NO, IT IS NOT YOUNG PEOPLE IN CHINA

My dog is at that age where I am being forced to balance the pain and suffering he is going through with my willingness and ability to put an end to it... and him.

Euthanasia for humans is illegal in most parts of the United States, but putting an animal "to sleep" is viewed as both humane and practical.

They are separate issues - I mean, almost like eating animals, but, as Willy Wonka so succinctly put it, with humans "that is called cannibalism, my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies."

But I also watched both of my parents die slowly and painfully. And believe me, I wish so much I could have saved them both the last two years of their respective lives.

And I do understand that as mortals, the end of our lives is not only a challenge for us, it's a test for those around us. Life isn't supposed to be easy - and often neither is death. It's part of the cycle of life (and I hate the fact that althought I have NEVER watched "The Lion King," that song still comes to my mind when that phrase is learned).

I love my dog so much - and hopefully I love him enough that while I can manage and help his pain, I will - and when I no longer can, I will have the courage to have him put to sleep.