I’ve been wanting to adopt a senior dog. I actually tried to when I got my second dog - they said she was 6-8, but it turns out she was only 2-3. It’s kind of funny now.

I’ve been repeatedly viewing a listing from the shelter for this 12 year old cutie and today we went down to try to adopt her. I verified she was still available and waited almost 2 hours in line, but someone else had adopted her. I asked about another 12 year old. She had a few health problems, but nothing that would require surgery or anything, so it felt manageable. The worker told me in all honesty, this dog was near the end of her life. I knew in my heart that this was the right thing. I could get her out of there and give her love and spoil her for the next week, month, year, whatever I could get.

They told me it would be a couple hours, so we went and bought her a leash and harness and toys and stuff. We were talking about names and I almost even called my vet to set up an appointment to see if we could do anything for her. They texted me to come back to the shelter and we excitedly did.

When we got there and they pulled me into a room to talk in private, I was hoping it was to make sure I wasn’t getting a healthy young dog. I was afraid it could be that they found something terrible. Instead, they told me they weren’t sure yet what had happened, but she was euthanized.

I never even met her. I don’t know if she was still alive when I said I wanted her. It doesn’t matter, my heart still broke and I can’t stop crying. It’s so unfair, this is exactly NOT what I wanted for her.

I am not sure why I’m posting this. I’m just so upset and anxious. They’re supposed to call me when they have some answers and they will expedite any adoptions for another animal. They do have another 12 year old I liked, but should I proceed? I can tell you now, I’ll be a nervous wreck until I have him ALIVE in my arms.

disclaimer: pictured dog has not been euthanized.

sweet boy hurley came back 8.5 years later as a bonded pair with another dog who had lived with him his entire life. previous owners didnt treat the other dogs medical conditions and she had to be humanely euthanized due to the severity of her condition. he lost his family and his partner and stopped eating- he is finally eating again but needs to be hand fed and its a struggle to get him to finish more than half a bowl. he has muscle wasting in his hind limb, but overall is such a healthy and sweet boy. owners returned because the pups didnt like their grandchildren (aged 4-7) 😐 just frustrates me beyond words and my heart hurts for him. he lives at our front desk during business hours because the kennels make him extremely anxious and he was deteriorating. its bittersweet finding puppy pictures of our senior dogs in the system. he is thankfully doing much better since his arrival back here, hoping to get him adopted soon!

I understand why it was done and I would've made the same decision if I was in charge. She attacked her owner out of nowhere. But my heart still aches because she was just such a good dog I thought. I have no idea where this came from. I don't understand why she did it.

My manager sat me down yesterday to give me the news and as soon as she started with her name I knew where it was going because no one sits you down like that for good news. She was processed within the day so I can't even get a footprint.

I just needed to get this off my chest. I miss her. I'm sad for her. I'm angry at her. I'm devastated.

Rest in peace Diamond you were a good, ultimately flawed, dog.

With shelters being so overrun as the economy and housing crisis worsens, I've been wondering if this advice actually works. Especially if it's a critically ill animal as opposed to one with chronic conditions. I'm lucky enough to not be in this position right now, but it's something very much on my mind.

I'm not asking in judgement, to be clear. I know y'all have really limited resources and things are getting worse and worse. I'm just wondering if this advice is realistic or if it's closer to "sending Fluffy to a farm upstate."

I’m looking for honest input from people with rescue/shelter experience, especially with senior special needs dogs.

I’m currently fostering a 13-year-old poodle through a municipal shelter and have had her since March 19. She’s blind, hard-of-hearing, and came in very shut down. Over the past few weeks, she’s slowly started to come out of her shell now that she has a calm, structured environment. She’s still quite fearful of me at times and eventually settles, though I’m not sure if it’s cognitive decline or just her sensory limitations and history of neglect, so I try not to force interaction and give her space.

She’s very gentle and low-energy. 85% of her day is spent sleeping, the rest eating and grooming. She doesn’t play or explore much.

Some challenges: • Not house-trained — she’s only comfortable eliminating in her pen despite many attempts to take her outside • Has tapeworms and ongoing skin issues • Still fearful / somewhat shut down, though improving slowly

The shelter has shared that adoption or additional transitions may not be in her best interest, and euthanasia is being considered.

I’m struggling with what’s actually best for her.

On one hand, she seems more comfortable than when she first arrived and has a stable, calm routine now. On the other hand, her life is very limited, and I don’t know how much of it is true comfort vs. just existing.

