I was recently sent a story to read, and I have to tell you, it made my stomach turn and made me angry. The story was in the Tampa Bay Times, and it discussed the problems associated with euthanasia at Hernando County Animal Services.
The story discusses how some animals were not weighed to figure the right amount of anesthesia to be given, and the animals were not checked to make sure they were anesthetized completely before injecting the euthanasia
medication into the heart. In fact, it states that one cat was injected three times before its heart was ever found.
The story points out that some cats were allowed to walk around the room after being anesthetized instead of in a nice calm space, and that euthanasia was being done in front of conscious animals. The writer does a great job and goes into much more detail. Here's the full article.
I have told you stories about dogs who came out of animal control. I have told you about diseases and dogs never given a chance. Some of these animals were not even scanned for a microchip to attempt to find their owner.
However, if you were the owner and took your animal to Hernando County to be euthanized and cremated due to illness, and wanted your animal’s ashes back, you would not know if you received yours or someone else’s animal, according to the Times article. The bodies were not labeled before they were put in the freezer.
I am so heartbroken for so many of these babies. As you all know by reading my articles, I want to save every animal possible. These places don’t care to save any. I understand that there is “no room," and that some believe there is no other alternative than euthanasia, but there is. There are ways to promote adoption, raise money at events, and lower costs for spaying and neutering.
Maybe I am of the minority and believe my dogs to be more than just a dog. To me, they are my heart and soul. They are the things I cannot wait to come home to, and that love me unconditionally. They have more love and emotion than some people give them credit for.
Please spread the word to adopt a rescue dog. Yes, they might have issues because of what they have been through, but they seem to appreciate and love their owners so much. There are so many scared, sad and lovable dogs in shelters that want nothing more than to find someone to show them what love is — something they do not have from a human right now.
Find adoptable animals through Pinellas County Animal Services or, right here in town, Dunedin Doggie Rescue.
