Twilight Zone

It was another strange day, driving around from place to place.  I felt like all the dogs are dying.

First, Cindy and I went down to the Carson shelter to help someone bail a Shepard mix from the pound.  While we were there, we saw a family dragging a young dog to dump it at the pound.  It is called an "owner turn-in" and most of the dogs are euthanized within 5 days or sooner.  Cindy said something like, "Do you know that they'll kill your dog in five days?"  And they were shaking their heads and saying, "Oh, this is a good dog.  They won't kill it".  The mother of the family said the dog was sick and so they didn't want it.  To me the dog looked like it was in great health...it probably had a minor case of kennel cough like every other dog that comes out of the shelter.  We only talked to the mother because the dad had his hands full with his toddlers (who were dressed in dirty clothes and looked miserable).  Then the woman said, "Since you are on a crusade, why don't you adopt the dog?"  I wanted to punch her in the face.  I wanted to run over like the Tasmanian devil and pull her hair out.  Cindy said, "Well, I have too many dogs but I can help you get medicine and get the dog better."  The smug ugly foul-mouthed mother says, "Nah, that's okay.  Maybe you can just make a donation."  And then she dragged her dog into the shelter, where it will probably die in a lonely and cold backroom five days from now.

Our second stop on this great journey today was a house near Lomita where 11 or 12 Akitas were left by their owner when he checked into a rehab clinic.  They were starving and filthy and their only caretaker is a guy who has lived in the alcoholic's garage for a couple of years.  He is taking horrible care of the dogs--but the only alternative is to send them to the shelter where they will certainly die.  Most of them are senior dogs and will be nearly impossible to adopt out.  One dog was in the garage and seemed paralyzed, so we took him straight to the animal emergency room.  He was in such bad shape that they euthanized him today.  I wanted to take another dog from the house named "Widget" with me, but I don't have the money or the space for him.  I called a very well-known rescuer who is rich, but she brushed me off.  She doesn't do favors--she only asks for favors.

I feel a bit helpless, but the rescue world is like the Twilight Zone.  There are so many ignorant people, both compassionless and amoral, who will do anything cruel to an animal and not give it a second thought.  No matter how many dogs we pull out of shelters, we can't erase those people.  It's so hard to have the sadness for the animals not turn into pure rage toward those who victimize animals...

I guess I did the best I could today.

Comments

[Margaret]

You *did* do your best, Jon! I wish to God that there weren't so many sociopaths and evil people in this world. They would destroy every living thing but themselves, if they could, and be so pleased about it. But remember that there are an even greater number of human beings around who have hearts and compassion--we are stronger, and we can fight! >:)

[BohemianBlogger]

jonjonjonjon....

read the fine print of a relinquishment form... when i was reseaching for the film... i read it and it states that once an owner turns in its animal they can legally KILL it within TWO HOURS... not five days... five days is what a stray has...giving the owner a chance to find it...

just an fyi...