Event Horizo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Not the most pleasant reading but gives a real insight into what these guys have to deal with.:- "A Letter from a Shelter Manager - anonymous in North Carolina 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." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 My pets are members of my family, there is nothing (short of starvation of me or them) that would make me give them up and I do not understand how people can give away or sell members of their family. I am also disgusted at how little legislation there is to protect animals with regards to breeding. I have distant family members that have done it to make money which really annoyed me! Luckily they made very little in the end so I don't think they are attempting it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittenta Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Makes awful reading doesn't it, the poor things. I was put into a position not too long ago where I had to re-home two of my cats. I didn't put them in shelters because I knew it would be the worst thing for them. I hated letting them go but my personal situation had changed dramatically and the decision had to be made. I am still in touch with the person who kindly took my cats in, although one sadly ran away . And I made it clear that if for any reason they couldn't keep them, I would have them back, no questions asked and that will stand for as long as they live. You have to remember that, sometimes, there are genuine reasons for people having to give up their pets. Unfortunately the genuine cases are pretty rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Makes awful reading doesn't it, the poor things. I was put into a position not too long ago where I had to re-home two of my cats. I didn't put them in shelters because I knew it would be the worst thing for them. I hated letting them go but my personal situation had changed dramatically and the decision had to be made. I am still in touch with the person who kindly took my cats in, although one sadly ran away . And I made it clear that if for any reason they couldn't keep them, I would have them back, no questions asked and that will stand for as long as they live. You have to remember that, sometimes, there are genuine reasons for people having to give up their pets. Unfortunately the genuine cases are pretty rare. Just like to point out when I said give them away I mean things like ads on freecycle not when you ask responsible family/friends to take them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoo gal Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 We adopted a cat recently who is old (about 12). Older animals are much more grateful. I'd never get a kitten, older cats are just as cute and won;t rip your curtains to shreds. Some of the dogs must get homed though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwkittie Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Very sobering stuff, I wish everyone would consider a rescue animal first. Not suitable for everyone but everyone should at least consider it before just going for the cutest puppy or the kitten that's the 'right' colour Edit - also get their pets neutered! Can't stand blokes that see their dogs testicles as an extension of their own manhood, it's pathetic (besides you can get fake balls now so no one even need know!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Can I just point out that this is the position in the US, whereas in this country there are lots of rescues that only put dogs or cats to sleep for very good reasons (serious aggression or health problems that cannot be treated). In this country pounds have to keep animals for at least 7 days, but in some ways that's worse, because I also know of lots of examples of dogs being kept by pounds when they were in such poor health that they really did need to be put to sleep to prevent their suffering, yet because they were legally obliged to keep the dogs for a week the dogs lay in pain in their kennels for a week before they were euthenised. I'm one of those who has their eyes open completely to the state of animal rescue and the peril that animals that are no longer cute fluffy babies find themselves in when they are in need of rescue- if only the people who gave their animals up understood the same... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlepink Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Such a sad thread yet necessary I suppose for the ones that dump their animals like that. Do they care though? how anyone can part with an animal in such a way is way beyond my comprehension but I know we are not all the same. I have to admit I did not read past the OP part where the dogs are put on a lead and lead to the place of death . I felt sick. Maybe the world would be a much nicer place if it were full of caring people ?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Sleeps Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 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. Rubbish. Sentimental tripe. A dog can't comprehend its mortality, or the souls of doggies gone. T'is piffle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlepink Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Rubbish. Sentimental tripe. A dog can't comprehend its mortality, or the souls of doggies gone. T'is piffle. You fit into my caring category then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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