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Thread: Letter from an animal shelter....

  1. #1
    Senior Member Moderator Slo's Avatar
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    Letter from an animal shelter....

    Just something I saw on Craigslist that his a spot with me....

    *****quote*****
    Letter from a shelter manager ((Everywhere))

    Reply to: see below
    Date: 2009-04-14, 10:34AM MDT



    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
    *****end quote*****

  2. #2
    Member Pharmgirl's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    I could not agree more. I specifically hate the 'moving' excuse. Are these animals not part of your family? Would you move somewhere where your kids aren't allowed and give them away too? How horrible.

    Thanks for posting this!
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  3. #3
    Say what again... Site Admin rforsythe's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    And that's why I adopted a shelter dog.
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    Senior Member Think's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    She hit the nail on the head.
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    Senior Member Pandora-11's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    Reading this hurts.
    My dog was adopted from the Pike's Peak animal shelter along with a tiny orange malnourished long-haired kitten. One of the workers told us she was the sweetest dog in the place, but you could tell her heart was broken. At seven months old, she already knew that when a person came home that she was in trouble. She would run to the corner of the room and hide her face under her paws...a clear signal to us that she had been battered. She became the mother to Elliott, the kitten, who should have still been with his mother. She even allowed a kitten to nurse off her with a confused look on her face.
    Long story short, she came when she was called on day one and has been the best dog I've ever had..hiking with me leash-free and always staying by my side.
    She has been with us for five years now and is starting to get gray around the muzzle. All I can say is that this family will fall apart when this black lab/ border collie mix dog's time is up...........She is irreplaceable.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Moderator Slo's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    Animals that are abused, well....once you earn their trust, they will never turn their backs on you.

    I love the fact that animals don't care if you're sick, got no money, dress poorly, do something embarrassing, they just have unconditional love for you...

    I went to the Table Mountain Animal Center today and unfortunately living in Denver, you cannot have any sort of mix of AmStaff's, which is a shame since it's such a good breed, just about all these dogs in the shelter couldn't even hurt a mouse if they sat on it. Table Mtn had 90%+ Amstaff's or mixed with them.

  7. #7
    Member MVBrutaleRider's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    I couldn't agree more. I have had numerous adoptions from shelters. I have had to once take a dog to a shelter but it was because I was going to loose my home if i didn't get rid of him in a hurry. He was a rescue (literally) that i stole from a meth head as a puppy. this poor guy got lungs full of the shit on a daily basis and I wouldn't let that keep going.

    I actually went back to the shelter the next day though to get him back but he was already adopted out... I talked to the new owners and he is as happy as could be. Pug/rat terrier mix.

    I have a huge soft spot for dogs (not a fan of cats though). I have 2 currently and they are my kids. They do everything with me. I don't know what i would do without them. they are a brindle boxer and a beagle/choco lab mix.

    Dogs are the only living thing that will love their companion more then themselves ALL THE TIME unconditionally!

    I also have 2 cats that were both shelter rescues (did i mention that I hate cats?). Im not allowed into shelters anymore. I ALWAYS come home with a new dog when i go into one just to look. Needless to say I have had a lot of dogs over the years

    - Justin
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  8. #8
    Member MVBrutaleRider's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    i actually almost came home with a bunny last time too.

    - Justin
    Justin Naekel - Las Vegas, NV

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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    damn thats sad. me and val are going to be adopting another family member in june. we want another kid and kawisaki wants a brother or sister.
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    Great post!

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo1299 View Post
    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
    I could see doing that!
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  11. #11
    Member Mister BOYD's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    IF you make the commitment to buy an animal STICK with it.

  12. #12
    Senior Member Lifetime Supporter 64BonnieLass's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    Great post Jay. Of course, this ensures I will be in tears the remainder of the day.

    But it's a good letter. The truth hurts and I only wish more people get the chance to have their hearts broken by that letter. I really do.

