Saturday, April 12, 2008

Toby deserved the best

Today I learned that Toby, one of the lovely dogs I walk at my local shelter, was euthanized this past week. Toby had been at the shelter for about one month, sharing a pen with Shawna, who appeared to be his sister or mom. Experience told me they came from a more subdued home. They didn't seem to understand where they had landed. The tech who told me that Toby had been euthanized couldn't understand why the vet chose to put down such a sweet mannered, small dog. The tech said older people sometimes came to the shelter to find gentle, adult animals. She thought Toby was that kind of dog, but now he's just one of the millions of cast-off pets put to death, who end up a jumble of furr and feet in shelter barrels.

All animals who come into this world deserve the very best. I know Toby deserved more. It breaks my heart that his life ended this way.