Letter from a Shelter Manager

[totallyhip]

Please pass along far and wide.

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 to that doesn't allow pets and why did you choose that place
instead of a pet friendly home?

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 apart of your
family?

They always tell me: "We just don't want to have to stress about
finding a place for her we know s
he'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 put the
brakes on 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 e
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 t
hey spasm for a while,
gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pet's 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 further than the pets you dump at a shelter.

[14+kitties]

I will be printing this off and taking it to our local pet stores. Hopefully they will agree to post it somewhere in their stores.
Also...... I would like to cross post this in the pros/cons problems with breeding thread if you don't mind.

Thank you

[Love4himies]

:sad: to all of those who volunteer their time to save these animals, you are my hero and their

[totallyhip]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

I will be printing this off and taking it to our local pet stores. Hopefully they will agree to post it somewhere in their stores.
Also...... I would like to cross post this in the pros/cons problems with breeding thread if you don't mind.

Thank you

Yes yes yes !!! Pass it along to everyone! Thank you

[Karin]

Having worked for a county animal control and a humane society shelter I can attest that this is very true...and sad.

When it was time to say a final goodbye to any of the animals, we always did it with great compassion and care. Probably the most they ever saw in their short lifetime. We were all their because of our love for animals. Obviously not for the money, shelters cant pay well or offer benefits to the employees.

[BenMax]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Finally someone who has the guts and courage to say it EXACTLY like it is!

I was in the euthansia room for months and everything said here is absolutely 100% true. This is why people SHOULD NEVER take their 'loved' pets to the shelter to have them PTS. If you love your animals as you say you do then this option is NOT an option.

As far as being a witness to HUNDREDS of deaths myself - there is not one that went willingly or with peace nor ease. They all could sense death and they ALL reacted. Every single one of them - no exception.

I aswell could 'share' true stories but if I cannot sleep then why would I burdeon this onto all of you.

Again a huge THANK YOU!

Peace to all that have suffered. Shame on those who have others do their dirty work.

[cell]

I use to volunteer and work at a animal shelter in NS. I was hoping to volunteer here at the Montreal SPCA but they have requirements, where you have a shift that you have to show up for once a week and there is a minimum you can show up without being booted. Being a student with a random schedule I am essentially not allowed to volunteer my time, I wish they would change that so I could go when I had the time. Not all shelters are run as the one depicted in this article, but I have a feeling many of the inner city ones are.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by cell

I use to volunteer and work at a animal shelter in NS. I was hoping to volunteer here at the Montreal SPCA but they have requirements, where you have a shift that you have to show up for once a week and there is a minimum you can show up without being booted. Being a student with a random schedule I am essentially not allowed to volunteer my time, I wish they would change that so I could go when I had the time. Not all shelters are run as the one depicted in this article, but I have a feeling many of the inner city ones are.

Well I am certain that anywhere they do an abundance amount of euthansias - then this would describe it perfectly.

[Mat&Murph]

I am printing this off and taking it to the pet store by my place. They sell puppies and have a sign up always looking for pupppies!! This is just heart breaking and I am crying as I type this

[COCO350]

I've been a member for some time now, I do not post or reply much, I read and try and learn as much as I can, I call myself an animal lover, my life is complete because of my pets...Deep down, I knew what really happens to these poor animals, but reading it...this post made me vomit, I apologize for beeing so honest but that's the effect it had on me. I will print and post in pets shops near by.


To all of you who face this day after day, I commend you, Glod bless you.

Corinne

[joeysmama]

This is so heartbreaking !!

I think that, sadly, with the shaky economy shelters are going to get even busier.:sad:

[ClothCanoeMama]

How heartbreaking , I'll also be printing this and sharing it with others, I wonder if vets would post this in their offices too.

[Lise]

I'm going out to hug my foster in the kennel at least he's one of the unwanted who through the effort of so many good people has now found a permanant loving home with people who can't wait to have him.I know working in a shelter is horrible hard work and to everyone with the strength and love to do it thankyou.The rest of us have to just keep trying to fix our little corner of the world and maybe soon we will actually start to make a difference.Economy or not if you love your animal you always find a way to take care of them,anyone who dumps at a shelter will always find some excuse.

[Sylvie]

The letter was awesome, even though it breaks my heart.

The worst part of this problem, is that I know some of these people that never should have got an animal in the first place and show no emotion when they decide it is time to get rid of it.

I agree, that we can do the best in our little part of the world, but if we keep getting the word out maybe that part of the world will get bigger.

Ben Max, the things you do amaze me. If I were an animal in trouble, I would want you to come to my rescue. I can't say it enough thank you from both me and the animals you have helped, even if it was just to euthanise them, they had finally someone that cared for them at the end.

Also another thank you to everyone on this site that has helped even just one animal. Keep up the good work.

Stoney