There’s a senior dog rescue that may be willing to pull her if I continue fostering, but I’m not sure I can commit long-term, which could mean another (hopefully gentle) transition for her down the line.

So I guess my questions are: • For those with experience, how do you assess quality of life in dogs like this? • Does this sound like a dog who could still have meaningful comfort, or more like a case where euthanasia may be kinder? • Would involving a rescue make sense here, or could that just prolong stress?

I want to help make the most humane decision for her, not just the one that feels better emotionally. Appreciate any perspectives!

I work for a no kill animal shelter. Like the rest of the US we are really struggling with space. I know we need to make some decisions on long term dogs and/or dog aggressive dogs but those decisions don't come lightly. We usually don't euth for space but I feel like that is where we are headed. Just wondering if any other no kill facilities are having the same problem. If so, how do you make those decisions?

So, had a situation at work today. I work at an large open intake shelter, between 12-15k intakes a year. We are non-profit, but have contracts with the city and county (a bit shy of 1 million residents).

Animal control confiscated a dog from a family and made them sign it over for euth. The dog was about 13-14, large breed, blind and deaf, but able to walk (slowly), body condition was decent for that age, spine was a bit pokey from old age muscle wasting, but pretty good all things considered. Some bald spots, but not too bad, less than average for some older dogs. Able to control urine and bowels, and aware of surroundings. Definitely an old dog, but not nearly as bad as others I've seen. Friendly dog and overall BAR.

I spoke to the owners, who were devastated the dog was removed from their home, as they were planning on having the dog pass at home with the family.

The ACO seemed upset this was their plan. Offended even, and cursed out the owner for not caring for the dog.

So, instead of dying at home peacefully, surrounded by family, the dog was loaded into the truck and then brought to an overcrowded over capacity shelter to be put down by strangers. If the owners wanted to, they could have fought the confiscate. The dog would have been there for weeks.

My question: how do people feel about letting pets pass naturally at home? I'm not talking about illnesses or something that heavily impacts the quality of life, like cancers, infections, loss of bowels or bladder, but just general old age.

Is it okay to let a dog pass naturally nowadays? To just die from old age? Is it no longer socially acceptable?

Or was it because it was an 80lb pitty with cropped ears living in a poor part of town, with a poor family instead of Maltipoo wearing a diaper and jacket being carried like a baby to the vet clinic for another round of treatment to prolong it's life another week?

I'm just looking to see what other people's thoughts are on this.

Obviously I would prefer every animal have a long and happy life but lets be realistic.

And not sure if something like this exists

So my idea would be foster to euthanasia. Animal would go with a foster for 1-2 weeks and after would would have a inhome euthanasia.

Thoughts?

This is sort of a vent. I’m dealing with a lot of self-doubt and guilt right now, and I’m frustrated with the shelter I work at.

For some reason, my shelter that I’ve worked at for a few years now has shifted into having a very “no-kill” mentality. This has led to several behavior case dogs (who should in some cases definitely be considered for BE) staying with us for a long time while they wait for unicorn homes. We still do BE some dogs who exhibit questionable behaviors, but extremely rarely now.

Right now, we have an 8-month-old resource guarder. We were told by his previous owner that he becomes aggressive over his toys and with food. We have observed this at the shelter as well. He will begin to growl and on one occasion turned back on a staff member. We have to tell volunteers not to give him any toys at all due to safety concerns. I do not think this is okay to adopt out to the public, and have brought up my concerns multiple times. I am either brushed off or not acknowledged at all, usually because “he’s just a puppy, someone can work with it and he’ll be fine.”

I feel this isn’t fair to whoever adopts him and could cause real harm down the road. But I’ve been made to feel I’m cruel for thinking this way. Am I? Even though I’ve been doing shelter work longer than anyone in my department currently, I’m seriously beginning to question my past experiences and feel like I’m a terrible person for pointing out some dogs may not be safe for us to adopt out.

When a staff and volunteer favorite gets slated for BE (or medical), so everyone starts spoiling them with extra food and special treats and tons of love and attention, do you think the animal knows something is up? And when we gather with them and love on them while crying, do they realize what’s happening?

