This is not going to be a Zen moment but it is significant to me, for being the first time since I've begun volunteering in animal rescue that I failed. I lost an adoptable, through ignorance and misinformation. This blogger is experiencing guilt, self-anger, and a complete disenchantment of the world of animal rescue. Maybe it was naïve of me, but I honestly believed that involving the SPCA meant that this dog would have a fighting chance at a new beginning with a loving family if nothing else. What happened instead was the exact opposite, the worst case scenario. This is what happened:
A couple of weeks ago, as my family and I were leaving home to go to the park for a leisurely Sunday afternoon, a young dog without collar or tags walked up to us, tail wagging hopefully. She appeared docile and gentle, and we placed her behind our patio fence until we could decide what to do. Another neighbor was out, and we talked to him and he said that he saw her just "roaming the street", and nobody appeared to be looking for her. She didn't look hungry, just lost and a little scared. The only concern was a "hot spot" on her back. I called her Gracie so that she would be a little less of an orphan. I posted her picture on Facebook, and the response was overwhelming- 133 people shared her status in the hopes of finding her owner. Unfortunately nobody came forward, so we decided to bring her to the SPCA. The idea was that this pup might have a microchip, or the owner might check the shelters to see if someone found her.
I contacted the SPCA, and they informed me that they were unable to pick her up unless we had a crate or kennel (which we don't). We had to drive to the Westbank facility to hand deliver Gracie. An animal intake individual reassured us that the vet would check out the bad spot on her back, and it would get treated. Gracie was left there under the assumption that if the owner didn't come forward to claim her, they would try to find her another home.
Three days later I called the SPCA to check on the status of Gracie. Nobody had claimed her yet, but they gave me a "reference number" so that the next time I called they would be able to find her easily and give me her status. Fast forward to today, when I called again to check and see how Gracie was doing. The person I spoke with said that "the owner never claimed her unfortunately." I asked her if they had any luck finding her a new home, and was casually informed that she was put to sleep "a few days ago" since nobody picked her up. I was absolutely stricken. The thought that she might be put to sleep never even crossed my mind- after all this was the SPCA, not a privately owned shelter. The SPCA promotes itself as a haven for homeless animals, and its primary focus is on holding events and raising money for adopting cats and dogs and getting them off the street and into their forever homes. Gracie was a small (about 30 lbs), healthy and gentle sweetheart. Her disposition was stellar, and for the brief time we spent with her, she was grateful and loving. For the SPCA to euthanize a healthy, happy animal is unprecedented. I was never informed, from the time of drop-off until the last phone call, that the dog would be given a unrealistically short time frame to find a home or get picked up by her original owner before she was put to sleep. In a week's time, this dog was euthanized without any thought or consideration. And the attitude of the person I spoke with on the phone was blunt, casual and completely unconcerned. Clearly this wasn't their problem and they weren't going to waste any time worrying about it. Empathy was completely missing here, and in the animal rescue field, if you lose empathy you don't belong working in rescue anymore. What's striking is that the SPCA is renowned for the staggering amount of human and financial resources that they possess on any given day. Other organizations are run on little to no manpower and monetary assistance, yet they don't ever euthanize their adoptables. They work tirelessly, around the clock, and they do it on a fraction of the resources that the SPCA maintains. So many of the smaller groups are run by a handful of devoted individuals that don't receive any financial backing from the government and/or the public, yet they steadfastly remain "no kill". Its staggering how much SPCA has at their disposal. Even now, it is gearing up for the ground breaking of a brand new 40,000 square foot facility. Clearly they are not lacking funds OR finances. So why couldn't they try harder to find one small dog a home? And how many other dogs were just "thrown away" because they didn't meet whatever criteria the SPCA holds for their adoptables? When I involved them in Gracie's future, I wasn't looking for a miracle but I believed they would give her a fighting chance to find a home. I found out the hard way that they are not the humane and devoted organization that they would have the public believe them to be.
I have devoted upwards of two years to the SPCA. I worked as a volunteer and helped exercise the animals at their Westbank facility, attended their functions, participated in handling animals at adoption events, taken photos of the adoptables for their website and for Facebook, promoted their organization online, etc. I believed in them. I met some amazing people through their system, who were completely devoted to the animals. In light of all that, to find out that this is their policy for homeless dogs is unbelievable. I am suffering severe guilt and grief right now over Gracie. I feel that I let her down. I still remember her curled up on the car seat as we took the journey to the SPCA, where we mistakenly believed that she would be taken care of and treated well. It pains me to think that her last good memories were the ones of her laying on our porch, meandering in the backyard, and being hugged and patted and given some basic affection. It was nowhere near enough. Her time was too short. Whoever had her before we found her clearly didn't treat her well- she had a spot on her back that first appeared to be mange, but on closer inspection looked like some kind of burn. A few people on FB mentioned that it looked like someone poured oil on her back, and recalled a recent dog situation where a dog was looking for a home, and found one, only to be back looking for another home because the prior one was abusive. To think that she didn't get the opportunity to have her shot at a loving family situation, is painful to say the least. It grieves me to think that her chances would've been better had we not gotten involved and had left her to roam the streets. To think that the place that was supposed to save her instead took her life, is beyond reason.
I hesitated to write this blog because the SPCA is renowned for its good and charitable works. They indeed have done a lot over the years to help the homeless animals and raise money for the cats and dogs under their care. I didn't want to be a troublemaker over one bad case. But the fact is, this one case is personal and hits close to home. She wasn't "just a dog". She wasn't vicious, or violent, or diseased, or even old. She was thrown out like garbage, and I can't overlook that and pretend it didn't happen because it might ruffle some feathers or antagonize people who have never had this experience. I owe Gracie better than that. Somebody has to speak for her, despite the fact that she is no longer here. Because if this happened once, I am positive it has happened many other times, and nobody took notice or cared enough to say anything.
I hesitated to write this blog because the SPCA is renowned for its good and charitable works. They indeed have done a lot over the years to help the homeless animals and raise money for the cats and dogs under their care. I didn't want to be a troublemaker over one bad case. But the fact is, this one case is personal and hits close to home. She wasn't "just a dog". She wasn't vicious, or violent, or diseased, or even old. She was thrown out like garbage, and I can't overlook that and pretend it didn't happen because it might ruffle some feathers or antagonize people who have never had this experience. I owe Gracie better than that. Somebody has to speak for her, despite the fact that she is no longer here. Because if this happened once, I am positive it has happened many other times, and nobody took notice or cared enough to say anything.
Gracie deserved better than to be put to sleep and forgotten. She was healthy, young and loving. She had a full life ahead of her. The SPCA, who purports to be all about the animals, severely dropped the ball this time around. I will be pulling the plug on my association with them, and devoting future volunteer work and donations to no-kill shelters and groups such as the LA Boxer Rescue, Villalobos and Sula Foundation. Gracie, you may not have found your forever home, but I pray that you found peace and crossed the Rainbow Bridge to rejoin all the other wonderful dogs that didn't make it. I will be thinking about you and grieving for you. I only knew you a short time, but you made an impression. I won't forget you.
