--- title: The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye», a lesson of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: When an animal is very old or ill, in pain and will not get better, a vet can give it an injection so that it dies pe --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/) / The old dog, the vet and the hardest g… # The old dog, the vet and the hardest goodbye Lesson 56 of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school: 17 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/0/) — When an animal is very old or ill, in pain and will not get better, a vet can give it an injection so that it dies peacefully and without pain; people call this «putting to sleep» or «putting down», but it is not real sleep, and the animal will not wake up. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/1/) — Picture Megan's family and their old dog, Biscuit: he can hardly stand and hurts every day, and Mum says, «We're not doing this because we don't love him. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/2/) — We're doing it because we do.» - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/3/) — Many people see this as mercy, a last kindness that stops suffering; Christians often say caring for an animal includes not letting it suffer, while Buddhists and some others feel very uneasy about ending any life, and good people can feel differently. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/4/) — Afterwards people grieve in their own ways: Dad may cry in the car, Grandad may go quiet and busy himself on the farm, and Megan may laugh at a film a week later and then feel bad, but laughing does not mean she has forgotten. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/5/) — Nobody can see heaven, so nobody knows for certain where Biscuit is now; Mrs Patel at Sunday school says, «The Bible doesn't tell us clearly, but God cares for every sparrow, and I trust God with Biscuit,» which is more honest than a promise nobody can keep. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/7/) — Vets suggest this when an animal is very ill or in pain and cannot get better; it is often called a mercy. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/8/) — The animal gets very sleepy and dies within a minute or two; it is quiet, and some families choose to stay with it. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/9/) — Some religious people, such as many Buddhists, feel very uneasy about ending any life; people of good heart can disagree. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/10/) — Crying is a healthy way to let sadness out, for dads and everyone else; it is not weakness. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/11/) — Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/12/) — People grieve in different ways: some cry, some go quiet, some keep busy; no tears does not mean no love. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/13/) — Some animals that are very ill or old hide in a quiet place; this is instinct, not a sign that they did not love their family. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/14/) — Reminders like a lead or a bowl can hurt; some families put them away for a while, others keep them close, and both are fine. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/15/) — Vets often make a clay paw print or keep a lock of fur so families have a keepsake. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/16/) — Feeling happy and sad on the same day is normal; laughing does not mean you have stopped loving the one who died. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/56-the-old-dog-the-vet-and-the-hardest-goodbye/17/) — The Bible does not say clearly whether animals go to heaven; Christians differ, some faiths believe in rebirth, and some people believe death is the end. - ← previous: [When a small pet dies: fish, hamsters and budgies](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/55-when-a-small-pet-dies-fish-hamsters-and-budgies/) - next →: [Garden burials, wild animals and a new pet «too soon»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/57-garden-burials-wild-animals-and-a-new-pet-too-soon/) - ↑ back to [Religion ethics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/)