The photo is awful, but I will never forget the day this dog was brought into the shelter I oversaw by a woman who no longer wanted him. 13 years old, blind and suffering from hip dysplasia, the dog had become an “inconvenience” to the woman whose kids had gone off to college and was now “interfering” with what she explained to me was “her time.” Instantly, my blood began to boil. One of my employees, familiar with the meaning of my now tightly set jaw, ordered me to my office. Knowing my propensity to speak my mind, my employee took evasive action to prevent the brewing show down. I obeyed her and went upstairs. When she told me that the coast was clear and it was safe for me to come down, there he was, a bit wobbly but all smiles, as sweet as can be, and radiating nothing but good intentions. He was a gem. Had this beautiful dog been surrendered to most shelters, they would have killed him and blamed the woman. But once in our care and custody, the choice as to whether he lived or died was ours and ours alone. Killing him (or the thousands of others) was simply not an option because helping him was the reason we existed in the first place. Of course, we found him a loving home. In other words, we did our job. In the United States today, over 165 million dogs and cats share our homes and only a small percentage will ever see the inside of a shelter. Most Americans love their animals, consider them a part of the family and will go to great lengths to ensure their happiness and well-being. Indeed, Americans spend close to $60 billion a year on their animal companions. Specialization and advancements in the field of veterinary medicine have been driven by a population of Americans willing to spend and do whatever it takes to save the lives of the animals they love. Giving to animal related causes continues to be the fastest growing segment in American philanthropy. And in the case of this dog, a family—who presumably did not go to the shelter looking for a 13 year old, blind dog with hip problems—nonetheless opened up their hearts and home to him. But the truth is that there will always be a small percentage of people who are irresponsible and while it is fair to blame those who are truly uncaring for failing to live up to their responsibilities, it isn’t accurate to blame them for shelter killing. As righteous as it may feel to point the finger of blame in that direction, we will never be able to overcome the true cause of shelter killing as long as we continue to do so. Animal homelessness is an inevitable fact born of the very nature of life itself: nothing lasts forever, people die, animals become lost, circumstances change and yes, some people have a hole where their heart should be. Animal shelters are supposed to protect animals from the uncertainties of life, and to give them a new home when things go wrong. As hundreds of communities across the nation conclusively prove now, shelter killing is a choice. In other words, our animal shelters could be great, and the narrative that says that when an animal is no longer wanted, tragedy must necessarily ensue, could be replaced by the understanding that when animals need a helping hand, our society ensures that they have one. The infrastructure for this is already in place. What is lacking is the will to reform the 3,000 plus kill shelters across the nation. As long as we fail to reform shelters, millions of dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals will continue to needlessly lose their lives each and every year. We Can Do It!: bit.ly/198sATv
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 07:46:48 +0000
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