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Daily Nebraskan
Friday, February 20, 1937
(U11
helter director blames owners
EUTHANSIA: Funk & Wagnalls defines
it as painless, peaceful death.
A charcoal-black labrador is led to
the room on a leash. As he is held in a
handler's arms, a patch is shaved on his
right front paw to make it easier to
insert the needle.
The syringe, containing the narcotic
sodium pentobarbital, is inserted into
a vein in the paw. The labrador is still
cradled in the handler's arms.
Once the solution is in the blood
stream, it's only a matter of seconds
before it takes effect.
The labrador stands straight up; its
body shudders, then goes limp. It's
over.
The beautiful black labrador no
longer breathes. Euthanasia is com
pleted. Euthanasia was the end for approx
imately 52 percent of all the animals
brought to the Capitol Humane Society
in 1986, according to Robert Downey,
executive director.
Of 7,095 animals that went through
the animal shelter last year, 3,808 were
euthanized, 1,241 (22 percent) were
adopted, and the rest were reclaimed
by their owners, Downey said. The
number of animals abandoned, brought
in and eventually euthanized hasn't
dropped, he said.
Downey blames that on irresponsi
ble pet owners, those who allow their
female pet to wander through the
neighborhood while in heat and those
who decide they don't want a pet any
more. Some think pets can survive by
themselves in the wild, but they can't,
Downey said. One owner brought a pet
in after redecorating and deciding the
cat didn't fit the color scheme.
"That person should never have had
a pet in the first place," Downey said.
Part of the problem could be alleviated
if people would realize the responsibil
ity of o'AT.ir.3 a pet, Downey sdd. When
a person adopts a kitten or a pppy, it's
a cc.T.r.iir.sr.t that czn bst a lcr4
time, he sdd.
"If pa kve a czX that's kept ia the
house, taken care of, fed well, it's not
rare to see it living 18 to 20 years," he
said. The same goes for some small
dogs.
Once an animal is brought to the
shelter, it is held 72 hours for an owner
to reclaim it, if it was picked up inside
the Lincoln city limits. If picked up
inside Lancaster County, but outside
Lincoln, it is held for 120 hours.
After that the animal is screened for
adoptability, Downey said: age, health,
if the animal is house trained, if it is
destructive, how successful the shelter
may be in placing the animal and how
Sometimes you
get angry. You're
angry at the peo
ple. Because I'm
back there having
to do that because
of other people's
mistakes or just
because they don't
care.'
Downey
the animal looks all play a part in the
adoption process, Downey said. After
that the animal is either put up for
adoption or euthanized. If put up for
adoption, the shelter keeps animals for
about 14 days, depending on their
health, Downey said.
"Some of the larger dogs don't do
well in the kennels," he said. "They go
downhill quickly. They stop eating,
they get sick."
The sodium pentobarbital solution
shuts dcv.Ti the nervous system aliscst
irediEtely if the nsedls is irscted
directly into tee blccdstrssa. A p-ich
cf iair is cleared ca Isrga- dejs psrs
so the cse-s csa fee ocra esily
injected into a vein. The needle is
injected directly into puppies and cats
chest cavities.
If a vein is missed, a second attempt
is not needed; the sodium pentobar
bitol will begin to work in about a
minute. The cats, for example, go into
deeper and deeper states of tranquility
until the end comes, Downey said.
On the average, one or two animals a
day are "put down" in the winter, Dow
ney said. But in July, August and Sep
tember, the peak breeding seasons
when animals are running loose, "we've
had days where we had to put down 20
to 30 animals a day," Downey said.
"That can get real frustrating," he
said. "Sometimes you get angry. You're
angry at the people. Because I'm back
there having to do that because of
other people's mistakes or just because
they don't care. It's just as hard on the
people as the animals. It usually occurs
early in the morning. You can imagine
that's a fine way to start the day off. It
can have a bearing on how the whole
day goes.
"Especially irUhe summer when you
have such lenghysts of animals you
have to put dwn Js.almost impossi
ble to walk out of re and sit right
down and functiolaa very productive
state."
The solution, Downey says, is better
education on pet care, and stressing
neutering pets. He suggested starting
the education process in the public
schools because if the educating starts
early, maybe the number of animals
"put down" will lower. Still, Downey
said animal shelters like the Capitol
Humane Society always will be needed.
"I don't think there will ever be a
day when shelters are not needed," he
said. "There are too many people out
there who don't cere, even though they
know better. There are so people
out there who are igscrsst cr ur.eda
ccted 3 to hew to prspsrjy cere for
r.:r.3. They red!y don't hr;e any
psrspsetsY cf the rilta o oinal has
btheiJii."