This will be a long post, but it's something that my cousin did recently that just rubbed me the wrong way.
So, back in March, we had to put down our 11 year old Australian Shepherd, Miller. He was my best friend for 11 years, and before he walked into our lives in March 2007, I really didn't like dogs or at least never really paid attention to them. He changed my life. He had a turbulent first 6 months of his life. He was born here in Minnesota, then was bought by someone who lived in Michigan. His owner broke her ankle and couldn't take care of him so he was sent back here to live with the breeder. He came back via airplane and he was a nervous dog to begin with. Between moving twice and being in the cargo area of a plane, I can't imagine that helped his nerves. When the breeder gave him to us (we had bought our other dog from her a year prior), he had diarrhea issues and came to us quite dirty and had several ticks. It took awhile for him to get acclimated to us, but once that period passed he was a part of our family.
He had several different medical issues throughout his life. He had IBS, as he got older his back legs started to give out, he had eye issues, etc. He was such a loving boy though and so loyal. It's hard to describe him really other than you always knew he had your back and he just wanted to be loved. When I went off to college, he used to lay on my bed for hours. In his final months, his health slipped. He was going to the bathroom in the house, sometimes multiple times, his back legs were essentially gone and he had cysts developing. He also began losing weight rapidly, at his healthiest he was almost 70 pounds, and when he passed away he was a little below 48 pounds. On his last day, my mom woke up to him licking up diarrhea in the middle of the carpet and she knew it was time. My mom came in and woke me up in tears saying it was time to put Miller down. I was shocked. While my mom called my dad, she had me take him outside and he immediately had diarrhea again on the sidewalk. It was March and cold outside but, I sat on the edge of the deck in my shirt and basketball shorts. He did this mere inches away from me and I'll never forget the look in his eyes. They just said to me "I'm sorry Ted, I just can't do this anymore." I knew it was time.
We brought him to the vet and we were ushered into the quiet room. I laid down next to him and held him. When they slipped him the sedative he went laid down on his side, his head cradled in my arms. He was so tense and he was shaking, but when they gave him whatever it was that killed him, he eased up. I'll never forget that feeling. My best friend and dog that changed my life died in my arms. I miss him everyday. That day sucked. I remember coming home and decided to go upstairs and grab his blanket from his crate. When I got to his crate, I fell down and just bawled. It's gotten easier, but I'm still not 100%.
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Fast forward to this past weekend, my cousin had to put her dog down. She posts several different photos on Facebook of her holding the dog, and the dog is just covered in blood because the cancer in his mouth apparently burst. I'm fine with the photos of her holding the dog, but there were several different poses including putting the dog down and they all seemed so choreographed and posed. It rubbed me the wrong way. I understand wanting some last few photos, I have a pictured of Miller laying dead on the floor of the vet just before we left because he looked so at peace. But to post them on Facebook just seems to be in bad taste, especially with the dog being covered in blood. Let the dog have some final dignity. You wouldn't post pictures of a dying/dead loved one on Facebook in such a sad state, and obviously not drenched in blood. Let some moments be private.
When we put Miller down, I never once felt like turning to my mom and saying: "Are ya getting this?" I know I'm probably just being a dick here and not letting someone grieve the way they want to grieve, it just seemed like something so morbid and private that didn't need to be posted on Facebook. It just seemed like a way to get people's attention. It bothered me mainly because when we put Miller down, I was so focused on him that I find it weird that the first instinct is to snap a bunch of photos of you and the vet putting the dog down and posting it mere minutes after leaving the vet.
EDIT: I should make it clear, I don't have a problem with posting pictures of someone hugging their dog or pet before the vet puts them down or like what gmillerdrake posted. I don't have a problem with that. I just have a problem with posting several different photos of a dog covered in blood, the vet putting the dog down, and several different angles of you crying holding the dog. It's just such a private, raw, and painful moment that I think it's in bad taste to share them on Facebook.