Today was a sad day at the shelter.

I walked a golden lab named Achilles first.  I was warned that he had a breathing problem because of some tumour-like thing that was in his throat.  The manager told me that the people who brought him in said their vet said he/she couldn't do anything about it, but we both questioned whether or not that was true.  So I took him out, and I realized right away he was having some problems breathing.  I even used a harness with him rather than the regular collar because I didn't want to put pressure on his neck.  He was such a good dog.  He was so excited to be going outside with me and I took him for a long walk and everything and he was so precious and happy.

But then he started acting weird, and the manager looked at him and said that he was about to pass out and everything.  He was kind of gasping and I felt terrible because...I dunno.  Maybe I shouldn't have taken him out as long as I did.  It is hot outside, and he has a medical condition...

I put him back and went and walked some others.  Right when I was getting ready to leave, I ran into the manager again, who I hadn't seen since we were both with Achilles.  She told me that she looked at his tumour-like thing and that it had become even more swollen and pus was oozing out of it and everything, and that it has gotten worse every day he had been with them.  Since she was afraid that he was going to suffocate as early as that night, she decided to put him down.  The only thing that would have saved him, apparently, was a major surgery to remove the whole thing.  The shelter, unfortunately, doesn't have that kind of money, and it would be questionable whether or not he would survive the surgery anyway.

So I left kind of sad.  But...I took some comfort in that I was the last person to walk him and I know that he had a good time with it, because I take them on the longest walks out of everyone who walks them, and I gave him a lot of attention and he seemed very happy...

I know it is for the best, but it doesn't make it any less sad.


Hanging out with guy tonight, though my tummy hurts right now.  Might be because I ate too many cookies when I got back from the shelter.  Oops.  But they were delicious.  Wahhh.


Every time my phone goes off my stomach twists, because I think it might be a response.