This is really sad

[~Fala~]

OK basically I have wanted guinea pigs for a very long time but I know I cannot have one for a few reasons. I always look at the ones for adoption and just wishing I could have one or two of them. I just go to petfinder.com. I was out browsing the piggies again when I visited the site of a piggy rescue (link off of petfinder). This doesn't have anything to do with guinea pigs, it was on the site of one of the pig rescues, but it is extremely sad so I thought I'd share...

Sorry for spelling mistakes and for the font color, size, caps and what not, I didn't write it. I am not sharing website for the safety of my location and the guinea pig rescue's protection as I don't know what to do, if I should give their website or not. (Hope this is OK)

[FONT=arial]I Put Dogs in the Gas Chamber[/FONT]
[FONT=georgia]Yes - I gas dogs and cars for a living. I'm an Animal Control officer in a very small town in central North Carolina. I'm in my mid thirties and have been working for the town in different positions since high school. There isn't much work here and working for the ounty provides good pay and benefits for a person like me without a higher educaiton. I'm the person you all write about how horrible a person I am.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]I'm the one who gasses the dogs and cats and makes them suffer. I'm the one who pulls their dead corpses out smelling of carbon monoxide and throws them into green plastic bags. But I'm also the one who hates my job and hates what I have to do.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]First off, all you people out there that judge me - don't. God is judging me and I know I'm going to Hell. Yes - I AM going to hell. I won't lie. What I do is despicable, cold, cruel and I feel like a serial killer. But I'm not entirely to blame - if the law would mandate a spay and neuter program, lots of these dogs and cats wouldn't be here for me to gas. I'm the devil - I know it - but I want you people to see there is another side to me; another side to the Devil Gas Chamber Man.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]The shelter usually gasses on Friday morning, the day most people look forward to. This is the day that I hate and wish that time would stand still on Thursday night.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]On Thursday nights - late - after nobody's around, my friend and I go to a fast food joint and buy $50.00 worth of cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries. I'm not supposed - actually, I'm not allowed - to feed the dogs on Thursday because I'm told they will make a mess in the gas chamber - and why waste the food! But on Thursday night, when the shelter is closed and no one is there, I go into the saddest room that anyone could ever imagine and let all the doomed dogs out of their cages![/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]My buddy and I unwrap each cheeseburger and chicken sandwich and feed them to the skinny, starving dogs. In all my years of doing this I have never been bit and the dogs have never fought over the food. They swallow the food so fast I don't believe they even taste it! Their tails are wagging and some don't even go for the food right away - they roll over on their back and want me to scratch their tummy. They all start running, jumping and kissing me and my buddy. Then they go back to their food and come back to us. All their eyes are on us with such trust and hope; and their tails wag so fast that I have come out with black and blue marks on my thighs. They devour the food. Then it's time for them to devour some love and peace. My buddy and I sit down on the dirty, pee-stained concrete floor and we let the dogs jump all over us. They lick us - they put their butts in the air to play - and they play with each other. Some lick each other but most are glued to me and my buddy.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]I look into the eyes of each and give each of them a name - they will NOT die without a name. I give each dog at least five minutes of unconditional love and touch. I talk to them. I tell them that I'm so sorry that tomorrow they will die a gruesome, long and torturous death at the hands of me in the gas chamber. Some tilt their heads to try to understand. I tell them they will be in a better place. And I beg them not to hate me. I tell them that I know I'm going to hell but that they will all be playing with all the other animals in heaven.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]After about 30 minutes I take each dog individually into their feces-filled concrete jail cell and pet them. I scratch them under their chins. Some give me their paw and I just want to die. I JUST WANT TO DIE! I close the jail cell door on each dog and ask them to forgive me. As my buddy and I walk out, we watch as every dogs smiles at us - some don't every move their head. They will sleep - with a full belly and a false sense of security.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]After we walk out of the doomed dog room, my buddy and I go into the cat room. We take our box and put the very friendly kittens and the pregnant cats into it. (The shelter doesn't keep tabs on the cats like they do the dogs.) As I hand-pick which cats are going to make it out of this slaughter house, I feel like I'm playing God - deciding who's going to live and die. We put the cats into my truck - on blankets in the back. Usually as soon as we start to drive away, there are purring cats and kittens sitting on our necks or rubbing against us.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]My buddy and I make out two-hour one-way trip to a county that is very wealthy - they use injection to kill animals. We go to the exclusing neighborhoods and let out one or two cats at a time. They don't want to run - they want to stay with us. We end up shooing them away which makes me feel sad. I tell them that these rich people will adopt them. I tell them if worse-comes-to-worse and they do get 'put down', it will be with a painless needle being cradled by a loving veterinarian. After the last cat is free, we drive back to our town.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]It's about 5:00 in the morning now; about two hours until I have to go gas my best friends. I go home - take a shower - take my 4 anti-anxiety pills and drive to work. I don't eat. I CAN'T EAT. It's not time to put these animals in the gas chamber. I put my earplugs in. When I go to collect the dogs they are so excited to see me. They jump up and kiss me - they think we are going to play.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]Then I put them in the rolling cage and take them to the gas chamber. They know. THEY JUST KNOW. Then can smell the death. They smell the fear. They start whimpering the second I place them in the box.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]The boss tells me to squeeze in as many as I can to save on gas. He watches every move I make. He know I hate him - he knows I hate my job. But I have to do as I'm told. He tells me to throw all the dogs and cats in together and he watches all the fighting and screaming. Thank goodness the sound is very muffled to me because of my ear plugs. The boss walks out as he sees me turn on the gas.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]I walk out as fast as I can and go into the bathroom. I take a pin and draw blood from my hand. Why? The pain and the blood takes my brain off of what I just did. In 40 minutes I have to go back and unload the now-dead animals. I pray that none survived which happens sometimes when I overstuff the chamber. I pull them out with thick gloves and the smell of carbon monoxide makes me sick. So does the vomit, the blood and all the bowel movements. I pull them out and put them in large, green garbage bags. I tell myself, 'They are all in heaven now'.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]I then start cleaning up the mess - the mess YOU PEOPLE are creating by not spaying or neutering your animals. The mess YOU PEOPLE are creating by not demanding that a vet come in and do this humanely. You ARE the taxpayers!! DEMAND that this practice STOP![/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]So don't call me 'The Monster', 'The Devil', The Gasser' - call the politicians, the shelter directors and the county people those names. Heck, call the Governor - tell him to make it stop![/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]As usual, I will take my sleeping pills tonight to drown out the screams I have heard in the past, before I discovered my ear plugs. I will jump and twitch in my sleep. I believe I'm beginning to hallucinate.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia]This is my life. Don't judge me. Believe me . . . I judge myself enough.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]Author Unknown

