LIFE IS SHORT - Euthanasia Is Permanent

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LIFE IS SHORT - Euthanasia Is Permanent

Postby 4ever2 » Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:54 pm

Life is short
Emporia Vet. Hospital - Emporia, KS Feb 14, 2015
It has been a while since the city shelter moth-balled the gas chamber.

There was good news and bad news in that event. The good news is obvious: no more gas chamber. The bad news is that I'm back in the full-time business of killing dogs and cats.
The one constant in my 31-plus years in Emporia is this: the shelter is always full to capacity. No matter how hard we work at adoptions and rescues, the cages are only empty momentarily. Then, even though the numbers are way down from the past, hard decisions have to be made as to what animals to kill. Recently, the shelter called with a request to come by and bring enough drugs to kill five big dogs. You know the kind. Un-neutered male pit bulls and black lab mixes.

In a different time and a different place, every one of them would make a loyal friend. The staff has to make the call. Two dogs were left in the outside runs and one tied to the sign. Several other owner surrenders are scheduled, so they have to make space. By the time I get there, the detachment has begun. The dogs are no longer referred to by a name. That makes it tougher. They are referred to by the number on the run they are in. I pick up the list and ask: "who is going to help me today?" No one moves. They stare at each other until I finally ask again. Reluctantly they come along. It's their job, just like it is mine. The process now is fairly simple. I go to each run and make a guess as to the weight of the dog. They get excited to get out of the run — shaking, jumping, and licking. They hardly notice the injection of anesthesia.

I inject all five dogs. By the time we are finished with the last dog, the first dog is asleep. Then each dog is removed from the run to the floor. I inject each one with the dose of euthanasia drug needed to end its life. By the time we inject the last dog, the first four are dead and the fifth is not far behind.

I check my watch. Twelve minutes. I secretly congratulate myself on the speed and painless procedure. At least it's not the gas chamber. A small victory in a dismal job.

Now comes the worse part for the employees. Each dead animal is wrestled into a trash bag. Losing fluids and the filth of death, they are bagged up like last week's leftovers to be hauled to the dump. The helpers look at me. They expect me to say something to make it better. I tell them this: "Twelve minutes ago these dogs were alive. Now every one of them is dead. There is no greater lesson than that. We are all mortal. You can be alive one minute and dead the next."

I've seen it too often in my short life. Accidents, heart attacks, aneurysms, cancer, etc. So what is the takeaway from a piece like this?
Life is short, shorter for some than others. So, hold your spouse or significant other a little tighter. Squeeze your loved ones closer. And above all, be reconciled to people you have had difficulty with. Forgive others, and ask for forgiveness in return. Say all the things you would say to someone if it was the last time you see them. It might be. Only God knows when your last twelve minutes will be.

And last but not least, never pay for a dog or cat unless it is a rescue or adoption fee.
And spay or neuter your pet.
http://www.emporiagazette.com/opinion/article_514b9ba6-7ceb-50bc-b35e-05021357a48e.html

One of the many area vets that I've worked closely with during our rescue missions and I felt his words were both profound and needed to be read far & wide. Nothing speaks louder about our humanity as the higher educated/intelligent species then how we treat the very animals we've domesticated for our needs!
This is important and needs repeating often.
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4ever2
 
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Location: Flint Hills of Kansas - Heartland of AMERICA

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