A gorgeous Pit Bull available for rescue at Huntsville Animal Services
Last night, I was chatting back and forth with one of the many great friends I have made after becoming involved in animal rescue when it dawned on me the similarities I possess to one of the most debatable dog breeds to date; the pit bull. That’s right, I said it….PIT BULL. So many people get upset when you discuss this breed. It really is a shame because all it boils down to is a lack of knowledge and understanding. That is exactly how I feel; misunderstood.
A little over two months ago, I literally thrust myself into animal rescue. I wanted to help and had thought about it for so long. Luckily, I was fortunate to meet a great network of people who understood the difference I wanted to make in this world, all be it small in so many ways, it is still a difference. Something a lot of people may not realize is there are many different aspects of animal rescue ranging from shelter help to rescues and even advocating change in the animal world through the legislative government. Myself, I chose a local level within my city. I chose to volunteer with the city animal shelter. So, since there is an elephant in the room, we may as well go ahead and introduce it. YES, I volunteer for a local shelter where euthanasia is a part of what we do. So, here lies the debate.
It is no hidden fact that in the United States, millions of animals are put to death each and every year because there is simply an overpopulation of pets. Is our shelter any different? I like to think so. We are fortunate to have on staff a wonderful director and a great group of employees that work under her. I am here to tell you that these people love these animals. I have seen the passion, the concern and the love they have for these animals first hand. However, sometimes we must all face the music of what we do. Our entity is titled as “animal control”. Anytime you are dealing with animal control rather than simply an animal shelter, euthanasia will be a part of your operation. There are many sick or injured animals taken into the shelter that can not be adopted out to the public for a myriad of reasons. What is a shelter to do with these animals? The cold hard fact is they have to be put down. And whether people can see the facts or not, sometimes it’s just better for the animal rather than the suffering it would endure. It’s comparable to a nurse “pulling the plug” on a patient that will be in suffering the remainder of their life after an unfortunate accident. Even worse than that, the truth of the matter is there are also times where animals must be euthanized simply because there isn’t enough room.
Many people have asked me “how can you associate with a shelter that kills animals”? Well first of all, it literally INFURIATES me for someone to make a harsh statement like that making everyone at the shelter look like cold blooded killers. I am associated with a shelter that euthanizes animals, not kills them. And yes, in my honest opinion there is a difference; pretty much all in how it’s worded. I know this is a can of worms that could be opened and debated until we are all blue in the face. I am just telling you how I feel. We love these animals and it would be great if we could save them all, but the reality is that until everyone gets on board and spays or neuters their pets, euthanasia will continue to be an integral part of animal control.
With that said, I must say I get incredibly offended when people tell me how bad our shelter is for what they do. I couldn’t even begin to count the times someone has told me they would never take an animal to the shelter because “they will just kill them”. I’m out to spread the word to people that it is not always the case. Many times, based on a bad situation an animal may be in, it’s far better off to go to the shelter and get adopted into a better home. And better yet, it would be spayed or neutered thus making it incapable of contributing to pet overpopulation. I’m out to tell people we are not bad people just sitting around waiting to kill any animal you bring to the shelter. Believe it or not, it is actually the last thing we want to see happen. We are arguably the most misunderstood entity in animal rescue. We are the pit bull of animal rescue.
I just ask that before you criticize me for what I do or who I am associated with, take a deep look into the good of what we are trying to accomplish. I have two dogs of my own (both shelter dogs) that I love so much. Every time I hear of an animal being 
euthanized, the first thing I see in my mind is the faces of my two wonderful dogs who have made my life better. It saddens me to know that the animal being put down is being taken the chance of making a human soul complete. Despite what many may think, I have feelings for the ones we lose. So I ask that next time you want to hate me for what I do, think logically about what I am doing. Understand me and my actions. And just as the saying goes with pit bulls, “hate the deed, not the breed”, I ask that you hate the deed of euthanasia, not the people who must be involved with it.