[/FONT]My personal opinion: I have no idea if this was just made up by an animal lover or there is someone that loves animals and has to have that job.. I have my doubts because how could he spend 50 dollars a week on food for dogs. They should at least think of a more benificial way of spending that money to help the dogs and cats. If all is true I pray that this message gets around. On the site it says all stories are true (including this one).


There are also a few other stories like this one from that site I may post.

[GuineaWolf]

That is so sad, theres tears in my eye's

[babybunny]

It sounds highly unlikely that someone so devoted to animals would do such a job even in the event that they could not find another job there. If said person can spend the money to feed and drive 4 hours every week these animals, I am sure they could find a way to make another living. Also the fact that someone would dump kittens and pregnant cats off doesn't sound like something an advocate of spaying and neutering would do. The vast majority probably will end up dying in a much more cruel way than the gassing of a gas chamber.

[misskam]

I cried. Id admit it. It was sad. It is disgusting. I shouldnt have read it. I wanted to be a vetenarian, but i would never be able to hurt another living thing. I want to help animals. I really do. I cant help an animal by killing it can I? So i wont become a vetenarian. I feel sorry for this man. I dont judge him because he knows what his doing is wrong. Someone has to do. Atleast he regrets what he has done and what he is doing. I feel so bad. All our animals are desexed. Except m,y guinea pig because i only have the one. I really cant say im disgusted in this man, im sort of happy and proud, better he do it then someone who doesnt give a flying .... about animals, just goes to shw there are some people out there who still care.

[suzilovespiggie]

I couldn't read it. It just proves again, we all must fight for the animals. Fight for spay and nueter programs. Advertise it, talk to everyone you meet that has animals about their animals, to be spayed and nuetered.
We just have to keep fighting until there are no kill shelters anywhere.

[Ziggy&Herald]

That was the most horrible thing to date that I think I have read. Except maybe the dog called ART. But anyway, maybe all the story wasn't true, but it does put out a point and if someone reads that and decides to spay and neuter their animals, it was all worth it.

[fourboys4now]

I can't remember where I read this article, but it was about a lady who started volunteering at an animal shelter. She was the one who would clean out the cages for the dogs. When she knew the dogs were fixing to be put down, she would take the one who looked the most pitiful and love starved and take him home and bathe, feed, and love it all night. Then it would be put to sleep the next day. She just wanted it to have at least one night of being loved and cared for. When I read that a while back it made me cry like the story above.

[kavykrazy]

Even if this story is not true, the basic reality of a doomed shelter dog is, especially the horror of the gas chamber. Most states with the death penalty kill a convicted murderer more humanely than most innocent shelter dogs.

