a warning: i’ll try my best to not get all preachy on you, but i can’t make promises. oh, also, this gets pretty long.

last weekend i found a sweet little border collie mix just running out into traffic, and i thought oh how sad.

so home she came with me. she got along famously with luke (i know, i know, stray dogs shouldn’t play with my dogs… i know that now*), and we took pictures and made signs. she was very sweet and well behaved and obviously belonged to someone.

we hung up the signs in the area she was found, and she stayed the night in the boyfriend’s yard. i called animal control to have her picked up the next morning because, naively, i thought she could at least stay there until her owners called. the animal control man told me she’d be adopted in a hurry.

but i called that monday to check up on her. i told them i wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be put down, and they said they couldn’t guarantee that. i told them she was healthy, well behaved and very sweet. but they told me they already have plenty of healthy, well behaved and sweet dogs, and not enough room to keep them. i asked what would be the earliest she would be euthanized. thursday, they told me.

so wednesday i went down to the shelter (most depressing place ever) to id her and file adoption papers. i was so relieved when i finally found her in the back row of the third room i checked, and she was relieved to see me, as well. it would be a week before i could come back for her, so that she could be spayed. sounded great. and, i had even found her a nice home already.

but the next day i got a call saying she couldn’t be adopted because she was diagnosed with parvo and would have to be euthanized. and she was, on saturday.

that’s really the end of the story. but the moral of this story is please, PLEASE get your pet spayed or neutered and keep them up to date on vaccinations. an animal shelter is no place for any living thing to be, especially in the last days of their lives.

the oklahoma city animal shelter is working toward being a no-kill shelter by 2010. they’re a long way from that. last year, 28,000 animals went to the shelter, and 19,000 didn’t come out. it’s an awful, awful place filled with lovely dogs that would make lovely pets.

if you’ve never been to a city animal shelter, it really is like the david duchovny pedigree commercials. only hundreds of times more painful.

the photos above are by traer scott and are from his book, ‘shelter dogs.’ (not only does he shoot wonderful photos of dogs, his editorial work is pretty outstanding, as well. you can even buy prints.)

aspca online store, $19.95

*luckily, both my luke and the boyfriend’s margo were up to date on their parvo vaccinations.

Link to the Source

Lot of 3 ASPCA Rabbit Plush Dog Toys With Squeakers US $8.99 End Date: Monday Dec-01-2008 23:26:21 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

12 ASPCA Spinner Cat Toys Plastic Balls 3 Packs US $4.99 End Date: Monday Dec-01-2008 23:27:56 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

Humane Treatment of Animals #1307 1st ASPCA cachet FDC US $8.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 16:31:23 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Franklin Mint ASPCA Basket of Cheer Collector Plate US $5.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 18:59:16 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

"Speak" 1889 print - girl & FOX TERRIER dog -ASPCA US $9.95 (0 Bid) End Date: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 22:50:04 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Aspca Complete Guide to Dogs NEW Gerstenfeld, Sheldon L US $19.47 End Date: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 23:28:38 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

100th Anniversary of the ASPCA: 1966 US Postage Stamps US $2.95 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Dec-03-2008 8:17:07 PST Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

ASPCA We Are Their Voice Horse T shirt XL US $3.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Dec-03-2008 11:31:07 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Cat Catnip toys lot pack of three ASPCA collection NIP US $3.00 End Date: Wednesday Dec-03-2008 20:13:23 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

Lot of 6 ASPCA Plush Round Dog Toys US $8.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 9:38:12 PST Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats: Everything You Need to Kn US $1.00 End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 12:19:22 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

Wood Hanger Holiday Dog Design NWT NR ~ supports ASPCA US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 16:53:05 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

"The ASPCA Complete Guide to Pet Care" NEW (8812) US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 17:44:00 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

COLLECTABLE PLATE GOLDEN RETRIEVER ADOPT A PUPPY ASPCA US $6.55 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Dec-05-2008 22:12:24 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

11 Cat books, ASPCA guide, Cat Love letters, Hollander US $4.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 11:12:56 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

ASPCA Complete Dog Care Manual US $13.81 End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 12:11:19 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

1903 New York City Illustrated Print ASPCA Headquarters US $37.95 End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 14:16:06 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

ASPCA Complete Guide to DOGS pet care Gerstenfeld US $17.99 End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 14:36:52 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list

Aspca Complete Dog Training Manual by Bruce Fogle (1... US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 20:19:12 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Aspca Complete Dog Training Manual by Bruce Fogle (1... US $1.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Dec-06-2008 20:22:11 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

If you liked this, You might also like:

1. Dogs Could Identify Early Stages of Ovarian Cancer
2. Filed Under: Featured • Health Tags: ovarian cancer SOURCE Research led by György Horvath MD,PhD of the Göteborg University...
3. save the Boissiere house
4. Sign the petition for this historic house on the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Trinidad more images here Link...
5. Living Etc. Hallway - God Save the Queen
6. Living Etc. Hallway, originally uploaded by AphroChic. With Punk so hot right now, the Sex Pistols print look FABULOUS...
7. Save on gift wrapping paper - and reuse !
8. Possibly not a real instructable in a strict sense, just an advice on good resources for gifts wrapping paper. And...
9. LaterThis lets you save and manage all the links you’d like to have a second look at, but don’t have time for now.
10. LaterThis lets you save and manage all the links you’d like to have a second look at, but don’t...
11. Fortis IQ watch by Rolf Sachs
12. Visit Dezeen! Designer Rolf Sachs has created a watch with a blackboard-style face for watch brand Fortis. (more…) Yu335 Hello...
13. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live’s take on the Vice Presidential debates
14. [caption id="attachment_5914" align="alignnone" width="154" caption="Tina Fey as Sarah Palin"][/caption] Watch Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live’s take...
15. Get the Look: Annie Hall
16. When it comes to classic films I haven’t seen any of them. People will ask me if I have seen...
17. 106 Organizations That Are Changing the World
18. If you’re wondering how you can make a difference, this list might help. If the organization you support isn’t on...
19. Cool Sports Gear on ThisNext
20. Burning calories is a lot more fun when you have some awesome sports gear to power you through it. ...