Dec
19

Sometimes euthanasia is just plain killing

In another blog article, I’ve cited some of the biggest issues to be tackled by Let’s Adopt! (Canada), and one of them was turning the main Canadian cities to a no-kill policy – which is to me a perfectly attainable goal. I am aware that ”No-Kill” has to be done right, and today, I wanted to write about ”No-Kill” shelters and the animal hoarding myth.

Mos animals were malnourished

Last year, 390 neglected animals have been seized from a North Carolina property. The volunteers of American Humane, an organization protecting children and animals, were chocked to find hundreds of animals living in inappropriate conditions: dogs, cats, horses, birds, sugar gliders, pygmy goats, rabbits and even an injured llama. They lacked access to fresh water, proper food or veterinary treatments.

Dogs had missing hair patches due to mange and piled-up crates were filled with as much as 5 cats in them, others containing mice and other small animals. It’s no wonder that this rescue operation has called ”Noah’s Ark” by the local media.

This sad but true story was yet another case of animal hoarding.

After I posted my article, one of our members responded by saying that while she’s in favour of the ”No-Kill” idea, except that ”there needs to be an understanding of no-kill with compassion.” I agree, the decision of euthanizing a terminaly ill animal is a though but sometimes nessecary one when there is no other options left. A REAL euthanasia is when you put a being out of his misery. Ending the life of a healthy, adoptable animal in order to make space (or not), though, is not euthanasia; it’s killing, destroying. ”Euthanasia” sounds sweeter, but it’s mostly used as an euphemism: in some high-kill shelters and pounds, where animals are being killed by thousands every year, the appropriate word could be extermination.

A good ”No-Kill” shelter is run by caring people. It offers good quality food, access to clear water at all times and veterinary care to all their animals and is likely to…

- work with foster (temporary) families.

- gladly accept help from volunteers.

- work to gain public visibility for all of their animals, including those in foster care, for example: by running a website.

- euthanize an animal if it is found in a deplorable, painful and irreversible condition… because then only, it becomes the appropriate thing to do.

Neglected dog

Hoarders are people considered to have a compelling psychological disorder. According to author Nathan J. Winograd, ”true hoarders thrive in high kill shelter communities because they can rationalize their friends and families the accumulation of too many animals. They have no choice but to keep these animals, they say, because their local shelter will only kill them.”

”No-Kill” shelters and animal rescue organizations are working hard to save animals who can otherwise end up being killed in a ”traditional” shelter or pound. They’re blamed of being ”limited-admission” shelters, they’re a ”shame” for turning down animals when they’ve reached their capacity, BUT at the same time, they’re called ”warehouses”, ”hoarding facilities”. Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?

Sincerely,

Cath

December 19, 2009 // Posts by Cath // 3 Comments // Tags: cats, dogs, euthanasia, rabbits, shelters, United States

3 Comments to “Sometimes euthanasia is just plain killing”

December 19, 2009 at 12:59 am
Kelly says:

Too often small shelters that are run by one or two people fall onto hard economic times. The media loves these stories, reporting that the local SPCA confiscates animals in deplorable conditions and the “hoarder” is up on charges. There is often more to these stories than is reported. Where is the help for the individuals who strive to help the voiceless? Why aren’t communities taking an interest in the efforts of these individuals, preferring instead to donate once or twice a year to the SPCA to assuage their consciences?

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December 19, 2009 at 2:33 am
Sheila White says:

One way to stop the cycle is to convince people to spay/neuter and adopt. There are just too many animals, and it’s our fault, not that of the animals. Humans must be more responsible. It is very hard to educate people about this, I know. I speak with people about it, my car is covered with bumper stickers about it.

I feel so strongly that the animals deserve better from us and I am glad to have found like-minded souls on FB. I want to believe that someday we will make a dent in the horrible way we casually and routinely mistreat animals.

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December 19, 2009 at 6:23 am
Misha Dee says:

Cath -
“bravo” for a great article. I don’t see why you should lose sleep or members over what you wrote here.
All is true.
I’d go even further.
There are many so called no-kill (or low kill -like spca, humane societies = they are NOT no-kill!!!) who play number games at a very high price to the animals.
For example – the majorities of so-called no kill shelters will not take orphaned kittens or puppies if they are still nursing. Usually anything under 3-4 weeks will be either denied or if surrendered from the public they will often euthanize them. They will also not take kittens or puppies with URI (Upper Respiratory Infections) something VERY, very common.
Our local Humane Society plays that very game, which is one of the reasons I left them. I worked with the foster coordinator to create a list of neo-natal fosters. Well, the coordinator was let go and the next one wasn’t interested. NO INTEREST. I offered to coordinate and recruit volunteers as this was my expertise. NO INTEREST!
The final straw was when I fostered 2 puppies from a very large litter that developed hematomas in their earlobes (obviously hereditary). They had already euthanized the puppies in other foster homes. I told them I’d keep them for treatment, and wouldn’t allow these dogs to be killed for something like a hematoma.
Absolutely ridiculous!
Well, I made sure these dogs were adopted and I ended my volunteer services for that shelter. They are the biggest shelter in our area and receive a huge amount of donations. Yet the truth in many many counties in the US and I am certain this is true in Canada as well, is that the smaller (volunteer run) rescues do the hard work. They are the ones that pull the sick, the old, the young, the scared from the city shelters.
And how can one blame those city shelters? They are usually out of sight somewhere in the woods or industrial neighborhood, low budgets, low pay/education workers, the conditions are deplorable and the supply of animals being dumped never ends….never ever ends ….EVER.
People seem to think they have a magic wand there or something.
Truth is if you surrender an animal to a shelter they’ll keep it for a few days if it’s a stray. If it’s an owner surrender, it will put up for adoption if it’s lucky. If it’s during kitten/puppy season – they will be killed within a day or hours.
That’s reality.
So the question really should be, what needs to change?
Is it JUST the cities or is it the people who dump these animals in the first place?
Perhaps it’s both.
Can’t wait to hear what others have to say.
Misha
Let’s Adopt!(USA)

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