Yesterday morning I drove down from Atlanta and met Amy off exit 51 on I-85 just half an hour south of the city. She was taking me to Clayton and Fayette Animal Controls to look at dogs and cats that needed rescuing from "high-kill." That term refers to animal shelters that kill a ridiculously high number of pets that come through their doors due to various reasons: lack of money, resources, space, or even belief that there is a possibility other than death for these companion animals. I use the word "kill" instead of "euthanized" because euthanization by definition refers to animals that are suffering due to extreme untreatable illness. "Putting to sleep" of an adoptable animal is no more than killing. Georgia Humane specializes in rescuing from high kill shelters all over the state, targeting specifically the South and Western parts of Georgia, rehabiltating these animals and giving them lots of love, then placing them in forever homes.
As we drove, winding our way through back roads, I was not prepared for what I was about to see. We pulled up to Clayton County Animal Control where I found dogs covered and standing in their own feces and lacking in food and water. It was hard seeing all the abandoned and suffering dogs knowing that the chances of even a few of them making it out were extremely low. Clayton killed over 78% of their dogs in 2005. I saw puppies, adults, and seniors of every breed, size, and disposition just suffering behind closed doors. The environment was nauseating to say the least. The cats appeared better off, but I noticed over half the kennels were empty. It was puzzling that in 2005 Clayton County Animal Control killed over 90% of their incoming cats and now during kitten season they were seemingly lacking in cats and kittens. They weren't even being given a chance.
Amy has a few foster animals (temporary rescued pets waiting for forever homes) and needed a companion for her latest rescue cat. We pulled a very vocal teenage white long haired girl who looked like she had been through hell and back. As we got back in the car, I was a little shaken and we let our new rescue out of her kennel as she seemed very outgoing. She immediately started a conversation with us (I'd like to think she was venting about all that she had been through) and she gave us many affectionate chirps and head butts. I commented to Amy that all the employees were in the office, and we did not see a single person tending to the horrid conditions in the shelter.
We drove for about 20 minutes until we pulled up to Fayette County Animal Shelter. They are known for being very "rescue" friendly. I was bracing for more heart ache and indeed I did find it, but not exactly what I was expecting. The staff there were nice, the kennels were clean, and the animals all had food and water, but still there was a problem. All their kennels were full including the cat room, and without resources or rescue, the animals would
have to be killed to make room for more animals. Again I saw animals of all breeds and ages, and again I thought about how in 2005 a third of the dogs and half of the cats that enetered their shelter were killed. The foster we were pulling kittens for only had room for 2-3 small kittens. We found two small kittens, between 4-5 weeks old, ridiculously underweight, and meowing at us. I looked around at all the cats and kittens, and wanted to take every single one. It was one of the hardest things ever to walk out of that room and leave so many cats and kittens in the balance of life and death. Amy thought one of our fosters had an opening for a smaller dog, so she took a little 5 year old Chihuahua whose time was up. I told myself we were making a difference for the lives of these three, but what about the rest? I was torn on the inside. If people really knew what shelters were like, would they be more responsible? Would they spay/neuter? Rescue? Would they allow for the 4-6 million cats and dogs be killed in this country every year?I had always seen the pets after rehabilitation. As the coordinator for the cat adoption center, I see the cats when they are whole. By the time I get them, they are social, happy, healthy and ready for new homes. Having spent time in foster care, their emotional and physical wounds have healed. This was my first time really seeing broken, abandoned, hopeless animals marked for death and it's an absolute travesty that we treat helpless animals like pieces of trash.
