A rift has developed within a local family as Trevor, a 12-year-old golden retriever, has refused to sign the living will requested by his owners, the Robertson’s. The will, intended to provide instructions regarding end-of-life care, specifies that Trevor does not wish to be kept alive by artificial means when that time comes.
“We’ve got elderly parents and two small children,” explained Alicia Robertson. “The burden of taking care of a dying dog would be just too much. It’s the compassionate thing to do.”
Trevor, however, sees things differently. “I am not signing my own death warrant. Obviously, these people are incapable of making health care decisions for me. Tube-feeding? Mechanical respiration? Sign me up!”
“I was part of this family before either of those ear-pulling kids,” Trevor continued. “Maybe I’m not the cute, lovable puppy I was back in 2005, but I should get at least half the consideration they’ve given Grandma in that fancy assisted-living facility.”
Trevor, who is looking for a court-appointed guardian to represent him, is not optimistic about settling the dispute. The Robertson’s, represented by local attorney Michael Donahue, are seeking binding arbitration to resolve the impasse. In the meantime, “maybe fate will smile upon us and he’ll just get hit by a car when his time is up.”