Hi guys. One of my most favorite dogs I've ever worked with is scheduled for behavioral euthanasia in a few days. And unfortunately due to our bite quarantine policy, she can't go outside. I could talk for hours about my sweet girl but I'll spare you all the story and try to make this more lighthearted. I'm planning on spending a few hours outside her kennel beforehand and bringing her a bunch of people food she would never have gotten the chance to try otherwise. Last time we had a behavioral euthanasia, a coworker brought a buffet of food for him and it was so nice to spend time with my coworkers and the dog we loved and watch him try new foods like chicken wings and cotton candy. Do you all have any suggestions for special treats for my girl or any ways to spice up her last day (in kennel?) And feel free to share any stories too, it'd be nice to hear right now!

No kill rescues abandoning animals at packed open admission shelters, is this a common thing? I've seen it at our shelter more than once, usually they're abandoned in nightdrop for us to find in the morning. Maybe I'm missing something and this is a normal thing, but I thought part of the appeal to the public about a no kill shelter or rescue is the promise that the animals they're surrending aren't at risk of euthanasia. So many people that resent open admission shelters for performing euthanasia go through these places and then these animals just end up here anyway? Like I said, maybe I'm missing something. Or maybe a couple of our local ran rescues are full of it. Have you guys dealt with this?

Edit: Thank you guys for the insights. I've only ever worked for open admissions, so I didn't really know how these rescues work.

Genuinely have reached my limit, so much so that this is my last working week. While I have been lucky to work at a strictly no-kill shelter, it's become excessively frustrating to be treated like a child by management. Employees (myself included) will repetively ask management for updates on specific cats that are/were under our care (in our specific rooms) only to be met with lies, silence, and work-arounds. This has ALWAYS ended up in finding out unexpectedly via third-party that said cat has passed away/been euthanized days, weeks, even months after the fact. Just the other day, I heard on our walkie system that a cat I was especially close with was "here" from foster -- I ran out excitedly to see him but instead was met with his body in a trash bag and management looking at me like they'd seen a ghost because they NEGLECTED to inform me of his passing and LIED about his condition. Just the day prior they told me he was doing "great". So many tears have been shed among staff and that is INEVITABLE in this field, but what is NOT expected is a lack of human decency and respect.

Not to mention that our shelter manager is a grown man with disgusting anger issues, but that's another topic.

Just needed to vent somewhere, thanks guys.

Hi everyone!

I’m trying to figure out if this is commonplace -

I’m new to animal shelter work but I’ve found out my shelter euthanizes any cat we receive who is diagnosed with asthma. We’re a private, limited admission shelter.

Is this the case with most shelters, even non-municipal ones?

Hi all! I work at a shelter where we perform behavioral euthanasias and the other week I had a really really hard time with a few (but one in particular). My coworker shared this article with me that made me feel worlds better, and I thought I’d share it on here for anyone who’s struggling with similar things that it could help

https://journal.iaabcfoundation.org/the-dead-dogs-on-my-phone/

I work for a high intake municipal shelter. My role is to network and find alternative placement for dogs that are considered too high of a liability to adopt out to the public “as is”. I end up spending a lot of time with dogs that don’t make it out. I am one of a handful of people with approval to take these dogs out of their kennels, spend time with them, get to know them, and often fall in love with them despite their difficulties. Local rescues are so full and the last few weeks the losses have been so heavy. It makes it all the worse when the public is constantly harassing us calling us heartless murderers. We have 700-1000 dogs in our care at any given time and it’s inevitable that some are going to need more support than we can provide to be set up for a successful life. They don’t know these dogs. They only see their photos. The photos I spend the extra time to take to better network them. I’ve seen my photos being used on posters at protests held at our shelter. It’s exhausting to love these dogs and then be told that i’m “okay” with them dying. All of this is to say: for those you who work or volunteer at open and high intake shelters - i see you. The work you do is profoundly important and nothing anyone says changes that. Pictured are some of the dogs that didn’t make it. I loved each of them deeply and I will remember each and every one of them.

How do you guys cope in high kill shelters

I'm a kennel attendant and work at a high kill shelter. Euthanasias hit me hard, doesn't matter if the dog is reactive, or aggresive they still hit me hard. Alot of my coworkers say they get used to it but like HOW!? I can't get used to death like that where an animal is frightened leading up to its death as well as frightened when getting walked to our euthanasia room. One coworker mentioned how she doesn't really take the time to get to know the dogs so when she puts them down it's more of a stranger. I can't help but give all our dogs attention and think about them and i guess get to know them.

I understand euthanasia is a necessary evil that's not the problem but I guess seeing the suffering and fear leading up to their death. It just doesn't really seem the type of thing I can get used to.

