{Sobering}

I'm dedicating my birthday post to man's best friend.

I happened upon a documentary today.  I normally am a moderately emotional person, but this documentary broke my heart into pieces.  One Nation Under Dog.  I saw Happy Gilmore was on in just 30 minutes, so I thought I'd click on the channel and just wait it out.  I clicked over just as they were euthanizing about 20 dogs in a tank.  As they were putting the dogs into the tank they were wagging their tails, snuggling the poor men tasked with this atrocity, happy, they had no idea.  How can people be so careless with their pets?

Just a month ago my own husband was going to take our cats to a shelter because they were too much to handle, too much trouble to take on a cross country move.  I'm so so so thankful I pushed back as hard as I did.  They're now snoozing in our nursery with our sleeping babies instead of dead. 

Our animals are all rescue animals.  Elvis (cat) came from my mom's farm.  Charlie (cat) came from a rescue in Kansas City, MO.  Nellie (dog) was from a rescue in Boulder, CO.  I would take in every sad, sweet animal that needs a home if I could.  Is there anything more heartbreaking than animal cruelty?  All they want is to be loved, love in its most basic form, they'll take it.  A pat on the head, a rub of the belly, playing catch, a full belly.  

There are shelters, there are rescues, but the great majority of them are overwhelmed, under financed and very overpopulated.  They just don't have the room or the resources.  I remember when we adopted Nellie from a no-kill shelter and I asked if they were truly "no-kill".  All the animals looked clean, happy, fed and well tempered.  I was told, by the very sweet vet that handed me Nellie's eye meds (she had eye surgery the day before we adopted her), that even the no-kills are overwhelmed and the unadoptable animals are just a burden in these overpopulated facilities.  They have no choice. 

No choice. 

More dogs are euthanized than rescued in the U.S.  Puppy mills are the greatest reason for this fact.  People like you and me do surrender their pets for various reasons as well.  Low-cost spay/neuter programs many cities have adopted in recent years has cut down on euthanization by HALF.  Huge progress.  I've seen bumper stickers (in CO) that say "adopt a senior" with paw prints.  Its a great campaign.  Its encouraged many families/people to adopt older animals that would normally maybe #1 on the kill list.  

I know that's an emotionally charged post for a Friday, but if you have the resources, please consider adopting a rescue animal.