I watched an animal die in my front yard yesterday.
I was walking toward my house after visiting the mailbox when I saw an animal laying in the grass. At first I thought it was a cat, but it was a possum. It was breathing deeply but laying very still and surrounded by flies. After walking by very slowly to make sure it didn’t jump up and get me, I got my cell phone to call darek.
He looked up a number for some wildlife place, but when I called them they told me to call animal control. I looked that up in the phone book but accidentally called Addison’s twice (it doesn’t take much for me to get really disorganized).
The possum’s breathing had slowed down by the time I finally called the right number. Then he had a sort of spasm and his back leg stretched out twice. I took a few steps back in case he jumped up, but he didn’t.
Then he was very still and stopped breathing.
It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever witnessed “in real life.” If it had been dead when I first saw it, my first reaction probably would have been “ew” followed by “what am I supposed to do with that?” and then finally “poor little guy.” But to actually watch it take its last breath was very sad. Even though it was just a possum.
I’d just like to say that I was looking up Animal Control in Plano on the internet and that’s the number I kept getting.
I’m sorry I wasn’t more supportive. I just didn’t get the full effect since I never saw him alive.
Your post is bringing back memories of watching my grandfather die. I was the one that noticed the change in his breathing and was there when it finally ended.
Do I have to work today?
Death is always sad.
Witnessing death is always traumatic.
We feel a loss for the dying and for ourselves. We mourn the death of our illustion of immortality.
-bK
How sad. I saw something similar once; a possum that must have just been hit by a car, just standing there and bleeding. I knew he wasn’t going to make it, even as a kid. I won’t ever get the image of him staring at me out of my head… 🙁 (sad with you)
-daralee