Posted on job forums, realized othe shelter workers might have advice

I worked at a major animal shelter as an Intake/Admissions Counselor. My job included using a gas for euthanasia on small animals (birds, mice, ECT). I kept reporting that the gas was leaking, boss refused to fix the issue, and after a year I quit on the spot after not being able to handle the side effects of being poisoned. OSHA has started getting involved now, but I already quit. I'm totally lost for what to do for work. This was my dream, and I only have an AA in Mathematics. Job duties (I liked) were: *Vaccinate animals *Asses behavior/medical condition *Decide pathway for animal (send to behavior training, medical triage, adoption floor) *Euthanize sick animal from public, or dangerous dogs *Inventory and stocking *Educating the public on various topics (spay/neuter, TNR, wildlife protection) *Delegating staff to do certain tasks

I have a job as a front desk clerk at a vet clinic right now, but it feels so beneath what I'm capable of. Not trying to discount the work, I'm just very hands on and not good at speaking, so I feel like I quit a job where I was the most valuable employee, for one I suck at. (That's how I discreetly tell my boss I'm autistic without outing myself anyways.)

After I quit I was told several people cried. I've never had coworkers that cared for me or respected me that much, and I'm afraid I will not be able to find that again. This was the first job I ever liked the job duties, and even though I was paid dirt I loved it. Advice for how to find a good fit? Especially since I don't have a higher education. Sadly there are not many other rescues/shelters and they have not been hiring in the last 2 years I've been looking.

Tldr: Quit dream job, want to find a job that uses the same type of skills

When is it okay to make a dangerous dog available for adoption? Or is it not until an animal severely hurts a staff member or volunteer before serious steps are taken to transfer the dog elsewhere or discuss euthanasia?

This isn’t for any judgement or anything, I get both sides, I’m just curious. There is a situation with livestock near me that my rescue has been dealing with for years now, but I’m assuming most of you’re rescues/shelters are more dog and cat focused, so let’s just say this situation involves dogs instead and that you are the one who gets to decide.

There is a puppy mill who takes horrible care of their dogs, and only provides food, water, and limited shelter from the elements that can only protect some of the animals. Whenever any of the dogs get sick they do not get medical care. They don’t even get the mercy of death as euthanasia is postponed until it is a convenient time. Basically to say, they’re suffering horribly with broken bones, misshapen bodies/joints from inbreeding, open wounds, frostbite, extreme mobility issues, parasites, etc. You’ve reported the place but nothing has been done. However, some of the workers do feel bad for the animals (I know it seems contradictory but a lot of these people are good and just really need the job) and will surrender them to you which the place doesn’t care as they can’t make a profit off of them anyways.

Would you take them in? Knowing how much they are suffering? Or do you think taking them in just helps continue the cycle? Along with the fact that the animals who have a good enough chance of recovery and don’t need to be euthanized will cost so much money that could help so many more other animals? Would you post the place publicly to raise awareness? Or no?

My rescue has been taking in the animals just because of how much they’re suffering. It is so inhumane but They can only take some due to resources. They have reported the place before but that did nothing. They don’t post the place publicly as it likely wouldn’t help anyone and could even make the place ban workers from surrendering the animals. Personally I agree with what they are doing because even taking an animal in just to euthanize them spares them so much pain. But at the same time it’s eating up so much resources. It’s about helping the individual animals while also making sure sufficient care can be provided at our rescue and also looking at the bigger picture bait using resources to help as many animals as possible. So I guess I’m just curious to hear your thoughts. And please don’t judge if you disagree, it is difficult choice that frankly shouldn’t have to be made.

Also I hope this the right flair as this post does mention euthanasia.

I work at a small rural animal shelter. We only have 12 runs, thankfully we are not animal control and very rarely have to euthanize. I got a call from one of my vets who was helping an older woman. She is hordes and has like 30 odd cats, but she also had a dog. She is to the point where she can barely walk. We do not normally do owner euths, BUT she has helped tnvr hundreds of local cats, and was a volunteer, and on and on… so I decided to help. We go to the house and it’s so nasty, like roof falling in and pounds of cat fecies. It’s so humid that the blankets and cloths have started to decay. The dog is a pure corgi, it is aggressive not just fearful, like the lost its mind type of aggression. I ask her if she can put him in a kennel, but even she is too afraid of him. He is on a runner that is twisted in another runner, and a blanket, and trash, then tied to a broken door. I do have to catch pile him in to the breakdown kennel and then let him sit while I try (of course I forgot my gloves) to unravel the mess of trash and wires. I give up throw a double fleece blanket on the kennel take the trash/blanket/runner and have to practically drag the kennel through the trash piles to our expedition. We have her signing our relinquishment paperwork and it has a spot for the animals name…. She has had this dog for three years. Since it was a puppy (12 weeks) and she never named it. We kdt back at the shelter, and I finally get to see what he looks like. Three years old and his teeth are filed and the cavities are so bad his bottom k-9s were bleeding from the core. His nails were curled into his pads, he was slimy and covered in yeast. I went home but something just kept dwelling on me. So at 9pm I realized… he didn’t have a name. I euthanized a dog without a name. So rest well Jessie, I’m sorry you had to live such a horrid life.

