiet about this will result in us killing our own profession from the inside out. We have to speak up and demand that our fellow trainers do the following:

• Stop adding board and train programs before they’ve acquired extensive training experience. No other program puts more pressure on a trainer than this one.

• Stop offering board and train programs because they think it will mean less contact with people. It is our job to keep the owner informed and to train the human as extensively as we train the dog.

• Stop marketing board and trains in a way that makes owners view them as a “quick fix.” Not only are they setting themselves up for failure, they’re making it REALLY hard for the rest of us to help owners have realistic expectations.

• Stop putting time constraints and expectations on themselves that aren’t realistic.

• Stop seeing dollar signs instead of dog lives.

Every time a board and train goes wrong, it reflects on the entire profession. We need to educate owners, and we need to help newer, less-experienced trainers. And most importantly, we need to call out abuse when we see it.

Great instructor tips for working with all students, not just those with learning differences/disabilities.

https://cooperativepaws.com/seven-strategies-to-support-clients-with-learning-disabilities/

https://cooperativepaws.com/accommodating-for-fatigue/

Making training accessible to all is important and this short article points out how fatigue can often be a factor.

How do you adapt your instructing when dealing with the elderly, those with disabilities, those recovering from covid, or any others who may not have the endurance normally seen in clients?