Two weeks ago this Saturday, Bio-D came into the house holding a stray dog; he had spotted it sitting on our lawn. Seeing that it was a Shih Tzu (we have two Shih Tzu ourselves) and knowing that there are several people on our block who have Shih Tzu, I put in a call to a neighbor who knows everyone else on the block, and who might recognize this particular dog. She didn't recognize him, but sent her kids over to take the dog door to door to see if we could find his owner. No luck there; we brought him to the local humane society.
In the couple of hours we had him that Saturday morning, I saw how very sweet and loving this little dog was. He appeared well cared for, plump, freshly groomed; I couldn't believe that his owner would let him wander around like that. Were it my Shih Tzu, I'd be foaming at the mouth until I found him. I hated to have to bring him to the humane society, but that's necessary to allow his owner to locate him, as he had no tags, no microchip that I could feel.
I called the humane society each day to see if he was still there, and kept an eye out for "lost dog" fliers. A week after we'd brought him in, he was not claimed, and he was then available for adoption. I called later that same day, thinking that with a dog as sweet, gentle and cute as him, surely someone had picked him out to adopt. But, no. I've called each day since then to see if anyone had filed an adoption application for him, or expressed interest; no luck.
All this time, his fate hung very heavy in my mind. I already have two dogs and a cat. My husband does not want another pet. But it was breaking my heart to think of this sweet, helpless, innocent dog being euthanized, which is what would happen if no one adopted him. Let's face it, people allow their unaltered pets to breed indiscriminately and irresponsibly, and millions of them end up in animal shelters on death row, just marking time before they are destroyed. And this little Shih Tzu was on borrowed time, just like the dozens of others at this particular shelter.
Yesterday I called and spoke to the adoption coordinator. I wanted to find out how much time he had. In our conversation, I found out that the little guy is 10+ years old and toothless- he would have to be on a soft diet for the rest of his life. I realized that the chances of him being adopted were slim to none. The coordinator said that the decision for euthanasia was a day-to-day thing, that he could be euthanized at any time. I got off the phone crying. I know I can't rescue every single cat and dog in the shelter, and I'm usually able to stay objective about the need to destroy these millions of pets. Actually, I just don't think about it- it's too sad. But this little Shih Tzu, see, he had found his way into my heart with his plight.
Bio-D saw me crying, and we talked about my wish to adopt this dog. He's not enthusiastic about taking on another pet, but he agreed. We went to the humane society right after to file adoption papers. At the shelter, we went to see the little guy, and it was so sad. He was obviously suffering, as are all the dogs there. They're all so desparate for attention; my little Shih Tzu was shivering and looking about anxiously and expectantly, stress evident in his little face, as if he was just waiting for his owner to come around the corner.
I spoke to the adoption coordinator and told her that I had hoped that the owner would have come through, but as that had not happened, we would adopt the dog. I don't want to leave him there any longer than necessary, I could only imagine the trauma he must be suffering, but I'm still hoping that someone, hopefully his owner, will provide a good home for him. Not that I couldn't, but I think two dogs and a cat are plenty for me.
We agreed that he would be left up for adoption through this Saturday; if no one had claimed or adopted him by then, we would proceed with the adoption on Monday. Of course, he will need to be neutered, as he is unaltered, and we won't be able to pick him until Tuesday. I'm worried about the surgery; he's an old dog. But he seems to be otherwise in good health. No heart murmur or problems detected, so he should be fine.
So, I just wanted to share this story. It'll have a happy ending, one way or the other. But this brush with pet rescue has left me very, very sad that people can be so callous about their pets, or abuse them, or neglect them, or let them wander off without tags or microchip. A happy ending for my new old Shih Tzu, yes, but not for the dozens, if not hundreds, of other pets who have ended up at the animal shelter.
In the couple of hours we had him that Saturday morning, I saw how very sweet and loving this little dog was. He appeared well cared for, plump, freshly groomed; I couldn't believe that his owner would let him wander around like that. Were it my Shih Tzu, I'd be foaming at the mouth until I found him. I hated to have to bring him to the humane society, but that's necessary to allow his owner to locate him, as he had no tags, no microchip that I could feel.
I called the humane society each day to see if he was still there, and kept an eye out for "lost dog" fliers. A week after we'd brought him in, he was not claimed, and he was then available for adoption. I called later that same day, thinking that with a dog as sweet, gentle and cute as him, surely someone had picked him out to adopt. But, no. I've called each day since then to see if anyone had filed an adoption application for him, or expressed interest; no luck.
All this time, his fate hung very heavy in my mind. I already have two dogs and a cat. My husband does not want another pet. But it was breaking my heart to think of this sweet, helpless, innocent dog being euthanized, which is what would happen if no one adopted him. Let's face it, people allow their unaltered pets to breed indiscriminately and irresponsibly, and millions of them end up in animal shelters on death row, just marking time before they are destroyed. And this little Shih Tzu was on borrowed time, just like the dozens of others at this particular shelter.
Yesterday I called and spoke to the adoption coordinator. I wanted to find out how much time he had. In our conversation, I found out that the little guy is 10+ years old and toothless- he would have to be on a soft diet for the rest of his life. I realized that the chances of him being adopted were slim to none. The coordinator said that the decision for euthanasia was a day-to-day thing, that he could be euthanized at any time. I got off the phone crying. I know I can't rescue every single cat and dog in the shelter, and I'm usually able to stay objective about the need to destroy these millions of pets. Actually, I just don't think about it- it's too sad. But this little Shih Tzu, see, he had found his way into my heart with his plight.
Bio-D saw me crying, and we talked about my wish to adopt this dog. He's not enthusiastic about taking on another pet, but he agreed. We went to the humane society right after to file adoption papers. At the shelter, we went to see the little guy, and it was so sad. He was obviously suffering, as are all the dogs there. They're all so desparate for attention; my little Shih Tzu was shivering and looking about anxiously and expectantly, stress evident in his little face, as if he was just waiting for his owner to come around the corner.
I spoke to the adoption coordinator and told her that I had hoped that the owner would have come through, but as that had not happened, we would adopt the dog. I don't want to leave him there any longer than necessary, I could only imagine the trauma he must be suffering, but I'm still hoping that someone, hopefully his owner, will provide a good home for him. Not that I couldn't, but I think two dogs and a cat are plenty for me.
We agreed that he would be left up for adoption through this Saturday; if no one had claimed or adopted him by then, we would proceed with the adoption on Monday. Of course, he will need to be neutered, as he is unaltered, and we won't be able to pick him until Tuesday. I'm worried about the surgery; he's an old dog. But he seems to be otherwise in good health. No heart murmur or problems detected, so he should be fine.
So, I just wanted to share this story. It'll have a happy ending, one way or the other. But this brush with pet rescue has left me very, very sad that people can be so callous about their pets, or abuse them, or neglect them, or let them wander off without tags or microchip. A happy ending for my new old Shih Tzu, yes, but not for the dozens, if not hundreds, of other pets who have ended up at the animal shelter.