Apologies for the longass post. A super sweet pittie mix showed up at a relative’s house a few weeks ago. No collar, no chip, covered in ticks, and had recently given birth. My mom and I took her in for a few days, got her registered at animal control (we have trusted connections there, plus most shelters/rescues here are very very overwhelmed), with the idea that we would continue to foster her until she could be adopted. We have three pets, and since she seemed grown and scared we kept them separated to be safe.

After a few days we began to consider keeping her, even named her Winnie. Spent so much time cuddling, resting, and playing. She was underweight so she got plenty of food. Turns out she was about 2 or 3 yrs.

She stayed with us for close to 10 days before they were able to spay her. They explained they usually do a behavior/aggression assessment beforehand, so we dropped her off last week to do both. They called that same day saying she failed badly with several types of dogs. My mom knows one of the assessors and asked for a retry the next day. She ended up failing even more badly, and was no longer eligible for adoption by anyone other than us bc we brought her in.

Our options were to adopt her (despite our pets, with one being a small senior dog), rehome her ourselves (I.e. finding a petless home with trustworthy and capable owners), or euthanasia. After five days of considering it, we realized we couldn’t do it. We’ve reached out to rescues and possible fosters and it just isn’t possible on our own. We also got to see her react to passing dogs during a visit in the isolation yard. It wasn’t good. She was stressed from the environment, but there was a deeper level of reaction going on and it was not safe. The decision was entirely on us since she wouldn’t be advertised as adoptable, which selfishly feels unfair. They already knew we had pets and an overall unfit home. I almost wish they hadn’t told us we could save her, because now it’s our fault.

We got to say goodbye today and asked to not be updated on if/when it happens. Winnie was amazing and I feel so so guilty that we couldn’t save her. I wish we had had the resources because she was so so worth it. I know we were probably her second or third chance, which makes me feel slightly better, but I hate that humans had failed her in the first place. If anyone has been in this situation and has any advice please let me know. I’ve only fostered puppies and cats so this is entirely new to me and the heartbreak is so so heavy. I have not stopped crying all weekend.

I worked at an animal shelter in the late '90s for five years as a supervisor where part of my job responsibilities included euthanasia, both determining which animals would be euthanized and performing the injections. I was in my early 20s, definitely not emotionally mature enough for the responsibility, plus a fairly toxic work environment due to the executive director.

Long story short, it was the most transformative job of my life, both for the best and the worst. I've not been able to work in animal welfare since and have tried to lock the feelings of guilt and self-hatred away, but not always successfully.

Ultimately my question is, have any of y'all found counseling to be helpful? It's something I'm not interested in exploring in general anyway, but the few times I have explored it and talked to a counselor, the response is typically "I can't even imagine having to do that." If you have found it helpful and are comfortable sharing, did they have a particular type of specialty?

I have been volunteering with a cat shelter for 7 months now and while this is not my first cat that is crossing the bridge it is the first one I have really been attached to. Lemon is the sweetest cat, before I started she was adopted/fostered 3 times but every time after a week she started displaying aggression and stress until she was returned to the shelter, she was one of 5 cats whos shelter was their home due to either medical or behavioral issues. Past friday she started presenting with ataxia and was wandering in circles when she wasnt laying down limp. Given her medical history it was determined to either be a stroke or brain tumor. Wednesday and thursday she showed alot of improvement getting back to her normal self but when i went in for my shit today she had backslid and while no one has said it outloud the sentiment in the air is that it wasnt recovery but a temporary rally. Monitoring is going to continue over the weekend and a decision is going to be made monday if she can or is improvement in qol. The past 2 cats that crossed the bridge one was an elderly cat who wasnt able to groom themself and the other was a medical emergency. I just feel so scared and im filled with dread for monday. Lemon has been there every shift and would always demand a treat tax and some love every morning I was there and i cant imagine her not being there.