Unwanted Animals

I  just want to talk about a female bloodhound that some one dumped out near my home. I never saw her up close until today. My heart is sad and heavy for what I had to do. She has been wondering around here for a month digging in my garbage and strewing it all over. She had jumped thru my screen porch to get to garbage b/c she was hungry even tho I was leaving her food out. She killed 3 of my sons chickens from hunger but we could not get close to her. We didnt see her often but we always knew when she was there. I cant stand to think a animal is starving and my area here has become a dumping ground for those who want to get rid of ther pets. 4 days ago I put out a trap, not the kind that hurts them but the kind that when they step in it closes on them. Its a huge one also. I put food in it everyday and somehow she would get the food without triggering the trap...until last night! I caught her. She is pregnant and I had to make the decision to take her to the pound b/c I cant keep her. I called everyone I knew but no one wanted her. My heart broke as I drove her to that place not knowing if she would live or die. I keep asking myself should I have let her go or do I take her to the pound? I get so angry b/c I have to make that decision alot b/c of uncaring owners. I wish I could have kept her, but she is to much dog for me and I cant give her what she needs but I feel so bad, maybe what little I could give her would be enough. You just have to know my situation to understand but I cant go into that. The best I can do here is a cat thats it!! Someone please tell me I did  the best for her! I named her Abbie, and she was so beautiful and sweet but very nervous and jumpy. I just cant get it off my mind. Every time I have to do this I go thru the same thing. I shouldnt be surprised b/c if people can kill people they sure can drop off an animal for it to starve to death. Thats all.

[skydnsr]

I would have done the same thing, for several reasons.  (In fact, I have done the same thing.)  First of all, by being in the pound, she and the puppies have at least some slim chance of getting adopted into a good home.  As long as she was running feral, they had basically no chance of that.  And second, if she does get put to sleep, it is a much more merciful death than what she was facing.  

Feral dogs do not have long lifespans.  They typically die in early life or sometimes as late as what we would consider to be  mid-adulthood, of any of various types of disease or injury.  Around where I come from, most people who live out in the country and have a feral dog getting into their garbage will shoot it.  Sometimes the gunshot wound is immediately fatal, sometimes it takes a while.  Parvo and distemper are endemic.  Those diseases take at least a few days to die from, too.  

Her puppies would have had little chance of surviving in the field, and if environmental conditions were bad enough, she might have killed them herself.  That is how nature programs the mother's brain to behave in a poor situation, in order to conserve her own life -- at least for a while.  

As far as I'm concerned, you did exactly the right thing.  If you should find yourself having to do the same thing again in the future, do not name the animal, and do not look it in the eyes.  I was given that advice by some dog pound employees who had to develop their own emotional survival techniques.

NOW.  Not that you did anything wrong, whatsoever.  But do yourself a favor and look up any no-kill rescue organizations in your area and ask if they can help you next time.  Maybe there will be such a group and maybe not.  If there is, you will feel better if you can access them when needed.  If there is not, or if they fall through on you (they may be overrun), then you will know absolutely that you had no other alternative than the pound.  

It is not a kindness to let a domestic animal run wild or to keep one that you cannot adquately care for.  You did the best kindness for this dog that you could have, under the circumstances.  Say a prayer for her spirit, if you like, and let her go.

[crzywt4it]

Thank u for your response. I did not even think of all that you mentioned, but I did know I didnt want her just running lose and starving to death. I will check for any organazations around here but Im really afraid we wont have any as we are a small rural town, but thank you for that suggestion and I will check anyway.
Thanks again
Nadine

[skydnsr]

