I'm torn both ways on this one...
- Thread starter StevePax
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Now I must go find your thread, because I apparently missed it. 
Well, I am guilty of helping the old, the sick and the badly behaved. In fact, those are prerequisites for entry into my sanctuary. When I began volunteering in shelters, I was amazed at how many animals fell through the cracks...dogs that had been dedicated companions for their entire lives only to be cast out in their golden years...dogs that could live wonderful lives with a little medical care and a lot of patience...these are not the dogs that get adopted. These are the dogs that are euthanized because they have nowhere to go. This broke my heart. Most organizations do not have the resources to handle these dogs and most of them do die...You never hear about them. You never hear their stories or see the sadness in their eyes. If you don't believe me...volunteer and see for yourself.
I have taken animals that were very ill, only to have them die a few days later. Many people have questioned my reasoning. I believe that these animals deserve to die with dignity and love. Would you prefer to die in a calm, peaceful, and loving envirornment or would you like to be yanked from a kennel full of barking dogs by someone that you don't know and carried into a room, confused and scared, where you are given an injection and then tossed onto a pile of corpses? Yes, this is how it works. I've had to do it myself. From that point on, I wanted to make a difference in the lives and deaths of those dogs...providing a peaceful transition is as important to me as trying to prolong life or improve its quality.
Is it true that I could save a bunch of dogs with the resources I use to save the ones that I do? Certainly. But who here is really qaulified to decide whose life is worth more than anothers? I am drawn to the "underdogs" because there are already lots of organizations set up to help the adoptable dogs. There are very few organizations that are willing to work with the unadoptables. I think they deserve a chance.
I think we all have a desire to live, and given the choice, we would undergo whatever we had to in order to preserve our lives...some of these dogs have been through hell and the only way that I know to decide if they wish to have treatment is to look into their eyes and ask them...some dogs would want the heroic surgery and others would not. It depends on so many factors. That is why it would be unfair to pass over all of the old or sick dogs.
I have always felt it was right to support life as long as it could be of quality. You would be surprised at some of the dogs that I have had the pleasure of knowing...they came in as broken, sick, or scared and they left as whole, knowing what love is. Some of them flourish and do not even look like the same animals. Some are with me for years, other perhaps only days. It really doesn't matter if they are here for 2 hours, 2 days, 2 months or 2 years...it is my goal for them to know what it is like to be loved and cherished before they pass on. It is far sadder for me to think of them dying with no one to mourn them.
I do wish that I could save all of them...the young and the old, and all of them in between, but I can't. This is a painful realization that everyone involved in rescue must face. I do the best that I can. I work to help those shelters and rescues get the adoptable dogs placed in good homes and I try to take as many of the unadoptables in as I can...call me crazy, but I cannot overlook one life to save another...
I have taken animals that were very ill, only to have them die a few days later. Many people have questioned my reasoning. I believe that these animals deserve to die with dignity and love. Would you prefer to die in a calm, peaceful, and loving envirornment or would you like to be yanked from a kennel full of barking dogs by someone that you don't know and carried into a room, confused and scared, where you are given an injection and then tossed onto a pile of corpses? Yes, this is how it works. I've had to do it myself. From that point on, I wanted to make a difference in the lives and deaths of those dogs...providing a peaceful transition is as important to me as trying to prolong life or improve its quality.
Is it true that I could save a bunch of dogs with the resources I use to save the ones that I do? Certainly. But who here is really qaulified to decide whose life is worth more than anothers? I am drawn to the "underdogs" because there are already lots of organizations set up to help the adoptable dogs. There are very few organizations that are willing to work with the unadoptables. I think they deserve a chance.
I think we all have a desire to live, and given the choice, we would undergo whatever we had to in order to preserve our lives...some of these dogs have been through hell and the only way that I know to decide if they wish to have treatment is to look into their eyes and ask them...some dogs would want the heroic surgery and others would not. It depends on so many factors. That is why it would be unfair to pass over all of the old or sick dogs.
I have always felt it was right to support life as long as it could be of quality. You would be surprised at some of the dogs that I have had the pleasure of knowing...they came in as broken, sick, or scared and they left as whole, knowing what love is. Some of them flourish and do not even look like the same animals. Some are with me for years, other perhaps only days. It really doesn't matter if they are here for 2 hours, 2 days, 2 months or 2 years...it is my goal for them to know what it is like to be loved and cherished before they pass on. It is far sadder for me to think of them dying with no one to mourn them.
I do wish that I could save all of them...the young and the old, and all of them in between, but I can't. This is a painful realization that everyone involved in rescue must face. I do the best that I can. I work to help those shelters and rescues get the adoptable dogs placed in good homes and I try to take as many of the unadoptables in as I can...call me crazy, but I cannot overlook one life to save another...
