Lives stolen

The last thing I should ever do, after signing a petition concerning the treatment of animals in a horrible kill shelter, is go look up the dogs and see their status, because it makes me unbelievably sad.  I see these happy faces, full of life, and in their description it says "to be destroyed" or something, as if they are inanimate objects and not wonderful living creatures with personalities and traits of their own.  And I hear about these shelters where terrible people run them, people who choose to kill these pups when there is no reason to (no lack of space or behavioural problems or anything), and I wish I could take all these dogs and save them myself.  Knowing that I cannot do that makes me further realize my own insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

Though at the same time, I look over at Callie and realize that I did at least save her (though she was in a much better shelter), and when I go there and the manager of my local shelter says that she is so lucky I found her and love her so much, it makes me at least a little happier.

Still though.  If I could save all these dogs, I would.  It just disheartens me.  Again, I just look at their pictures, and they look just so sweet, and then when I see a "was killed" or "was destroyed" it is really fucking upsetting and kind of makes me want to cry.  These happy smiling faces are no more, and in their last days probably did not have the warm loving touch of anyone, and left this world way before their time.

I loved you.  All you pups who were stolen from this earth.  I loved you, even though we did not meet.  And yes, I loved all of you.  The old as well as the young.  The sick and the healthy.  The aggressive and the scared and the shy and those who would have loved nothing more than to sit on someone's lap and have a family who spoiled them.  I loved you, all of you, and I am sorry that humanity can be so callous.  I know that your deaths are caused by terrible people and by our mistake of overbreeding and inbreeding your kind.  Of people who pass up you beauties because of your lack of pedigree or because of your breed's erroneous reputation or because of your age or your rambunctiousness.  

I loved you.

You were far too good for this cruel world.