Working as a vet (兽医), I met a family who taught me an unforgettable lesson. They came to my clinic with their dying dog Coco. I examined Coco and found he was old and had a serious illness. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Coco, and euthanasia (安乐死) would be best for the dog.
On that day, they little boy Eric seemed so calm , petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if Eric understood what was going on.
The little boy seemed to accept Coco's death without any difficulty. We sat together for a while after Coco's death, explaining that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Eric, who had been listening quietly, piped up: "I know why."
He said, "People need a lifetime to learn how to live a good life—like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
I'd never heard a more soft-hearted explanation as to why animal lives are so short. It has changed the way I live. I see everyday as the day that my life could be easily taken away, so I try to live my life to the fullest.
