Cancer Patient Dies And Euthanizes Dog; Why?

After a lengthy battle with cancer, Sheila Stadler of Terre Haute, Ind., died on March 8. As she left, she had one request: her service dog, Toffee, had to be buried with her.

The 5-year-old dog was by her side when Stadler died, just as while she was fighting the sickness. Days later, the Stadler family had Toffee, who was perfectly healthy, euthanized, displayed in the coffin and buried with her in Summit Lawn Cemetery just outside Terre Haute.

Stadler's son, Andy, said that the dog had started mourning his mother, the only owner he had ever had.

"I wouldn't say that's unusual for a dog to be in mourning, especially if a dog is really close to a person," said Gregory Reilly of the Honey Creek Animal Hospital.

Besides the outrage that the occurrence sparked on the internet, Reilly said that since Toffee was privately owned, the Stadler family was in their legal right to euthanize the dog.