"How could anyone justify killing such a precious dog?" That's what I normally ask myself when I think of where our beloved family K9 came from. When my son wanted a puppy, we went to the local humane society to adopt, and there we found the very friendly and aggressively affectionate friend we named Fury Grace because of her astounding vigor and strength. But my son would only call her FuFu, and the nickname stuck. The simple fact of the matter is that she wouldn't hurt a fly, and she loves everyone she comes into contact with. I haven't even heard her bark except on one occasion when strangers passed through our yard late one night. She can sense when something's amiss, like most dogs can.
FuFu was taken in by the local humane society, which is a no-kill shelter in northern Illinois, but she originated from a pound in Louisiana that practices extermination of these animals. Apparently, her time was coming, but the Illinois Society managed to get her sent over, thus saving her life. FuFu has been in our family for around 2 years at this point, lovingly cared for, fed, groomed and lives in our house with us. The more time I spend with her, experiencing her wonderful personality and the light she brings into the world, I just wonder, what do people at these kill shelters tell themselves in order to sleep at night and continue their disgusting behavior the next day? Not only is it heartless, but dogs can be as intelligent as a five year old child, so they know what's going on. They know they're about to be killed simply because they're not wanted. It's cruelty at best. There's no such thing as a "humane" murder.
Sometimes I'll just sit with FuFu, pet her, and tell her that everything is okay now because she's with us. There's no need to worry about anything anymore. But it also doesn't change the fact that many other dogs and cats like her are not going to be so lucky. Lots of them are being killed right now, not because they're terminally ill or a danger to people and other animals, but because no one has adopted them within a certain timeframe. Doctors and nurses, of any kind, are supposed to save and preserve life, be comforters and caretakers, and treat and cure illnesses, not open concentration camps with gas chambers, so to speak (and by the way, believe it or not, a few kill shelters do use actual gas chambers). I could never live with myself, but then again, I would like to think that I have not only honor, but a critically thinking mind. I just can't give up what I know is right because I am paid, or because I have talked to myself long enough to justify it. What's wrong is just wrong, what's dishonorable is just dishonorable, and what's wretched is just wretched.
Many times I have felt compelled to write to Congress and my state government, asking for a ban on kill shelters, yet I know it would have very little, if any, chance of even being debated on the floor, let alone voted on or passed. Sometimes I think that a reason there's not more light in the world, is because humans spend their time putting it out, and most of the rest of us don't give it a second thought. But the good news is that by doing our part to save these lives, we can be part of the light we want to see in the world.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
Courage and Honor,
Chris Aldridge.
