When Love Reaches Its Limit

Tim was a 1９-year-old Shiba Inu who stayed at my senior dog home for eight months. By the time his owner found my senior dog home, she was physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for his canine dementia.
One day, I received a phone call from her. Her voice was trembling, and she sounded completely worn out. "I can't do this anymore. I'm at my limit. I feel like I'm going to fall into depression. I haven't had a good night's sleep in days."　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Tim barked day and night, and nothing his owner did could make him stop.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　She continued, "Out of desperation, I even shoved a towel into his mouth. One night, I put him in the car and actually thought about leaving him alone in the mountains. I even spent the night with him in a storage shed next to our field. At one point, I tried putting him in a large cardboard box. I'm such a terrible person, aren't I?" 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　As I listened to her tearful voice, I could only imagine how desperate she must have been. She even tried sleeping pills. At first, they seemed to work, but gradually they became less effective, so she had to use stronger ones. While the sleeping pills were working, Tim didn't bark. However, he became so drowsy that he could barely stand. Once the medication wore off, he suddenly became alert again and barked even louder than before.
She also told me, "I even begged our veterinarian to remove his vocal cords. But the veterinarian refused, saying that it would be considered animal abuse." 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                                           

My heart ached as I listened to her words. In Japan, euthanasia is rarely chosen solely because a dog has dementia. Except in cases where a dog is suffering from a serious illness and is in severe pain, most veterinarians in Japan do not perform euthanasia on dogs with dementia.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The owner had reached her breaking point.　She was physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for Tim.
Caring for a dog with dementia can change not only the dog's life but also the owner's. That's why I hope no one feels they have to face it alone. Please don't hesitate to ask for help. As I listened to her that day, I realized just how important that is.