WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE HUMANE SOCIETY

I WAS MET BY A YOUNG GUY, NAMED RON.

HE EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS THE PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSON

FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

HE WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT MY SPEECH

AND ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE A TOUR

OF THE FACILITIES BEFORE I PICKED UP THE PUPPY.

I ENTHUSIASTICALLY AGREED.

WE STARTED OUT IN THE RECEPTION AREA,

WHICH WAS THE GENERAL PUBLIC`S

INITIAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

THE LOBBY WAS FULL,

MOSTLY WITH PEOPLE DROPPING OFF VARIOUS ANIMALS

THAT THEY NO LONGER WANTED.

RON EXPLAINED TO ME

THIS BRANCH OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY TOOK IN ABOUT FIFTY ANIMALS A DAY

AND ADOPTED OUT TWENTY.

AS WE STOOD THERE I HEARD SNATCHES OF CONVERSATION,

"I CAN`T KEEP HIM, HE DIGS HOLES IN MY GARDEN"

"THERE SUCH CUTE PUPPIES,

I KNOW U WILL HAVE NO TROUBLE FINDING HOMES FOR THEM."

"SHE IS WILD, I CAN`T CONTROL HER."

WE LEFT THE RECEPTION AREA,

RON LEAD ME INTO THE STAGING AREA

WHERE ALL THE INCOMING ANIMALS WERE EVALUATED

FOR ADOPTABILITY.

OVER HALF NEVER EVEN MADE IT TO THE ADOPTION CENTRE.

THEY WERE JUST TOO MANY. NOT ONLY WERE PEOPLE

BRINGING IN THEIR OWN ANIMAL,

BUT STRAYS WERE ALSO DROPPED OFF.

BY LAW THE HUMANE SOCIETY HAD TO HOLD A STRAY THREE DAYS.

IF THE ANIMAL WAS NOT CLAIMED BY THEN

IT WAS EUTHANISED,

SINCE THERE WAS NO BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE ANIMAL

AS WE WENT THROUGH THE DIFFERENT AREAS,

I FELT MORE DEPRESSED.

NO AMOUNT OF STATISTICS, COULD TAKE THE PLACE

OFF SEEING THE REALITY OF WHAT THIS THROW AWAY ATTITUDE DID

TO LIVING BREATHING ANIMALS. IT WAS OVER WHELMING.

FINALLY RON STOPPED IN FRONT OF A CLOSED DOOR.

"THATS IT." HE SAID. "EXCEPT FOR THIS."

I READ THE SIGN ON THE DOOR. "EUTHANIZATION AREA."

"DO YOU WANT TO SEE ONE.? HE ASKED.

BEFORE I COULD DECLINE, HE INTERJECTED,

"YOU REALLY SHOULD,

YOU CAN`T TELL THE WHOLE STORY

UNLESS YOU EXPERIENCE THE END."

I RELUCTANTLY AGREED.HE KNOCKED FIRMLY ON THE DOOR.

IT WAS OPENED IMEDIATELY BY A MIDDLE AGED WOMAN,

IN A WHITE LAB COAT.

"HERE`S THE GIRL I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT.

" RON EXPLAINED.

PEGGY LOOKED ME OVER.

"WELL I`LL LEAVE YOU HERE WITH PEGGY AND MEET YOU IN RECEPTION AREA

IN ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES.

I`LL HAVE THE PUPPY READY."

PEGGY MOTIONED ME IN.

AS I WALKED INTO THE ROOM, I GAVE AN AUDIBLE GASP.

THE ROOM WAS SMALL AND SPARTEN.

THERE WERE A COUPLE OF CAGES ON THE WALL

AND A CABINET WITH SYRINGES AND VIALS OF CLEAR LIQUID.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM

WAS A EXAMINING TABLE WITH A RUBBER MAT ON TOP.

THERE WERE TWO DOORS OTHER THAN THE ONE I HAD ENTERED.

BOTH WERE CLOSED, ONE SAID TO INCINERATOR ROOM,

AND THE OTHER HAD NO SIGN,

BUT I COULD HEAR VARIOUS ANIMAL NOISES

COMING FROM BEHIND THE CLOSED DOOR.

IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, NEAR THE DOOR

THAT WAS MARKED INCINERATOR,

WERE THE OBJECTS THAT CAUSED MY DISTRESS.

TWO WHEEL BARRELS, FILLED WITH THE BODIES OF DEAD KITTENS AND PUPPIES.

I STARED IN HORROR. NOTHING HAD PREPARED ME FOR THIS,

I FELT MY LEGS GROW WEAK

AND MY BREATHING BECAME RAPID AND SHALLOW.

I WANTED TO RUN FROM THAT ROOM, SCREAMING.

FINALLY, PEGGY SEEMED TO NOTICE

THAT I WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO HER.

"ARE YOU LISTENING?" SHE ASKED IRRITABLY.

"I`M ONLY GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS ONCE.

I TORE MY GAZE FROM FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM AND LOOKED AT HER.

SHE TOLD ME THAT BEHIND THE UNMARKED DOOR

WERE THE ANIMALS THAT WERE SCHEDULED FOR EUTHANASIA THAT DAY.

SHE PICKED UP THE CHART THAT WAS HANGING FROM THE WALL

" ONE FIFTY THREE IS NEXT.

" SHE SAID AS SHE LOOKED AT THE CHART.

"I`LL GO GET HIM."

SHE LAID DOWN THE CHART ON THE EXAMINING TABLE

AND STARTED FOR THE UNMARKED DOOR.

AS PEGGY OPENED THE DOOR I PEERED INTO THE ROOM BEYOND.

