Craigslist add

[Peggysu]

I was searching Craigslist and found this add Letter From a Shelter Manager. I thought it was a great and it suggests reposting in other craigslist areas. I'm sure some members here might want to do that.

[Cogni]

Wow, that is a great letter. I am sure it will open some eyes to the unbelievably tragic consequences of what most people still think are the normal and appropriate channels for the supply of domestic animals in this country (and other wealthy countries). A shelter worker, particularly one who has to perform the killings, can make the case better than almost anyone.

[scarlett]

Holy crap. I'm weeping like a baby. I am posting the link on my FB page.

[ferndalezoo]

That is great, and should be shared on websites that would benefit from it, but I personally won't be posting it in the adspace of my local CL community. Discussion posts (which this is) are prohibited by the CL Terms Of Use. Just as we all try abide by the rules of use here (proper spelling, for example, and not using signatures), I try to abide by the rules I agreed to when I signed on to use Craigslist (flagging bad ads, and not posting inappropriately).

[Cogni]

I didn't even know that about CL. I did post it to the Houston CL today. But now if it gets taken down I'll know why.
I googled the title and found that this letter has been circulating a while, since at least Jan. 2008. It seems to have been originally posted on Austin Craig's list (unless somebody finds an earlier version), and there is a link to it under "Best of Craig's list". (Although I wonder how it can be in their 'best' list if it is a prohibited type of post.)
I think it could go into people's blogs to be more widely disseminated. It deserves a wide circulation. I had not come across it before Peggysu's post.

[ferndalezoo]

It possibly could originally have been posted under "Rants And Raves" which is the only category where "discussion" type posts are not prohibited. I agree, though, that is deserves to be circulated widely.

[Onetwo]

Thanks Fern. Actually that letter was posted on my CL MONTHS ago. I dont know who is doing it but it is written really well and is really sad.

[Rodneysmom]

This is just horrible, I started to cry. I posted it on my facebook so that maybe someone will read it and repost so more people can see it.

[sdpiggylvr]

Great letter. I am glad people are receiving a wake-up call. It seems like everybody gives up after one hardship. I've had a total of 8 pets in about 3 years. Sure, all of those pets had at least one downfall. But we worked around their issues and made it work. Today, I still have 3 dogs and 2 guinea pigs and I am fine. Of course, I did slightly (and stupidly) consider giving back one of my dogs once we found out he had severe anxiety issues, but we took him to an obedience counselor instead and now he's a perfect angel.

I'm so happy that someone finally exposes the truth to everybody. It's about time...

Hopefully, with any luck, the pet overpopulation issue will subside.

[sstickly22]

AMEN!!!! It is on my facebook now also! I am sure I am going to get some flack for that as most of my friends breed service dogs.

[leyley904]

I put it on my facebook, too. Sadly, my un-popularity (hehe...) will most likely mean it won't be clicked too many times. And they probably don't care. Considering that 60% of my grade or more hunts. This is random, but once in my math class a conversation started about hunting deer, and what happens to the poor deer afterwards. I started panicking. Covering my ears wasn't keeping out the words, I had a pretty bad anxiety attack.

[leyley904]

I just read it again. I'm just torturing myself! My mom banned me from petfinder, because I would just get so upset, but yet, I kept going back. Putting it into words what these animals go through is impossible, but this shelter owner came pretty darn close. Oh, how I wish people would flipping wake up!

[ameyjaney]

I can't see it

[Ama4884]

I wanna see it... =[

[SnowPrincess]

It say it been flagged for removal

[Onetwo]

I will post a copy of it. I saved mine.

(Wanted to repost this so that more people will read it)

A Letter from a Shelter Manager
I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.


Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT

Well there's the ad everyone is talking about... PLEASE REPOST where ever you want.

[ameyjaney]

Thanks Onetwo for reposting, very sad

[Sarah Lin]

What a fantastic letter! I posted it on facebook as well. I hope everyone reads it and gets a huge wake up call.

I was recently at the humane society and couldn't believe how many guinea pigs they had. I would say they had about 15. One less since I adopted one. Most of them were from the same two families because one pair came in with two litters and another came in pregnant. I can't believe that someone would do that to their pigs. Its one thing to be irresponsible enough to get them pregnant its another to just give them all away afterwards. Mother, father and all!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

It's usually due to the pet store missexing that that sort of thing happens.

[Sarah Lin]

^Thats true but if someone wanted a couple of pigs in the first place I don't understand why as soon as something went wrong they got rid of ALL of them. Maybe the babies but why the original pig or pigs too? If you happened to buy a pregnant female once she has the babies she isn't going to have a hundred more litters so there is no need to get rid of her too. People need to take responsibility for their actions. There actions led them to go to a pet store and buy one or more pigs so they should at the very least be responsible for those pigs no matter what happens to them.