Letter From A Shelter Owner: Euthenasia 101

[nineten]

This is heart – wrenching…..but some of us are clueless and need to be educated. Read this – pass it on and hopefully it just may change someone’s mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog.


A Letter from a Shelter Manager: Euthanasia 101

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.
First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.
That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.
If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT

[dgman]

that is so true. most people have no idea. i learne about the dogs when i was about 9 and i was poking my nose where it shouldnt have been. i found a freezer for a shelter. and it was over flowing with the animals exactly as described in the letter. during my training classes i have had people stop and ask about things like "my friend wants to give me a pure bred dog. what do you think?". they get shocked when i start asking things like what do you want a dog for/ then they say but its a pure bred so snd so. i ask again what do you want the dog to do. they will say something like but its a pure bred dog. then i ask how much time and money do you plan to spend taking care of this free pure bred. then they start saying thing like "i dont know. what do you mean?" . then ill start with the costs breakdown and excercise requirements along with grooming. their jaws usually drop. then they say 'your right. i dont think ill take the dog"

[sweetzsour]

Ok that was one of the saddest things....I don't know shelters in and out - so didn't know about the freezer. I just can't imagine. We had to put one of our cats to sleep when i was a kid because she was sick and had a broken leg (or something like that - it was a really long time ago). I grew up in the country, so when we "lost" a dog or a cat, it was usually due to getting hit by a car. Most all of the cats we had were strays that made our home their home, then they had kittens.... The dogs i have now - i did get a poodle from a breeder (but she's definately still with me and has a wardrobe to prove her spoiledness..haha) but the other one i can proudly say i got him from a shelter. He's a terrier mix something. But i can at least say i "saved" one... He did recently get heartworms, but i think we caught it early enough that taking the meds will help (i know it doesn't kill them - but catching it early will prevent more from growing - kills the babies in the bloodstream...and i think prevents the adults from getting bigger?) anyways, he's doing good and hopefully the meds keep him going - the vet seems to think so... but they're both spoiled. - they do live outside - but spoiled... raincoat, winter jacket, seat belts for the car, the whole 9 yards.. haha (but the "clothes" were cheap - like $2... so i didn't feel crazy buying them jackets.. LOL)

But really, i can't read that again, that made me cry - especially the part about taking them to the "room".....

[nineten]

I saw another good one posted by a shelter worker and I'm still trying to find it. If I do, I think it should go into the Memorial thread. It was so touching. I'll still have my eye out for it.

[nineten]

Found it twice in one day. I posted it in the Memorials. Touching, very touching.

[nineten]

Letter from a Shelter Manager

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I
am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside
if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the
"back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life
drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind
about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's
not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that
there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter
it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the
dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter
are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our
dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets?
Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did
you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her".
Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs!
"She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family?
They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding
a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being
in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a
new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if
the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy.
If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel
in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to
relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it
will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is
lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a
walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl
of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen
with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the
"Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead
when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or
'well behaved' they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is
full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is
good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of
execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after
about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest
dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of
those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper
respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't
have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never
witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always
look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their
tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and
puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or
they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it
happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held
down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they
are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will
find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink
stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk.
I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the
resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all
don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air
and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a
large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed
waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken
to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably
won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy
another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out
and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the
way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be
there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you
are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you
can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are
always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there
are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I
just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog,
taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that
someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me
want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT