The Pound Pictures.

[SmexyPibble]

These are pictures from when I worked at a shelter in Illinois. It was very sad, they euthanized up to 7 dogs and 21 cats a day. They had two cat rooms as well as a garage filled with cats and dog crates. They had 30 indoor dog kennels and 6 outdoor dog kennels. People often just dumped dogs in the outdoor kennels everyday.

HAI! I iz Freddie. (This was my favorite dog there).

Why you put me back in cage noaw?

Hai, I iz Prince. I iz sad old man in here.

Hai, I iz a dirty Cocker Spaniel. It's very hard to walk with these mats.

Hai, we are a litter of dumped puppies, three of us will be euthanized, one of us will stay here with ringworm with no human contact except Breawna. I will then be euthanized.

Hai, they say I am an Otterhound. They tell people I am a rare breed. I will be adopted soon.

They walk past my kennel everyday because I am a terrified mutt. I will later be euthanized.

HAI! My name is Dre. I am the happiest puppy in the world. I love life, and I enjoy the pound because there are lots of dogs and people. But, I have been here for two months. I have been continously returned because I jump. Finally they put the needle to my leg. I died.

More coming; please don't post until I'm done.

 

[SmexyPibble]

Hello, I'm Chief. I was once a fireman dog. I am now blind, because of fire. Suprisingly, I will soon be adopted by an amazing lady.

Haiz! I iz Sally! I'm a happy little girl, I will be adopted.

HEY! I'm Creamer. I'm a very sweet, loving boy. But, they don't want me because I'm a German Shepherd. They pass me by because they are scared of me. I will soon be euthanized.

HAI! I iz Brittany. I ran away sniffing for stuff to eat! My owner came to pick me up.

HAI! I'm Annie, I love people. I have heartworm. I will soon be euthanized.

HAI! I iz Hope. My lady left me because I am old. I will soon be euthanized.

My owner's abandoned me. Everytime I go outside, I head for the road and I sit and wait for them to come back. They haven't yet come, but they will. I will soon be adopted.

HAI! I'm Zorro. I have heartworm like my sister Annie. I will soon be taken in by a Labrador Resue.

Hai. I'm not worried, I will soon be adopted.

Hai, I'm a skittish little girl. I will soon be euthanized.

More coming.

 

[SmexyPibble]

Hai! I iz Redbone. I iz very sweet, my owner starved me. I will soon be euthanized.

Hai, I'm Gerome. I was a fighting dog. They tried to electrocute me. I will soon be euthanized.

Hi. I'm Sadie. I was dumped here. I will soon be adopted by Breawna, an hour before being euthanized.

Hai! I iz rare color. I will be adopted the same day I arrive.

Hai! I iz lady. I iz friendly, but I haz heartworm. I will be euthanized.

More coming, still...

 

[SmexyPibble]

Now for the pictures I took while I had them OUT of their cages.

HAI! I get to RUN!

I iz sweet. You adopt me noaw?

Freddie:

Dre. He was such a sweet guy, and then one day I came in and said, "Where's Dre?". The answer was, "Oh he got the needle last night.."

HAI, lez go for a RIDE?

YAYZ! FOOTBALLZ!

MORE!

 

[SmexyPibble]

HAI!

Why hello there Lady.

HAI! HAI! HAI! I LOVEZ YOU!

I iz can't see..I iz blind. I iz fireman dog?

I iz scared of hooman.

PWAY?

No. I forgotz I iz scared of you.

MORE.

 

[SmexyPibble]

Hai, I iz Prince. I iz one of Breawna's favorites. I iz very sweet boy.

Hai. Itz me again.

We iz waiting by the road for my owners. They will come. They love me. Right?

HAI!

I LOVE TO RUN! LADY RUNZ WITH ME! YAY!

MORE.

 

[SmexyPibble]

I smell..OWNER?

Gerome:

Wait, how you pway?

I never seen the sky before!

Creamer is skinny.

But Prince is happy outside.

I iz Lady!

I iz very skinny. They feed us Old Boy at the pound.

I iz Zorro! Adventurer.

 

[PlottMom]

heartbreaking that poor redbone made me cry. as a side note, he looks in good shape to me - how long'd you have him? gerome reminds me of my love-of-my-life foster pit, abby. that made me sad, too.

 

[SmexyPibble]

I iz Sadie! I was adopted by Breawna in Illinois! Look at me now! I iz trust hoomans now! Well, her anyway.

That's all.

 

[PlottMom]

oops, you didn't write "more" on the one i responded to your dog is sooooo lucky.

 

[SmexyPibble]

heartbreaking that poor redbone made me cry. as a side note, he looks in good shape to me - how long'd you have him? gerome reminds me of my love-of-my-life foster pit, abby. that made me sad, too.

We'd had her for about three weeks when those pictures were taken. She was all skin and bones when we took her. I bought food for her myself to feed her so she didn't have to live off that pound food. They fed Old Boy or whatever it's called. YICK. She was a complete sweetheart, not one mean bone in her! She loved when I would run through the long grass with her. I'm allergic to grass but I'd deal with it and do it anyway just to see how happy that dog would get! Gerome was a sweetheart at times, but she was real sketchy. If you opened her kennel, she was real skittish and scarce, if you took her outside she was still very skittish but loosened up a little bit, but if you went near her kennel when it was closed she'd go at you, teeth at the mesh and all. I guess you can't really blame her though, with what her past was like. I'm suprised she was even good with people AT ALL, but that's how pit bulls are. Forgiving as ever.

