Pet Euthanization

What You Don't See - A Video Courtesy of DeathRowPets.net

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your pet. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

-- Author Unknown --

This is a heartbreaking video, and yes, it took me a good 30 minutes to get myself together afterwards enough to stop the tears and see what I am attempting to type here.

I love animals. I always have and I always will. I was born and raised on a farm where I had dogs and cats always around....a pet cow named Patty that we used to ride around the meadow and get wet sloppy cow licks from....chinchillas....ferrets....a baby raccoon that we rescued from the woods behind our home when his mother was killed and he was too young to take care of himself....the list goes on and on.

I have been guilty of not having my pets spayed or neutered. Usually it was because of financial reasons. But I didn't let my animals run loose either and get in the position where they could become pregnant or impregnate someone else's pet. However, I must admit that, after watching this video I will never again allow any of my pets to not be spayed and/or neutered. I am so very, very proud of my daughter, April, another animal lover. She and her fiance, Jay, just adopted two adorable kittens from their local shelter that have been neutered. Arthur and Smokey are the newest members of their family and just loads of fun!!!

Rescuing animals has always been a secret passion of mine. Something I have always wanted to do but never had the time to actually do anything about it. Yes, I knew animals were killed in shelters but, if I wasn't seeing it, then it wouldn't bother me....right? Wrong! After watching this video, I am more determined then ever to find a way to help my local animal shelter. Whether it be to volunteer at the shelter, help find homes for animals that are in danger of going on "the list" or working a pet adoption stand on the weekends....one way or another I am going to make a commitment to start doing something about this problem - NOW.

I'm just one person though. I can't save them all on my own. That's where YOU come in. Even if it is only an hour or two a weekend....getting the word out to friends and members of your community to get their animals spayed and neutered...contacting your local public officials to enact stricter laws governing the sale and breeding of animals and making it easier for the lower income families who do wish to adopt to be able to do so and have their animal properly spayed or neutered and enable them to afford the veterinary care that their beloved pet will require. Every little bit helps - as it does in all things!!! You are but a single pixel of a much larger picture, but without you, the picture cannot be completed. That one missing pixel will keep the picture from developing. Please don't be that missing pixel...

I had a beloved dog many years ago, a white cockapoo named Precious. I doted on her as though she were my baby. When she would go into heat I would put pampers on her. When she was sick, I'd rush her right to the vet. One day my husband and I went to the mall and left her outside with adequate food and water in an area that was shaded (at the time). We weren't planning on being gone but an hour or two, but for whatever reason, it was almost four hours later when we arrived home. Naturally I went to bring her in as soon as we arrived home only to find her gone from our yard. I was frantic till one of our neighbors told us that our other neighbor had come home and found her lying in the backyard listless and not moving so she rushed her to her personal veterinarian.

To make a long story short, my Precious little girl had dumped her water over, and as the day wore on and the temperature rose and the sun shifted positions...her shade was gone and she was subjected to the full force of a summer day in North Carolina. Being the little scrap of fluff that she was, she suffered a heat stroke. When I arrived at the hospital, she was wrapped in a blanket in the back room, barely breathing, her eyes were dull and only had a bit of spark left in them. The doctor told me that there was nothing that they could do for her and that she was going to pass soon. He asked me if I wanted to put her to sleep and I couldn't bear the thought of killing my poor Precious, so I just told them to leave us be. I sat with her in my arms and I talked to her and I sang to her and I cuddled her like I'd always done, being ever so gentle with her, I rocked her back and forth, back and forth, for what seemed like only seconds when she gave my hand a little nudge and tried to lick my hand and then she was gone. I sat there holding her for almost an hour before I could let her go. I will never forgive myself for leaving her outside. If I had not done that one stupid act, she might be still with us. I know she forgave me and that when I pass I will see her again, and I can't wait. I am so looking forward to being with my little Precious again that sometimes it just hurts deep inside like a knife twisting in my stomach....but I know she is happy and healthy now in Heaven and that she is waiting for me.

I've lost many pets in my lifetime. Our family dog, Bruno, had to be put down after my grandfather died. He was heartbroken as my grandfather was his constant companion and he loved to romp and play with the cows in the meadow of my grandparents' farm. He was the most gentle giant I've ever seen (he was a full-blooded St. Bernard).

My husband and I separated and I had to move out of the base housing that we shared. The new place I was moving to wouldn't allow pets so I had to find a home for our other dog, Levi, a beagle/terrier mix. I tried desperately to find a family that would take him and I could not. God was watching over him; however, the day I had to take him to the local animal shelter. As I was talking to the people at the shelter trying to get their assurance that they would not put him to sleep, a man and his wife and their little girl came to the shelter looking for a dog. Levi and his new family hit it off right from the start. They had a farm out in the country with acres of land for him to explore and run on. He never even saw the inside of the shelter, for which I am eternally grateful. But I will never forget the look on his face as he looked out the back window of their vehicle as they pulled away with him. That face that said, "What did I do?" Nothing at all sweet Levi...nothing at all. I was fortunate enough to have their names and phone numbers and I would call to check on him every few months to make sure he was alright. They said he adjusted beautifully to his new home and he absolutely loved all the space to run and play with their daughter.

People I encounter who know nothing about spaying or neutering their pets seem to think it is so extremely expensive and time consuming. It's not!!! You take your pet in early one morning and they are back home the following day provided there are no complications and usually there are not. Here in Virginia, if you earn below $30,000 a year, you can have your pet spayed or neutered FREE by your local SPCA.

So in conclusion, please watch the video, if you can. Then please do what you can to help take care of the pet overpopulation around the world. Just like children, they did not ASK to be born into this world....so it is our RESPONSIBILITY to take care of them as WE are the only reason that they are here.

I will be posting some links where you can find out more about how to help with the pet overpopulation. Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is most appreciated.