Discussion Topic
MILLIONS OF ANIMALS DYING FROM THIS!!!
Posted on 08/05/09, 10:05 am
A 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
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
-
Reply #1 08/05/09 12:18pm
And this is exactly why I spend the hours I do helping find placements for the dogs and cats that get dumped here. I just wish I could help more of them. -
Reply #2 08/05/09 10:52pm
I think a good start to finding a solution for this madness is to ban pet shops from selling puppies and kittens. Let them stick to small fish, birds, rodents and pet supplies. This would prevent "impulse buying" which I know is a big part of the problem.
There is a huge shopping complex about 40 mins drive from the hills where I live, they have a pet shop there that currently seems to have a penchant for the larger breeds, mastiffs, neo mastiffs, great danes and cross breeds of this type. I always stop awhile, and it never ceases to amaze me how many people do the impulse thing and hand over large sums for these pups. These puppies grow very quickly into enormous dogs, with big requirements in food, space, human company and training. The dumpage rate for these not so little guys is going to be huge within the first year or so of purchase.
We have a Malamute cross Staffy, purchased as a pup, from a suburban family who didn't realise their Malamute boy (less than a year old) could impregnate their older Staffy female. She had about 11 pups...and the owner said she had calls from pet shops wanting to take the pups. She refused them and was working hard to home them with people who at least she could meet and vet to some degree. I hope the others were as lucky as our boy Luca. He is fairly large, very intelligent and has very high energy levels. We have a fenced half acre and I am home most of the day.....we play, walk, hang out.....and he has the companionship of my little Chi crossbreed, Topo. I shudder to think what became of his siblings...if they are one bit like their brother Luca...they would be a nightmare to have in a small yard, with no people home during the day...intelligent dogs of any size need lots of time and energy....throw in a strong will and unless you can provide all they need...it's a recipe for disaster.
Lynne, I admire your work rehoming these animals, but wish you didn't have to do that job....There are not a lot of people in the world willing to do this amazing work...hopefully though, with education, changes to legislation and stronger trade restrictions your work will become unnecessary.
Love, light and peace to all x -
Reply #3 08/06/09 9:41am
Your information hit home. I'm an animal lover, never want to see anything die or be mistreated. I can only wish I could bring them all home with me or at least a few who are sitting in the shelter. I adopted my dog and love her to pieces. She has several health problems but I work with them and around them. I'm sorry to say I cannot be a foster mom for these pets. I can't have my heart broken, weather the animal dies or leaves me for another good home. It's so hard to want to do something for these animals, birds, etc..... I want to help them all, and I know it's overwhelming the amount of unwanted animals.
Even with all the medical problems, the giant size of my dog and her age. I couldn't let her go for an instant. When my son and I adopted Honey Girl, we didn't think she'd grow past 50lbs. She's 120 now. We didn't think she'd have so many health problems when she reached two, but we deal with it. She's a friendly face, a warm body to hug and use as a pillow and she gives us more than we could ever give her. She's my girl. I love her and I will listen to her when she tells me it's time to go.
Thank you for your topic. If it could only be posted everywhere so all could see and give people a chance to feel their heart ache for those loving, deserving animals. What a blessing that would be.
Thank you
MaryBeth & Honey Girl -
Reply #4 08/06/09 1:42pm
This is absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot imagine doing what you do. I would cry everyday. I just rescued a stray kitty and already have 2. I just fell in love with him immediately and we are in the process of fixing him and getting him healthy. I wish I could help them all!! Sometime I love our animals more than some people!!!! Take Care and God Bless you for what you are doing!!!!!!! -
Reply #5 08/13/09 2:48am
I've always hated the idea of breeders. I have a friend who refuses to spay his golden retriever, because the puppies are in such demand. He says that rescue dogs usually come with baggage, have too many behavioral issues. I'll never understand how a person can love animals and yet make the problem WORSE, just with their own pets.
