søndag 30. juni 2013

Euthanasia in an Animal Shelter and Finding Acceptance

By Nina Impala Published 06/12/2013 Death, a Brighter Approach Unrated


"I love animals and I worked at a vet for a while, so I am well aware of all the joys pets can bring us with their tail-wagging, happy, wiggly love and acceptance of us. Unfortunately there are many loveable pets that are euthanized every day because they become lost or their owners surrender them.  I had not been to a shelter in a long time, but I had reason to recently after a puppy in my community was abandoned by her owners who got in trouble, had to move, and left her behind. A kind neighbor that rescued her could not keep her but gave her food and a place to live until he handed her over to the local animal shelter. Skylar, the abandoned puppy, was a pit bull terrier, and because her breed is considered aggressive her chances of getting adopted were slim. I knew I could only do so much, but and I felt the need to do something. So I went to visit her with a friend in hopes to of buying her some time by showing interest. 

 When I arrived I saw and felt such sadness. As I wandered around the large shelter and looked into all the animal’s eyes I knew most of them would be euthanized. It was a sobering fact for an animal lover like me to comprehend. I couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t some way to save all these animals. I knew that with too many animals and so few homes to be adopted into, mass euthanasia was simply going to happen. I could not help but think of how this was done to humans during WWII in the Nazi concentration camps. I know that’s not a great comparison, as human genocide is shocking and unconscionable, but I wondered if being with loved ones made it even a tiny bit easier for these people to face death. In the case of the shelter animals I wondered if it helped at all that they would be leaving together and not alone. 

After we had been there for a while my eyes were welling up and so were my girlfriend’s. But even though I was sad I knew that it was okay. Yes, it was okay. As my HeartSight™ kicked in I could begin to see this from an angel’s perspective. The word, euthanasia, is Greek: ‘eu,’ meaning well, and  ‘thanatos,’ meaning death.  It was clear to me that the animals that were scheduled for euthanasia were being treated very well in preparation for their death. I watched many kind people taking care of these animals, and I witnessed so much compassion, and love. Volunteers gave the gift of their time to these animals, hugging, scratching, brushing and snuggling them before their time to be euthanized.  I got a lump in my throat as I saw all of the love that was shared daily at the shelter. They were like Mother Teresa’s for animals in my mind.  It had to be tough to keep going to work everyday knowing all they could do was love the animals, let go, and move on.  What a job to have!"   Forts.


Euthanasia in an Animal Shelter and Finding Acceptance

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