Shelters No Place for Pets

You have decided you no longer want your dog, and have taken him to the local pound. You are not worried, you know he is a wonderful dog he will be adopted quickly. At least that’s what you tell yourself.

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

Your dog will be taken from its kennel on a leash. He will  look happy – wagging his tail like he’s going for a walk. – until they get to “The Room.” Then he will stop short and put on the brakes, he will do anything NOT to go into that room. It must smell like death in there, because every dog entering does the same thing.

Trash barrels out back of a high kill shelter hold the dead bodies of animals euthanised for space.

Your dog will be restrained, then a kennel worker starts the process. They don’t just “go to sleep” peacefully, sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. His corpse will then be stacked in a large freezer with all of the other animals that were euthanized that day. Or dumped in a trash barrel out back somewhere.

The process of killing unwanted pets varies slightly from one shelter to another, but the end result is the same. A  once loved pet, dies in a heartless environment never knowing why the last thing they felt was lonely, helpless terror. Wondering what they had done wrong that made their family leave them.

Was this your intention when you walked into the shelter that day and left your dog behind? Somehow I don’t think it was. Somehow I think you believed the shelter fantasy that good healthy dogs always find homes. I am here to tell you that is not the case. I am here to tell you that if you take your pet to the pound it stands a mere 25% chance of being adopted before it’s time is up. YES that’s right I said before it’s time is up, you didn’t think they were going to keep your pet at the shelter forever did you? When you take your pet to a shelter it’s days are numbered, literally!

“Oh that won’t happen to my dog,” you say. ” He is sweet and lovable and well trained. Someone will adopt him right away!” Perhaps your dog is sweet, perhaps he truly is lovable, perhaps he is the best trained dog on the planet. But he is a shelter dog now, and that changes things.

When an animal is surrendered to a shelter, they go through psychological and behavioral changes. They will become shut down and in some cases unresponsive. They will cower at the back of their kennel afraid of their new surroundings. They will bark excessively, and some will refuse to eat. Because of their behavior when assessed they will be labeled as unadoptable. Some, (the more determined ones) will attempt to escape, which will also earn them a place on the euthanasia list. Those quirks of behavior you found so endearing? They could very well land your pet on the euthanasia list as well.

It is estimated that approximately 75% of animals surrendered to shelters in North America never see the light of day again. Still think a shelter is a good place for your pet? Remember, if you make a committment to an animal, that committment is for life! If for any reason you find that you can not fulfil that committment, it is YOUR responsibility to see that your pet is rehomed responsibly. Taking the easy way out and dropping them at a shelter so you can distance yourself from what you have done, is a death sentence for your pet. In effect in surrendering them you will have killed them.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette