The scales of life

I am a veterinary technician.  It is what I went to school for, and even though in the last 17 years I had other side careers in between, teching is what I always did.  Working in this field all of these years, I have seen many things - from helping to bring puppies into this world, to helping old friends pass on to the next.  The latter never gets easier and there are always some that I secretly have a spot for in my heart.  I do believe in humane euthanasia.  When an animal is sick beyond any reasonable help, when quality of life is close to zero, when you see the pain in their eyes or when the light they used to house there dims, you know it is time.
A recent encounter made me look a little deeper into all of this.  While driving home from an outing in Burlington, we spotted what looked like what I thought was a dog running towards us along the opposite edge of road.  As the distance between us and the critter closed a bit, we realized it was a coyote, and a pretty decently sized one.  We also noticed it had a noticeable left front leg limp.  My first response, after being awestruck by such a magnificent looking animal, was to take out my phone and take it's picture.

My second response was how could we help it?  Logically, we could not just take a leash and lure it into our car and get it some medical attention... although the thought did briefly enter our minds.  I did not know of any wildlife rescues who would come way out where we live for a coyote.  Plus, the fact that the coyote was running on three legs, would make it impossible for anyone to catch up with it.  Being it was the weekend,  I called Vermont Wildlife and left a message, and asked for other ideas on Facebook.  Some suggested doing what we had done, but not much else.  We just hoped the creature did not get hit by a car, or suffer much.  Thoughts of hunters shooting it and putting out of it's misery made me shudder, because aside from it's bum leg, it looked like a healthy and strong animal.  I am not sure how a pack animal can survive on its own, but shouldn't it be left up to coyote?  If nothing else could be done to help it, shouldn't we see if nature will wrap her arms around him and either help him find his way in the world, or return him to the earth?  
As a technician, I wish we could have helped... as a human, I wished we could have helped... but I feel that death is not the answer we need to give to a being still so filled with life.
I have had the pleasure of having creatures come into my life who were so close to death.  My first was Misty, a 6 month old chihuahua with horrendous demodex mange.  Her owners could not afford the money or time to treat, so were going to put her to sleep.  An intervention occurred and we acquired her, and I fell in puppy love with her.  After many baths and months of medication, she was all healed.

Misty as a young pup.

Then there was the stray kitten brought into the ER by a good samaritan late one evening.  The kitten's left leg was almost completely severed, but he still purred and cuddled as if nothing was wrong.  Being he had no owner, and a severe injury, he was going to be euthanized... until my co-workers and I convinced ourselves otherwise and went into giving this little 5-6 week old kitten a chance - even though it was against work policy to do so.  After finishing off the amputation and closing him up, only antibiotics and time would tell if he would make it.  After a small infection scare and longer antibiotics, his wounds healed and he made his way into my heart.   Five years later, he is a tough, fast, mouse catching, dog ambushing, three-legged cat.

Nibo at home post-op.

Nibo and I,  a couple of years after the amputation.

And more recently, we found a couple of pups at a rescue.  One of which was missing her right eye.  We are not sure how she lost it, or why she was at a kill shelter in North Carolina, but we are happy she is home with us. 

Ahnah at obedience graduation.

The creatures that are alive and in this world deserve a chance.  If their will, bodies and souls are strong enough, why not give them that opportunity?  The human race should never dismiss them as being just a "mangy dog", a "worthless cat", or a "bothersome coyote".  We should walk their steps, see through their eyes, feel their pain... then we can really call ourselves human(e).

"The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals." ~Mohandas Gandhi