If it looks like a purebred, you can look on the internet for the appropriate breed rescue organization, as well as general dog and cat rescue groups.  There are big parts of my state where there is nothing, however -- not even a dog pound.   There are rescue groups, but sometimes they can't help you, because they're too low on funds and they're too far away.  And sometimes the animal is just not of a type that they can rehabilitate.  That's when shooting a stray animal can be a mercy, if you are good with firearms and you can kill them instantly with a head shot.  To me, that can be as humane as a euthenasia injection, but you have to know what you are doing  -- and you have to have the steely will to be able to do it.  Myself, I don't have either the skill or the will.   I'm sorry to say that about shooting them, and I'm sorry if anyone here is offended.  But for those who are offended, I ask that you try to mentally put yourself in the situation where there is no other realistic option.  I live in a rural, low-income state that has big areas where there is not even a dog pound.  Some counties in my state do not even have an animal control department in the whole county.  Some counties in my state have populations of under 10,000 people, and some counties in my state have some of the lowest per capita incomes in the US.  You are probably not going to be able to get someone from the Humane Society to drive 100 miles to pick up a stray dog, and if there is no dog pound within a similar distance, you are just stuck.  I've kind of gotten far off the main point here, but what I want to say is, sometimes the ideal solution is just not available to you, and all you can do is have the moral courage to do the best you can.  crzywt4it, for you to have taken the time and trouble to humanely trap the dog and take it to the pound, I think you should be commended.  You gave her a chance, which she did not have otherwise.

[Jaybay]

It's not only sad for the animals who get dumped, but for the  people who are left to deal with the problem.  I have a cousin who lives in rural Tennessee who gets dogs dumped on her property every week.  She finally banded together a rescue organization of her own, and somehow manages to find homes for them all.  Lord only knows how she affords it, but she does a wonderful job providing medical care, clean shelter and even basic training.

You did nothing wrong taking this dog to the pound, and it's far kinder to do that than to let her keep going in a feral state.  It's not too late to contact a bloodhound rescue group and let them know where she is.  Often times such groups comb pounds for dogs who are on a short list for euthanasia.  That's how our Dalmatian came to us.

Seriously, try not to guilt trip yourself.  I probably would have had to do the same thing in your position.

[crzywt4it]

Thank you both for responding. skynser, I could never shoot and animal and my DH couldnt either, just havent the heart. But I will do whatever else I can do. I will check into that rescue immediatly. jaybay, your sister is great to be able to do that, I wish I could afford it and was physically able. I have always wanted to work with animals but wasnt that fortunate when I was younger. Thank u both I feel some better about it and I will get on this rescue organazation right away, I have the weekend to find one and surely the pound wont put her down for at least a week.
Thanks again!! Have a blessed day!
Nadine

[skydnsr]

Well, I'm not really suggesting that people shoot stray dogs.  I'm just saying that I wouldn't judge someone who did it when they had no other alternative, as long as they did it with the proper skill and the proper intentions.  My real point in bringing that up was  that sometimes the ideal solution is not available, and you have to think about what is the most human thing you can realistically do, under the circumstances.  

Jaybay's cousin did a great thing.  Thank you for mentioning that, Jaybay.

[skydnsr]

I meant "humane," not human.  This site doesn't seem to let you edit in corrections, once you click the Post button.

[Jaybay]

I absolutely agree with your take on euthansia by gunshot.  As you said, there are many areas of the country with little or no animal control shelters.  When you're out in the boondocks, you're going to have idiots dump their animals on you.  As long as it's a clean shot, that is far kinder than letting the animal starve, sicken and die.  A pack of feral dogs can cause livestock losses and become a serious threat to people.  

Too many people don't understand that dogs and cats are "domesticated" versions of their wild forebears.  They do not have the hunting skills to allow them to thrive in the wild.  They were bred to be companions to humans, and therefore many of those skills have disappeared or become rusty over time.  I'll never understand people who dump animals, but as long as we have dogs, cats and other critters sharing our lives, there's going to be a percentage of people who see them as expendable. :-(

[skydnsr]

Thank you for the supportive comment.  I was afraid that someone was going to freak out and over-react to my comment about euthenasia by gunshot.  That people would take it out of context, or whatever.  But I can tell that you totally understand where I am coming from.

[ginger899]

No, I understand. I used to go out and shoot rabbits with myxomatosis (is that how it's spelt?) I couldn't bear to see them in that terrible state. The first one I shot made me shake from head to foot, but I got used to doing it.
I think I would find that mercy killing much much harder with a dog, but that's just a form of sentiment. A clean point blank shot with a powerful enough gun is the kindest option under dire circumstances. The animal knows nothing about it.