IT WAS A SMALL ROOM,

BUT THE WALLS WERE LINED AND STACKED WITH CAGES.

IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE ALL OCCUPIED.

PEGGY OPENED THE DOOR OF ONE OF THE LOWER CAGES

AND REMOVED THE OCCUPANT.

FROM WHAT I COULD SEE IT LOOKED LIKE A MEDIUM SIZE DOG.

SHE ATTACHED A LEASH AND USHERED THE DOG

INTO THE ROOM IN WHICH I STOOD.

AS PEGGY BROUGHT THE DOG INTO THE ROOM

I COULD SEE THAT THE DOG WAS NO MORE THAN A PUPPY

MAYBE FIVE OR SIX MONTHS OLD.

THE PUP LOOKED TO BE A CROSS BETWEEN A LAB AND A GERMAN SHEPHERD.

HE WAS MOSTLY BLACK,

WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF TAN ABOVE HIS EYES AND ON HIS FEET.

HE WAS VERY EXCITED AND BOUNCING UP AND DOWN,

TRYING TO SNIFF EVERYTHING IN THIS NEW ENIROMENT.

PEGGY LIFTED THE PUP ONTO THE TABLE.

SHE HAD A CARD IN HER HAND.

WHICH SHE LAID ON THE TABLE NEXT TO ME.

I READ THE CARD. IT SAID THAT NUMBER ONE FIFTY THREE

WAS A MIXED SHEPHERD, 6 MONTHS OLD.

HE WAS SURRENDERED TWO DAYS AGO BY A FAMILY.

REASON OF SURRENDER WAS GIVEN AS JUMPS ON THE CHILDREN.

AT THE BOTTOM WAS A NOTE THAT SAID NAME: SAM.

PEGGY WAS QUICK AND EFFICIENT,

FROM LOTS OF PRACTICE, I GUESSED.

SHE LAID ONE FIFTY THREE DOWN ON HIS SIDE

AND TIED A RUBBER TOURNIQUET AROUND HIS FRONT LEG.

SHE TURNED TO THE FILLED SYRINGE

FROM THE VIAL OF CLEAR LIQUID.

AT THIS TIME I WAS STANDING AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE.

I COULD SEE THE MOMENT THAT ONE FIFTY THREE

WENT FROM BEING A CURIOUS PUPPY TO A TRRIFIED PUPPY.

HE DID NOT LIKE BEING HELD DOWN

AND HE STARTED TO STRUGGLE.

IT WAS THEN THAT I FINALLY FOUND MY VOICE.

I BENT OVER THE STRUGGLING PUPPY AND WHISPERED "SAM."

AT THE SOUND OF HIS NAME SAM QUIT STRUGGLING.

HE WAGGED HIS TAIL TENTATIVELY

AND HIS SOFT PINK TONGUE DARTED OUT

AND LICKED MY HAND AND THAT IS HOW HE SPENT HIS LAST MOMENT.

I WATCHED HIS EYES FADE FROM HOPEFULNESS TO NOTHINGNESS.

IT WAS OVER VERY QUICKLY.

I HAD NEVER EVEN SEEN PEGGY GIVE THE LETHAL SHOT.

THE TEARS COULD NOT BE CONTAINED ANY LONGER.

I LEFT THE ROOM.

THAT NIGHT I WENT HOME

AND SPENT MANY HOURS PLAYING WITH THE ORPHANED PUPPY.

I WENT TO BED THAT NIGHT BUT I COULD NOT SLEEP.

AFTER AWHILE I GOT UP AND LOOKED AT MY SPEECH

NOTED WITH THEIR NUMBERS AND STATISTICS.

WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT I TORE THEM UP

AND THREW THEM AWAY.I WENT BACK TO BED.

THE NEXT MORNING I ARRIVED AT MY SPEECH CLASS WITH PUPPY DOE.

WHEN MY TURN CAME TO GIVE MY SPEECH.

I WALKED UP TO THE FRONT OF THE CLASS WITH THE PUPPY IN MY ARMS.

I TOOK A DEEP BREATH,

AND TOLD THE CLASS ABOUT THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SAM.

WHEN I FINNISHED MY SPEECH

I BECAME AWARE THAT I WAS CRYING.

I APPOLOGIZED TO THE CLASS AND TOOK MY SEAT.

AFTER CLASS THE TEACHER HANDED OUT A CRITIQUE WITH OUR GRADES.

I GOT AN "A" HIS COMMENTS SAID "VERY MOVING AND PERSUASIVE."

TWO DAYS LATER, ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASS,

ONE OF MY CLASSMATES CAME OVER TO ME.

SHE WAS AN OLDER LADY THAT I HAD NEVER SPOKEN TO IN CLASS.

SHE STOPPED ME ON OUR WAY OUT OF THE CLASS ROOM.

" I WANT YOU TO KNOW

THAT I ADOPTED THE PUPPY YOU BROUGHT INTO CLASS."

SHE SAID "HIS NAME IS SAM."

Author Unknown

I THANK THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS

FOR IT WILL HELP EDUCATE PEOPLE AS TO WHAT HAPPENS TO MOST ANIMALS

WHEN GIVEN UP TO MOST SHELTERS

THERE ARE STILL SOME SHELTERS

THAT NEVER PUT A DOG OR ANIMAL TO SLEEP

SO IF U HAVE ONE LIKE THIS IN YOUR AREA PLEASE TRY TO HELP

EITHER BY GIVING MONEY OR ADOPTING A FURRBABY FROM THEM

OR MAYBE YOU COULD HELP BY FOSTERING A FURRBABY