Also, Sadie stayed in Illinois with my Grandma when I came back to Washington, although I begged my parents to let her come back with me, they wouldn't let her. I lived with my Grandma when I was living there - and she loved Sadie. Sadie got very attached to me and would not leave my side. She was in the bathroom when I showered, on the couch when I watched TV, on the bed when I slept, on the floor when I was on the computer, and running beside my bike when I went out. She didn't even bother with other people or other dogs and even when my Grandma would call her, she wouldn't go unless I would go with her. I'm hoping she remembers me when I go back. The day we went in and took her...I was off work, it was seven o'clock at night and there was about to be a HUGE storm. All I could think about was Sadie and how she was going to be euthanized that night, so my Grandma and I drove down to the shelter, and we got there literally when the lady was just getting her out of her kennel to put her to sleep! I picked her cowering body up, and brought her to the car. She warmed up to me after a few days but HATES when anyone besides my Grandma or me touches her.

 

[PlottMom]

Ol' Roy! haha bless you for getting that poor coonie some better food. That's sad about Gerome, but I guess I can understand how being electrocuted would make you a bit sketchy. I'm sure Sadie will remember you just fine

 

[SmexyPibble]

Oh, here are a few more:

The squirrel that would chill in the tree watching me with the dogs.

Sweet pittie puppy, he got adopted quick.

Even happy in his kennel! Silly boy.

This guy was starved BADLY. He got euthanized because nobody wanted such a huge dog. He was up to my waist at least. He was a real sweetheart though and he LOVED the grass. The SECOND we got out the door to go outside he would run to the grass and roll and roll in it.

And this is George. He was really jumpy and energetic, and he was a SPAZZ. But, a day later he showed symptoms of parvo. We made him a vet appointment for the next day and they wouldn't let me take him in as an Emergency (of course there really wasn't much we could do for him at that point anyway), and that night he died in his kennel of parvo. He peed and pooed blood, and couldn't lick himself and kept vomiting. I continously cleaned him off with a warm wash cloth and cleaned his kennel out throughout the day. These are pictures of him the day he died. You can see it in his eyes.

 

[SmexyPibble]

Ol' Roy! haha bless you for getting that poor coonie some better food. That's sad about Gerome, but I guess I can understand how being electrocuted would make you a bit sketchy. I'm sure Sadie will remember you just fine

That's the name! LOL. Well she certainly deserved some better food, she was a good girl. I would have absolutly LOVED to get her into a home that would take her hunting, she would have been oh so wonderful at it, but there just wasn't enough time. I extended her stay for a while to try and find her a home, but they told me I couldn't save every one - and she ended up being PTS. It makes me so sad just thinking about that shelter. There were terrible conditions.

 

[PlottMom]

that makes me sad... i feel like up until the year i worked at my local SPCA, the idea of letting a hound go to a hunting home was *unheard of*! I'm pretty sure there was something written somewhere about employees not being hunters?! I was like you must be out of your minds... what are we supposed to do with them?! They LIKE it lol

 

[Sweet72947]

that makes me sad... i feel like up until the year i worked at my local SPCA, the idea of letting a hound go to a hunting home was *unheard of*! I'm pretty sure there was something written somewhere about employees not being hunters?! I was like you must be out of your minds... what are we supposed to do with them?! They LIKE it lol

In my area, many hounds end up in shelters BECAUSE they are failed hunting dogs! So letting them go back to a hunting home would be pointless, really.

Smexy I enjoyed your pictures. You tell a heartfelt, melancholy story that plays out in many shelters everywhere.

 

[BlueChaos]

It always breaks my heart to see these poor animals. But at least they get to die in peace, there are 2 shelters here that still gas animals, its a torturous death and I cant believe some people still oppose banning it and consider it humane.
This week a rescue came down from Rhode Island and saved all the dogs and I think some of the cats.
Rescue group saves dogs and cats on execution date | friday, animal, gaston - Top Story - Gaston Gazette

**URGENT DOGS** -

 

[sammgirl]

Wow...

This is really heartbreaking. I understand why people only want to adopt, and don't necessarily want to go the 'breeder' route.

I wish that things could be different for all of the dogs that were euthanized rather then adopted.

I think some of them really never even had a chance, like the pit bull who was used for fighting and was electrocuted. Why would they do that, anyway? Just to torture the dog?

I can't imagine that dog ever being able to trust people again.

Good for you for trying to help and adopting Sadie.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

this makes me cry how could you handle such sadness every day? I'm glad you were there to give the poor dogs some happy moments in their last days.

I got my Maggie from the shelter and she was afraid... very skittish. I think she would have been euthed if I didn't get her. And she's turned into the best dog in the world. She's perfect.

 

[PlottMom]

In my area, many hounds end up in shelters BECAUSE they are failed hunting dogs! So letting them go back to a hunting home would be pointless, really.

I hear that a lot, but I also spend a *lot* of time on coonhound forums where people search for MONTHS looking for lost hounds, many of which are probably turned into shelters at some point... I've also heard from more than one hunter who have gone down to a shelter, wanted a dog, didn't really care if it hunted or not but was willing to give it a chance and just let it have a good home (because shockingly enough a lot of us just like hounds ) and were treated like criminals. Last point, and my fav, a lot of people have gotten into/learned to hunt BECAUSE of the dog they rescued from a shelter ! Some people give up on pups too early, some people just don't know how to train... I definitely think there's a lot more dogs in shelters that would hunt if given the chance. If nothing else, there *are* some hunters willing to just give them a good home, regardless...