Last Tuesday I spent the afternoon at the MSPCA animal shelter, where I heard the stories of several people who were surrendering their pets. Some of the stories were stupid, most were unfortunate, and all were heartbreaking. One man brought in two feral cats he trapped; both were euthanized. One old man brought in a very old dog that was panting like it was 100 degrees out--they told him the price to surrender versus the price to euthanize; the dog was euthanized. One woman--I'm guessing a cancer sufferer going through chemo--wearing a bandana on her bald head--brought in an elderly cat to euthanize. Another woman brought in a small dog in a cat carrier, it was a nice dog but wouldn't stop putting it's teeth on her, and she didn't know how to deal with it. An older couple brought in an unneutered pure bred German shepherd which had bitten one of their young relatives and was no longer trusted, and would not be accepted by a German shepherd rescue; it was taken away and euthanized. A young couple brought a dog they bought from a southern breeder that advertised online; they recently moved and could not keep the dog.

Everyone sat for a very long surrender interview. There were lots of questions, some of them personal, very detailed, about the surrendered animal's behavior. What's his favorite toy? How does she act around other dogs? Has he ever bitten anyone? How long can she go unattended before she goes to the bathroom? Have you ever taken anything away from him while he was eating it?

The woman in the older couple sat for the interview while her husband wandered nearby, talking to the other dogs and trying not to cry. Then he took the dog around to the other entrance to be euthanized, and they waited for a long time to get their leash and chain back.

The man with the feral cats consoled everyone that animals have souls and that if they loved their pets they would be reunited with them in heaven.

The cancer sufferer cried. The young couple cried. I cried.

It was the worst day in a bad week.