    I have wanted to help animals my entire life and am still trying to figure out how to give more of myself to the cause. It will happen someday.
    "Keep that "what if" thought in the back of your mind; it's the angel on your shoulder balancing the devil in your right hand."

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  13. #13
    Senior Member Moderator Slo's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    Yeah when I was living in GA, I went to Fulton County Animal Shelter, went back the following week to say hi to the dogs and kitties and found they were almost all new, I would say more than 80% were euthanized that week. Not sure if it varies stated by state, but I heard there, the shelters get some $$$ for each animal they put down.

    Nothing made my day more than going back excited to see some of the dogs and kittens that I had befriended a few days before and finding out they were all put down.

    That's why I refuse to goto Denver Dumb Friends League (unless they have changed their ways), it's still a kill shelter. I have always been biased towards Boulder Humane Society even though it's so far out of my way, just because they are no-kill. At least for "adoptable" 4 legged companions.

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    Senior Member Wyck's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    I think this is one of the better posts I've seen on craigslist about rescue animals. When I was more seriously considering getting a companion for my dog I went through about two pages of posts and saw I don't know how many "re:such and such" posts of people ridiculing each other. Not the way to get the point across about the benefits of adopting when all you do is criticize and call other people out. After viewing such behavior I decided then and there that if/when I get another pet it will be from a shelter just like my last one.
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    Gold Member Yearly Supporter McVaaahhh's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    Yes, I'm guilty of buying a pet-store dog. But she is my best bud, and there is no way I would not take her with me if I had to move or whatever. When the time comes for me to get another dog I will definitely head to the shelter.

    Spay/Neuter your dogs and remember they're your best friend no matter what. Treat them right and they will return an unconditional love no human could ever match.
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    Senior Member Lifetime Supporter 64BonnieLass's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    I bought Tyler with my nephew from DDFL.

    And that boy was my heart and soul. The dog who wanted to be a boy, I always thought. He was amazing. And I believe he touched the life of everyone I put him in contact with.

    Someone had sent me a card that read..."At first they need us, then we need them". Very true words for me personally.
    "Keep that "what if" thought in the back of your mind; it's the angel on your shoulder balancing the devil in your right hand."

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    Member kevplus2's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo1299 View Post

    That's why I refuse to goto Denver Dumb Friends League (unless they have changed their ways), it's still a kill shelter. I have always been biased towards Boulder Humane Society even though it's so far out of my way, just because they are no-kill. At least for "adoptable" 4 legged companions.
    not that i have anything against boulder humane society (we adopted one of our beagles there), but they have pretty strict rules about what "adoptable" means. they use it to blurr the fact of how many animals they actually put down (which isnt much different than most shelters from what i hear)

    also remember to check into the local "rescues". they are usually breed specific and a great way to adopt new friends. that is how we found our second beagle

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    Senior Member Mental's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from a animal shelter....

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo1299 View Post
    Animals that are abused, well....once you earn their trust, they will never turn their backs on you...
    QFT! My Ricco is a pound puppy. I came home at 3 AM after a month away, and he greeted me at the door; fangs out, razorback hair. He was protecting my wife, as soon as he realized it was me he was fine, but knowing he was there makes leaving my home a lot easier. That is the greatest dog I ever had.
    GSXRScott made me follow him into that corner,...down that hill...there was the time up that washout...crankcase alley...man I gotta stop following him.
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  19. #19
    Senior Member Moderator Slo's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    Yeah all shelters will euthanize any animal deemed "un-adoptable", and there will be many things that make an animal fit that category in their rules. However at boulder and certain other humane societies/shelters, once the public is able to see the animal, it will spend the rest of it's life there until adopted out, the animal is not on a time limit.

  20. #20
    Member PROFLYER's Avatar
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    Re: Letter from an animal shelter....

    my lab was adopted by me from the shelter. He lives on 80 acres with a view of the mountains and gets a floaty toy throw into a 4 acre pond for him every day. I wouldn't do it any other way. Got him at 3 months and he has never crapped in the house, I swear he KNOWS I saved him.
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