I have just started going through the geno documentaries again, and came to the bit with Patti Chandler being put to sleep and a few things bothered me.
The many walks I have shared with her around this neighborhood
If you've owned a dog and don't need a mobility scooter, you know they're great sources of love, companionship, and exercise. Christian's memories are so uninspired about how he looks back on the dog. This one caught my attention though because he says they had many walks around the neighborhood. Branchland Court is surrounded by miles of green and countryside, and just a few streets before you hit that main road / freeway. Did he never go exploring with her? Experience the vast countryside, with its amazing views, vistas... and the odd tick in the grass? I could almost see it being a painful obligation for him to go outside and be exposed to fresh oxygen, before returning back to the hoard.
I stayed with her during her final moments with a hand on her head and a tear in my eye
A
s I stood outside, I heard Patti's last barks saying, "I will always love you, Chris. Thank You."
The first being that Chris claims he stayed with her to the end, but that he also left and heard her final goodbyes. I think Chris might have escorted her to the room, but he didn't stay with her for the injection, and the euthanasia. Now I can appreciate that, because it's a very hard time for the owner, but it's also a scary time for the pet. They can sense when their best friend is upset or scared, and being in the vets offers sounds and experiences that will scare a dog or cat. The dog wasn't saying thank you, Chris, like his ego would believe, but 'Where the fuck are you? Help! DON'T LEAVE ME! OW! Ah... that...that's not so bad....." I get that it's not easy to be there, and we're dealing with a man who signed her death warrant with a crying sonichu face to the side, but turning her death into a magmanimous gesture by Chris made my intestines knot.
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Looking at the photographs of her pen, and how it resembles a Japanese POW camp, I'm amazed she lived to be 18