This becomes quite complicated when it's a domestic animal because we have the responsibility towards the animal, and many people will choose to euthanize an animal when it's not really necessary because they don't want to take care of it and they think it lessens the suffering of the animal at that time. So we really have to look into see what our intention is or what their intentions are regarding putting the animal down. Is it just trying to get out of responsibility for the taking care of the animal until such time as the animal dies?
Sometimes we have to look at our reaction to Dukkha. We don't like to see another being suffer. So, are we really feeling compassion for the animal or are we trying to avoid opening and caring for the animal until it dies. Or as some people say, to "get it out of its misery."
I wonder whether they're really thinking of the animal at that time or whether their thinking of themselves? So that they don't have to observe the suffering of another being and try to make the being comfortable in the process of dying. Sometimes it is fueled by the view that with death there is the ending of suffering, but we don't know. We would try to have the being in as comfortable position as possible, but I don't think I am going to take over the process of bringing death quicker for an animal at that time.
Because that is my decision and my Kamma as well. Especially as it may not be putting them out of suffering, we just don't know. I choose to try to prevent this by not having pets so that I don't have to be put in the position of choosing. Because I know it's a difficult decision when we are in charge of an animal and domesticating it. So I don't like to choose to domesticate animals. Or take on the responsibility of them becoming mine.
Sometimes you may see a wild animal in distress. Sometimes they have ants over them or these types of things. I might take the ants off and put it in a safer place, so that it doesn't have to suffer as much in the process of dying, but I'm not going to take it on to kill the being myself, because that is also their Kamma, and perhaps it's their opportunity, I don't know, perhaps to work out some of their negative Kamma. By trying to take care of it, who's to know whether the being may understand that some larger being is caring for it until such time as they die. Perhaps that's an inspiration to them.
There is a story in the Scriptures about a frog who happened to be in the audience when the Buddha was speaking. The frog apparently became enraptured with the sound of the Buddha's voice. Someone was walking along with a walking stick, didn't see the frog and happened to accidentally impale the frog, and apparently the frog was reborn in a heaven realm, due to being enraptured by the sound of the Buddha's voice. Well I don't know, perhaps there's an opportunity that we can express our caring for an animal while they're dying and that perhaps may cause them to feel better and perhaps when they do die, to be reborn in a higher realm, I don't know. But certainly, we have to look at our reactions to Dukkha.
There was an incident here where a dog was given to us, a puppy who had broken and paralyzed back legs. The puppy couldn't walk very well and had to drag the legs, so we started to take care of it and made something to lift the hips off the ground so it didn't have to drag the skin on the ground. As we took care of it, the amount of people who actually gave the opinion that we were uncompassionate for not killing it, was amazing. Yet this puppy really was very excited to see us, and was happy and fine.
Then unfortunately the dog got Puppy Fever and died by itself. We didn't actually know what the fever was at that time and we had no vets on the island. It wasn't our decision but we didn't feel that it was correct to kill the puppy, when the puppy was acting like any other dog.
So it couldn't walk, no big deal. It still responded to love the same way as any other dog would have done. However, views were put across, "Why don't you put the puppy out of it's misery", but we didn't see it was in misery. It was interesting to ask these people why they thought the dog in misery and observe their answers. It was really their reaction to Dukkha that was the problem.
So we have to be careful when we make decisions about an animal's life. Is it's just our reaction or the pressures of other people that cause us to make quick decisions about things? If there's any hope in showing love to the animal and taking caring of it until such time as it dies by itself, it would appear that that may be the better way to go.