Although putting an animal to sleep is a difficult job for shelter employees, deciding which animals will live and which ones will die is just as hard.
"We get around 30 to 40 animals per day," said Jennifer Harris, animal services supervisor for the city's animal shelter. "We have to sift through them and see which ones are healthy and adoptable."
Christy Wooten/The Daily Sentinel |
Sometimes, a staff member simply cannot euthanize an animal. Animal Services Supervisor Jennifer Harris was already having trouble with the idea of euthanizing a sweet female lab mix when she licked Harris in the face. The dog, who was surrendered to the shelter with a litter of puppies, is currently up for adoption.
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Sick or injured animals are euthanized. Healthy animals generally remain as long as they remain healthy, are adopted or there's enough space, she said.
When the time comes to make room for more animals, Harris said they try to not make the decision of which ones to euthanize a complicated one.
"We pull the book that lists all the animals we have out for adoption, and we start from the earliest date," Harris said. "Sometimes it's two weeks, and sometimes they've been here four months.
"Most of the time it's shorter rather than longer," she added.
Sometimes, staff members get attached to an animal, which makes it hard to let it go.
"Some will cry, and it's normal. I let them know we really are doing the right thing," Harris said. "Some will say they cannot euthanize the animal, and I'm OK with that."
Sometimes, even she can't bring herself to do it. A black Labrador brought in for euthanization began licking Harris in the face as she was preparing to put it down. She just couldn't do it.
The dog was placed back in the adoption room, where it is currently available for adoption.
"It can be very hard," Harris said. "I just try to tell everyone it's something we have to do, and it's the right thing."
The standard procedure is to examine the animal when it arrives at the shelter. If a fecal test shows blood in the stool, the animal has a fever, is too young or too old, has a pre-existing medical condition, heart worms, a bad temperament, or the shelter is overcrowded — the animal will be euthanized.
"We don't have the staff to nurse a puppy or kitten, and the old ones tend to not be adopted," Harris explained.
Animals are kept for approximately five to seven days during the examination isolated from the healthy animals that are eligible for adoption. The quarantine allows any disease that may be incubating to become evident, preventing its spread to the healthy animals.
"If they get sick, we have to put them down," Harris said. After the five to seven day quarantine period, they are vaccinated for distemper, hepatitis, para influenza and canine parvo virus and the rabies. The animals are also vaccinated against bordatella (also known as kennel cough), wormed and given a heart worm preventative. After this battery of tests and medications, they are placed in the general population.
Euthanizations are performed every day of the week the shelter is open.