Very heartbreaking what you wrote above. I returned a cat once because of his major aggression issues. I took him back cuz I realized they were going to return him to where he came from, another shelter two hours away. I couldn't bear the thought of him, all frightened on a two hour van ride, just to be put to death. So I have him now, and yes he's a terror. But I've bonded with him after a little over a year now, and I can never give him away. -
Reply #6 08/19/09 5:34pm
I am fostering a lemon Beagle this week; my BF is determined to find her a placement, no matter that she is leaving this weekend to go to a placement, even if it IS a no-kill shelter; she WILL be safe. The thing is, all the rabbit hunters he has called don't want her because she is already spayed; "It ruins them". WTF! This is EXACTLY why so many Beagles end up at the shelter here! They are idiots! -
Reply #7 10/06/09 10:08pm
My hubby & I are very sick of how those stray kittys in our back yard (about 20) aren't being taken care of ;by their owners. They're always killing our birds, bunnys and other critters here. We keep our animals indoors & licensed. People don't take the time to spay or neurter them too. It's terrible & it's not fare at all for the poor animals. Some people aren't taking the time to help the animals. -
Reply #8 10/24/09 10:49am
Oh my! I have had animals put down because they were sick or terminally ill and suffering terribly. I hate the thought of it even now. There's a few that still break my heart when I remember them lovingly. We have two cats. I wasn't a cat person but when an acquaintance was moving to a new apartment and couldn't take their kitty boy, we adopted him. He was a little over a year old and we have had him for almost five years now. I couldn't imagine him languishing in some shelter. My heart bleeds when I think of that happening of any animal. Our little girl baby was found by some kids at my old school and she was a little runt of a thing covered in fleas and so dirty. We took her in and she's absolutely the sweetest creature, she's a big girl now.
When the Dalmatian craze was big, my sister got one and then she decided that it was too much trouble so she took it to the shelter. Luckily, he got a home where he could run and get exercise. Then she got a purebreed Scottie at the pound and kept him for awhile also. She just thought it would be cute...she was an adult for heaven sakes and had already been there and done that, dog number 2 went back to the shelter, again too much work. Now she has a Jack Russell/Bassett mix and she has had him since he was a pup. He's now 7 years old. She finally grew up but it she rejected two animals in the process. It just breaks my heart to see animals suffer. If I could I'd take a few more cats in but alas, we only can have two at our apartment. BTW, our two kitties are inside cats only and we love those animals so much! -
Reply #9 10/26/09 10:02pm
I couldn't finish reading your note I am so close to tears and upset. I have had my Otis for only 1 1/2 years and he was a rescue. A neighbor noticed he was bieng abused, then the bad family chained him up in a back yard and just moved away - not telling anyone, no food, shelter, water, love - Nothing! Fortunately for me and Otis the neighbors rescued him but they couldn't afford his vet bills so they gave him to a rescue group and he was chained up and alone once again. I got him 5 months later. I tell ya to this day he can't leave my side or he cries, howls, wets himself and makes himself sick. He is a schnauzer mix and is the most loving little soul I've ever met in my life. All it took was a little time, love, food and basic warmth and he is totally healthy today. Yes he still wets himself once in a while, yes he still howls when I leave him but he is my life! I think anyone who does what you described in dropping off their "unwanted" animal should be thrown up against a wall, chained too it with no food and or water or shelter and just left to starve to death like they left my poor Otis. Makes me sick. I'm against the shelters putting them "down" and I think the government and the people should do more for these poor babies. I'd take every one of them if I could. Mind you I understand the shelters having to assess the "fit vs unfit" It is just sad to me, very very sad! CathyM and Otis -
Reply #10 10/31/09 10:06am
We have 2 dogs, Dutch was a give away. I am so happy that I have had him since he was only a couple of months old. Molly was a take-back to the shelter, the story we got, was that she was adopted out while being pregnant, they kept the puppies and returned Molly. Molly has been our baby girl for almost 5 years. Last February, we added Coco Vous to the mix. He is a beautiful shy Russian Blue cat. Taken back to the shelter twice. So terrified of having it happen again, that he hid form us for the more than 24 hours. We frantically searched the neighborhood, thinking he got out of the house. After a couple of days, he showed up in the living room. We found out that he likes to hide in vanity! He is a blessing. My husband ever had a cat before, at least not like this one. They have bonded, and Coco is just now getting over his shyness. He has even taken his first cross-country family vacation with us. He's happy as long as he doesn't have to go outside, lol.
Adopt for a shelter!!! It was the best thing we ever did.
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