[Alusdra]

I don't know either if this story is true or not- I find it unlikely that the dogs never fought and I have real issues with him releasing pregnant cats and kittens.

But the basic reality is true- I worked at a kill shelter for several years as a volunteer- we would get in some really pathetic dogs. I remember this one who almost had an embedded collar from being tied up her whole life, feces matted to her long fur... I brushed her out and she loved the attention, was such a sweatheart. She died the next day from seizures but if she hadn't probably would have had to be put down anyway. Too sick, too old, too many animals. At least she got that one hour with me. At least she didn't die without ever having someone pet her. I didn't want to go a lot of times, especially when the intake was too much and the dogs only had a week or less, but if I didn't go walk them, no one would. Sometimes I would think "If I just don't go this week, I'll never even know what dogs died because I never would have met them" and then I'd feel like a horrible person. It's not the dogs fault and not going only hurts them. For a while I didn't ask when an animal went missing, but eventually I got up the courage- it was good to hear that a favorite had been adopted. It sucked when all I got in reply was a sympathetic look. Nobody enjoys working in kill shelters- it really sucks and eats you up inside.

There's a great (really sad and graphic) video: Born to Die that tells the hard truth. I just watched it again and I'm bawling- both from the posted story and the video. You want to adopt them all, but you can't. It's just not possible.

[fourboys4now]

That's one of the worst videos I've seen. I watched the other video on there as well of them euthanizing the dogs and cats and it was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. My Sophie was a shelter dog and I'm so glad to have her so that she has a loving home with us and to not be euthanized.

[hydrohoki]

This kind of fits here.

When I got my pigs, my mom was weary of getting them for a rescue. But I'm on my own so she had no say. Now she's all about it, yet she didn't seem sold on dogs from shelters yet. Now my neighbors got an adorable lab puppy (which is what she wants). She had to call me "it's even a rescue!" Hey! It's progress! (She's still a bit from getting a dog so I hadn't started in on her yet but now I don't have to.)

[Henle15]

Sadly enough there are people that have to do that job. They don't like it, but who else is going to do it? Its not their fault people are irresponsible and don't take animal ownership seriously.

You cannot fault Kill shelters for having to put down animals...its the people in our society that are being stupid. No-kill shelters just pass off the "killing" to other shelters or the animals face a more inhumane death by the owner.

Although I do disagree with gassing as a way to put an animal down, I cannot fault the shelter for putting them down.

[auburnmare5]

I also admit it, I am near tears. I feel so bad just thinking about all of those poor animals who actually do get gassed each day. While more are being bred and sold in petstores!! I don't blame the person who has to gas the animals or the shelters. They try to put as many animals as possible in good homes and save as many as they can.

[Coiler]

We are responsible for those animals. It's our fault that they get killed in gas chambers, tortured, neglected, etc. It's our fault, you and me. I'm responsible and you are responsible. Those animals did not fall from the sky !

[pink piggy lips]

Originally Posted by Coiler

We are responsible for those animals. It's our fault that they get killed in gas chambers, tortured, neglected, etc. It's our fault, you and me. I'm responsible and you are responsible. Those animals did not fall from the sky !

While I do naturally feel indebted to critters all over, there is only so much that any of us can do. We can take positive action like spaying & neutering our pets, only adopting them, spreading the word, even boycotting certain industries, companies, and practices.

Many times I've seen devoted animal lovers on this forum talk about starting a rescue. Of course Cavy Spirit and VoodooJoint and the others with experience think the passion to want to rescue animals is great, but they always always caution that it's very grueling and expensive and NOT for everyone.

The reality is that the majority of us have hearts bigger than our pocketbooks will ever be. We can't bring every poor dog or cat or piggie home just because we feel sorry for them and they are set to be euthanized... We have to think of their long term welfare we are able to provide, as well as what other animals we are already keeping.

I don't see kill shelters going extinct anytime soon. But a positive action would be lobbying for different methods of euthanizing, so there is less stress and pain on the animal. If these animals have to die, then it should be as gentle a death as possible.

All we can do is our own part.. what our time and money will allow for.

[Susan9608]

I also think lobbying for an mandatory moratoriums on breeding and mandatory alteration laws (spaying/neutering) is another way to help quell the problem.

I don't think we should just accept that these animals have to die and thus try to figure out the best way for them to do so, though I do agree that a gas chamber is a horrendous method of euthanasia. The ultimate goal should be working towards a time when we don't have to euthanize perfectly healthy animals simply due to lack of good homes.

That can only happen if there are laws and consequences for those who insist on breeding more animals, and if there are penalties for those people who refuse to have their pets altered.