From a Shelter Manager

krazd_kat

Help "Invisible Dogs"
I'm just copying - It's an eye opener and it's one that people really do need to read and think about. Most people don't realize that when they take their dog/cat to the shelter, the shelter CAN euthanize that dog/cat before you even get back to your car.... It depends on the breed, color, size and it's attitude.... It depends on who's working as lead tech that day, she may not like that breed. When you take your animal (cats or dogs) to the shelter there's better odds that it's going to die than get adopted. (Remember also, that NOT all Humane Society's are NO Kill, Tri County gets a van EVERY week from one of them w/animals they have deemed NOT adoptable).

This is long, but a good read:
~~~~~~~~
I am posting this (and it is long) because 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, this is a forum to for adoption and/or rehoming as clearly stated in the rules. All of you breeders/sellers on craigslist should not only be flagged (and I hope the good people on craigslist will continue to do so with blind fury), but you 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. 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 not for long though.

Most 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 deafened by the yelps and screams.

They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes 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 do 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 or flag 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 thing on craIgslist and it made me want to adopt. THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.


Petfinder.com: Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a puppy or kitten.
 

frequentflier

happy to be living
It is sad but unfortunately, TRUE!
This is going to stay in my head all day...and when someone calls to see if I have puppies or kittens for sale for Xmas gifts, I am going to have to be tactful and control my urge to send them a copy of this!
We just rescued Sophie from the Howard county animal shelter about 3 months ago...she was 3rd in line "on the table" when my friend called and said we would be up the following day to get her. The lady at the shelter threw down the phone and ran into the "the room" and snagged her. They had contacted a friend of my friend and said there was an exceptional Chihuahua mix that they would like to adopt out to a rescue. My friend called the minute they opened and we drove up the next day and she ended up coming home with me. I am better at fundraising than rescue LOL
We have to keep trying to educate these people!
 

SoftballCrazy

New Member
I'm just copying - It's an eye opener and it's one that people really do need to read and think about. Most people don't realize that when they take their dog/cat to the shelter, the shelter CAN euthanize that dog/cat before you even get back to your car.... It depends on the breed, color, size and it's attitude.... It depends on who's working as lead tech that day, she may not like that breed. When you take your animal (cats or dogs) to the shelter there's better odds that it's going to die than get adopted. (Remember also, that NOT all Humane Society's are NO Kill, Tri County gets a van EVERY week from one of them w/animals they have deemed NOT adoptable).


This makes me want to cry for every dog and cat dumped at a shelter...gosh that is sad!! Its very truthful, no doubt...people need to wake up and realize a pet is a commitment, not a disposable pc of trash...

:bawl: :bawl:
 
Last edited:

ironintestines

Non-Premo
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".

God, this crybaby-job-hater makes it sound so "Auswitzch-like".

Pentobarbital is the most commonly used drug for euthanizing cats/dogs & it's NOT PINK..

hsus & peta.. :buddies: They're kicking azz!!
 

unixpirate

Pitty Party
I'm just copying - It's an eye opener and it's one that people really do need to read and think about. Most people don't realize that when they take their dog/cat to the shelter, the shelter CAN euthanize that dog/cat before you even get back to your car.... It depends on the breed, color, size and it's attitude.... It depends on who's working as lead tech that day, she may not like that breed. When you take your animal (cats or dogs) to the shelter there's better odds that it's going to die than get adopted. (Remember also, that NOT all Humane Society's are NO Kill, Tri County gets a van EVERY week from one of them w/animals they have deemed NOT adoptable).

This is long, but a good read:
~~~~~~~~
I am posting this (and it is long) because 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, this is a forum to for adoption and/or rehoming as clearly stated in the rules. All of you breeders/sellers on craigslist should not only be flagged (and I hope the good people on craigslist will continue to do so with blind fury), but you 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. 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 not for long though.

Most 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 deafened by the yelps and screams.

They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes 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 do 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 or flag 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 thing on craIgslist and it made me want to adopt. THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.


Petfinder.com: Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a puppy or kitten.

Wow K, that is heavy, but good read.

:smoochy:
 

AnnieC

New Member
God, this crybaby-job-hater makes it sound so "Auswitzch-like".

Pentobarbital is the most commonly used drug for euthanizing cats/dogs & it's NOT PINK..

hsus & peta.. :buddies: They're kicking azz!!

It is PINK so that it will not be mistaken for any other injectable!!!!
 

ironintestines

Non-Premo
Gramoxzone is clear. Color was added for the slower individuals so they knew what they were handling eventhough lables were all over the container..

Strange stuff pentobarbital is, the bottle I have is clear like water..

Maybe it's different manufacturers of the chem??
 

AnnieC

New Member
Gramoxzone is clear. Color was added for the slower individuals so they knew what they were handling eventhough lables were all over the container..

Strange stuff pentobarbital is, the bottle I have is clear like water..

Maybe it's different manufacturers of the chem??

All the vets I have worked with, it is PINK...to prevent accidents.

Like in human medicine, the Heprin was given to a baby was the wrong dose becasue all the injectables looked alike and someone did not read the "label" right.
Guess poor spelling is not considered "slow"?
"lables: Lable is not available in the general English dictionary and thesaurus"

But I guess someone like you is to "smart" to make any kind of mistake.:lmao:

So who are you to have a controled substance in their possession?
 

ironintestines

Non-Premo
All the vets I have worked with, it is PINK...to prevent accidents.

Like in human medicine, the Heprin was given to a baby was the wrong dose becasue all the injectables looked alike and someone did not read the "label" right.
Guess poor spelling is not considered "slow"?
"lables: Lable is not available in the general English dictionary and thesaurus"

But I guess someone like you is to "smart" to make any kind of mistake.:lmao:

So who are you to have a controled substance in their possession?

My apologies for the one misspelled word, but you got the message. And be careful when tossing rocks at others..

On the pentobarbital clear or pink issue, I'll concede that is comes in pink ALSO. I've never seen it in pink..

Here's the MSDS for it-

https://www.accessbutler.com/msdsimages/A0001351.pdf

Did ya ever stop to think maybe I'm in/have been in the same line of work as you, an animal care provider??
 
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