Christina Maki

Those of you who follow me on Twitter probably know that I recently got a job as the head vet tech at a local low-cost spay and neuter organization. (Those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter are missing out on lots of fun, and should rectify the problem immediately.) I’ve been writing on the organization’s blog about some general stuff, but I haven’t been able to really tell the stories there.

Here, I don’t have to worry about sugar-coating things or stepping around the issues.

Here, I can be blunt. I can tell you the full story. I’m not going to be graphic about it whenever I can help it, but I’m also not going to leave out the facts just to spare you from feeling uncomfortable about a difficult topic.

This isn’t my first job in a non-profit company, nor is it my first experience with animal welfare work. For almost two years, I worked in a local animal shelter as a vet tech, behavior analyst, and euthanasia technician. It was the hardest job I’ve ever had, both physically and emotionally.

After being out of the game since 2005, it’s very weird to be back in the animal welfare community. It’s sort of like falling asleep for four years, and then getting a bucket of ice water dumped all over you.

I’d forgotten how completely f*cked up people are.

Earlier this week, we acquired a young female pit bull who had recently had her ears cropped. It was done at home, probably with nothing more sophisticated than a pair of scissors. She literally has no ears left.

The “fighting crop” is a style of ear cropping on a pit bull that leaves less than 3/5 of the ear intact. This was originally done for dogs who were going to be used in the fighting rings. Now, however, dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states, and is punishable by heavy fines and jail time (as Michael Vick can certainly attest to).

I, myself, am against ear cropping in the first place. I consider it an unneccessary mutilation of a dog’s natural appearance, and I think that any unneccessary surgery purely for cosmetics should be considered cruelty. In my opinion, it’s no better than the gothic kittens incident from last month. That being said, however, I would much rather have seen this little girl go to a vet and have a professional do the procedure under anesthesia than to see the results of this homegrown hack job.

I wish that was the worst thing that I see at work.

Yesterday, I had to euthanize eight fetal puppies. Spaying a dog when it’s pregnant is a very common practice in clinics like ours. I know some of you are probably horrified by that, and I can understand why. Puppy abortions are not a pretty thing to think about. But it’s even worse to have to see them performed, and to administer the lethal doses to the unborn dogs.

I cried while I did it. I snuck off to the bathroom for a few minutes to compose myself about an hour later. I cried again on the way home.

I should clarify that I don’t have any sort of moral objection to doing the procedure under the circumstances. Pet overpopulation in America is a huge problem. Nearly 8 million animals go into our shelters every year, and only about half of those will leave through the front doors.

The rest go out the back door in black bags.

In this kind of situation, we have no choice but to abort full litters of unborn puppies and kittens, and to euthanize dogs and cats who are too old, too sick, too aggressive, or otherwise unadoptable. People always marvel at the fact that it was my job for two years to euthanize animals.

“How could you do that? I could never do that. I love animals too much.”

Yeah, well, guess what? I do the job because of how much I love animals. I don’t enjoy it. Each time I’ve put an animal to death, I’ve felt a little piece of my heart go with it.

People try to lay the blame on the shelters that utilize euthanasia, calling them “kill shelters” and sending their money to other organizations that refuse to do what needs to be done. I have news for you: “no-kill” shelters are only able to remain “no-kill” because they send the unadoptable animals to other shelters and make them do the dirty work. They just pass the killing on to someone else who has the courage to face what they can’t.

The thought that we can solve this problem without utilizing euthanasia sounds great, but the truth is that it’s naive.

The solution to the problem lies with each and every one of you out there.

If you have a pet, get them fixed. I don’t care if they’re indoor dogs and you think they’ll never get out and get pregnant or knock up the neighbor’s dog. Do it anyway. If, by some chance, they do get out, you’re covered. Plus, they’ll enjoy all the health benefits that come along with being spayed or neutered.

If you’re looking to get a pet, adopt from a shelter or a rescue. Even if you want a purebred, call or visit the local shelter. Almost 30% of shelter animals are purebreeds. If they don’t have any available, ask to be put on a waiting list, or see if they know of a local rescue that specializes in the breed you want. It’s worth waiting for the right dog. After all, you are saving a life.

If you have friends or family who have unaltered pets, or who are thinking about getting an animal from a pet store or breeder, please please please educate them.

Guys, I would love to not have job security. I would love for my position and our organization to become obsolete.

But we can’t fix the problem without your help.