Real-Life Decision Making
You look at the miniature horse in front of you. When you look at him from the front, he is a lovely animal. But when you view him from the side or the back, you see the large tumor.
Turning to the owner you say, "Yes, that is a problem. And it certainly isn't pleasant to look at. But I think I can fix it."
He looks at you like you are out of your mind. He grabs your arm and pulls you over towards the barn. "This is the way it is," he says. He jerkily points towards the ground. "This is the way it is. Right there is the spot where I am going to dig the hole."
You stare at him, and then you ask, "You want to put him down?"
He nods his head. And then he points to the ground again.
You take a deep breath and calmly say, "I know the problem looks bad, but it can be fixed. Problems like this often look worse than what they are. Can we talk about that?"
He kicks at a clump of dirt. Then he looks right into your eyes. "I really was wanting to get out of this owning a horse thing. I don't have the money -- after all, this sort of thing costs a lot of money, doesn't it?"
You do a quick calculation in your head and then give him a range of figures. And then you list the different factors that would increase the cost of the surgery and care.
He listens to you. Then he says, "Actually, I don't want to spend anything on the horse!"
You look at him, trying to weigh your options. Then you look again at the tiny stallion. He is only four years old and should have many years of life ahead of him. You know the surgery will give him this chance.
What do you do?