Written by a shelter manager.
This is the reality of what happens each and every day. Thousands upon thousands of animals are euthanized every day, Please do everything humanly possible and explore every last option prior to turning your pet in to an animal shelter.
"As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all - a view from the inside, if you will.
... 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.
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.
No shortage of excuses
The most common excuses I hear are:
We are moving and we can't take our dog .
Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets?
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 bringing her inside, 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, and how stressful do you think being in a shelter is?
Well, let me tell you. Dead pet walking!
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.
Liberty, freedom and justice for all
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 do every day on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists and I hate that it will always be there unless 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 is 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 maybe I changed one person's 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 message and it made me want to adopt".
That would make it all worth it." please share
signed,
a dog-a-holic mom of 3 senior dogs
Comments