Well, not every post here must be depressing. I am looking for and finding the occasional bright spot in these long days. While it might not seem bright by the title, let me help explain why it is.
Today a beautiful red dog was brought in with a large tumor under her right front leg. Seized from the owners, it appeared her right shoulder was dislocated because it had been displaced by the tumor so far from normal position. In the right chest were several wounds, at a glance appearing to be puncture or bit wounds, they were more likely pustules burst with the extreme pressure placed by the growing tumor under her skin.
I've certainly never seen a tumor this large, except on the Discovery Channel special about a third-world country where there is NO medical care for hundreds of miles. But today I saw the largest tumor I could have ever imagined -- if anyone wants to exert mental thought on that topic.
This tumor likely weighed three or four pounds, which on a dog that might have weighed 50lbs, is enormous. Of course, I hate that someone in our species allowed this tumor to reach the massive size it did, but I can't dwell on that. We are not the most intelligent species on the planet, sometimes we are just smart enough to be truly dangerous. But I can't waste mental energy on the idiots.
The kind hearted red dog allowed us to look at her, prod her to see if it was in fact a tumor and not some massive infection that might have been dealt with, and even licked me after I took her outside. She was calm and docile, despite being in obvious discomfort and likely pain. She was truly a beautiful soul who reminded me not to come down into the mire, but rather find a way to come through it.
At end of day red dog was humanely euthanized by two staff members, one of which held her head as she quietly went to sleep and finally felt no more pain. It was over in minutes, while I washed a litter of four puppies covered in fleas. The puppies had no idea what was occurring beyond their wash basin, although I was aware and glad we were able to do it.
Learning about Shelter Dogs and what they go through has been hard at the least and infuriating at best, but it is the reality of pet over-population in Kansas City, and likely many, many more cities and towns in this developed country. Should we have given red dog a better life -- Hell YES! But were we at least able to give her a peaceful death, thank the heavens.
Whether you believe in heaven, hell, reincarnation, or an abyss, today you'd known that a release from this world was the best, most wonderful thing that could have happened. Tomorrow I'll focus on getting pictures of the puppies posted to the website so hopefully they can be adopted and have the life red dog had deserved.
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