Before you get a pet...

[Bill Bumface]

NSFW!

*NSFW tags added, but it's SFW. It just might make you feel really really guilty if you've ever taken a healthy pet to the Humane Society.


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

[malcolmk14]

Why are all those kitties so sleepy, Mr. Rogan?

[Bigtime]

Aww, look at that giant pile of cats sleeping-oh wait...

[Hockeyguy15]

That black and white one looks like my parents cat that ran away

[Kybosh]

The picture represents the kitchen at Foody Goody.

[burn_this_city]

People may object to this, but surrendering an animal you adopted/purchased because you can't hack it is one of the most gutless things someone can do. Pets should be like guns, you should have to take a course, fill out a bunch of forms, and have people who have known you for more than 5 years vouch that you aren't a complete flake before you are even considered.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

The picture represents the kitchen at Foody Goody.

There must have been a lot of orders for ginger dog..I mean beef, that day.

[MarchHare]

My wife and I bought a dog from a breeder over a year ago, and we don't regret our decision in the slightest. We love our pet, and while it has been incredibly challenging to adjust to having her in our lives, we wouldn't dream of surrendering her to a shelter.

Of course everything in your post is absolutely heartbreaking, but it won't deter us from buying another dog again in the future. Like it or not, many people prefer purebreds over mixed-breed rescue dogs for a number of reasons. That doesn't mean we love animals any less than you do.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

DELICI--I mean, AWFUL!

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

People may object to this, but surrendering an animal you purchased because you can't hack it is one of the most gutless things someone can do. Pets should be like guns, you should have to take a course, fill out a bunch of forms, and have people who have known you for more than 5 years vouch that you aren't a complete flake before you are even considered.

I don't object to it, I also think that you should go to the pound before you go to a pet store or breeder. It is harder for some people to get from the pound though, my girlfriend is allergic but loves animals so she has to get something hypoallergenic.

[woob]

How do I apply for more thanks?? There's like 4 people I want to give them to in this thread alone!

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

My wife and I bought a dog from a breeder over a year ago, and we don't regret our decision in the slightest. We love our pet, and while it has been incredibly challenging to adjust to having her in our lives, we wouldn't dream of surrendering her to a shelter.

Of course everything in your post is absolutely heartbreaking, but it won't deter us from buying another dog again in the future. Like it or not, many people prefer purebreds over mixed-breed rescue dogs for a number of reasons. That doesn't mean we love animals any less than you do.

Of course they do. Who wouldn't want their pet to be the exact breed and temperment they expected with the least genetic health problems as possible? The point is that, is getting exactly what you want worth putting another shelter animal to death?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Of course they do. Who wouldn't want their pet to be the exact breed and temperment they expected with the least genetic health problems as possible? The point is that, is getting exactly what you want worth putting another shelter animal to death?

That assumes owning a pet is an either/or decision between buying a dog from a breeder or rescuing a dog from a shelter. For my wife and I, the decision was either buying a purebred dog or not having any pet at all.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Like it or not, many people prefer purebreds over mixed-breed rescue dogs for a number of reasons.

Is it the high rate of genetic defects or the weird psycho behavior you prefer with your purebred? It seems like a great chunk of purebreds out there act like ######ed royals.

Gimme a mutt anyway.....it might not be as pretty, but they always seem to be healthier and have better dispositions. Plus it feels great to save a life and help out the underdog (or in our case, undercat!).

[Lithium]

I feel that picture should have had a NSFW button attached to it.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

My wife and I bought a dog from a breeder over a year ago, and we don't regret our decision in the slightest. We love our pet, and while it has been incredibly challenging to adjust to having her in our lives, we wouldn't dream of surrendering her to a shelter.

Of course everything in your post is absolutely heartbreaking, but it won't deter us from buying another dog again in the future. Like it or not, many people prefer purebreds over mixed-breed rescue dogs for a number of reasons. That doesn't mean we love animals any less than you do.

My feelings aren't exactly the same as the author. I think as a responsible pet owner you aren't hurting the situation at all. I guess there point is you did turn down an opportunity to help the situation by taking one pet out of the pile, but if people were all like yourself there would be no pile.

I think I would adopt in the future because it's my own personal choice. I've posted before, but here's my adoption story:

A coworker had found him and he was on his way into the euthanasia room when I called to ask about him. I didn't want a cat, but just thinking about this poor little guy (less than 1 year old) recovering from being beaten up and starved on the streets, only to be put down after his fight, was too much to take.

I didn't even know what he looked like until I went to meet him that night.

I know everyone says their cat is the coolest, but anyone that has met Max will agree he IS the coolest. He'll hang out with dogs that come over, he'll play with anything, especially straws from big gulp cups which he regularly steals, and then he'll pass out and sleep on your lap for hours.

He was almost gone, but instead we've had 4 awesome years together.

Yes. I'm a huge fag. I love my cat

Almost killed:

[Kybosh]

Shelters sometimes twist the thumb screws on prospective adopters. It isn't as easy as just walking in and adopting a dog/cat. On the other hand, the vast majority of breeders (in my experience) do zero back checking and if you've got the cash, you'll get the pet.

[Yasa]

Well I'm thoroughly sad now.

[kermitology]

My fiancée and I saved three kitties from that end. One is passed out beside me right now.

[Bill Bumface]

The shelters attitude is they'd rather euthanize the animal than subject it to abuse. They're trying to keep the proverbial Chinese restaurant from coming in and cleaning out the kitties.