Vehicular Surrender

Three times this week, we have taken in animals that were thrown out of moving vehicles. What in the world are people thinking???

In one case, a German Shepherd was tossed out of a moving vehicle on a dead end road. The dog could not be caught (can you blame him?) and stayed around a home with three young children. The kids weren't allowed out of the house to play till after animal control managed to catch the dog. By the way, someone drove by every day and threw food out for the shepherd. Hope someone got the license number.

Tony, a mountain dog mix, was chunked out of a moving truck in a park. The person who saw it hung around for two hours hoping someone would come and reclaim him. Tony is a big, friendly, housebroken dog that fortunately didn't have any injuries as a result of his "exit" After a series of phone calls, someone suggested bringing him out to us, and when he showed up, the first sentence out of the young lady's mouth was "I couldn't take him to animal control because they will euthanize him."

The third incident was a litter of four kittens. They were pitched out the window of a moving vehicle. One was run over by the car behind them. Two managed to hit the ground and run off. No one could find them. The fourth was rescued by a witness to the event, and we have that kitten now. Fortunately it is not injured, but it sure is scared.

The animal control facilities in our area all try very hard to place animals in foster, rescue, or adoptive situations. However, there are way more animals flooding into the animal controls, rescues, humane societies, etc. than we can possibly handle. The truth is that we can't save them all - no matter how hard we try. The various facilities take in the animals, do temperament testing, and then do triage. The animals that are very aggressive or have bite records are the first to be euthanized. Animals that are "iffy", if there is enough available space, are given a chance. Animals that are friendly, non-aggressive, just want a home are given every available chance, and if possible are sent to other facilities to prolong their chances at adoption.
Sadly, there just isn't enough available space or money to keep them all indefinitely.

There are a couple of animal controls that will not take surrendered animals, but only pick up an animal if found as a stray. This wasn't the case in the above three incidents. I personally feel this particular policy is dangerous - both to the animal that is no longer wanted, but to the people of the community. The stray can starve, be run over, and lots of other lousy outcomes. If someone dumps an aggressive animal, there is risk of someone getting bit.

The bottom line --- if you find a stray, call animal control. That's their job, and they do it well. They care, and it's just as hard on them to have to make up a euthanasia list as it is for the person who finds the stray to have to contemplate it. If the stray is dangerous, then that's where it needs to be - they have the means to handle the situation.

If someone wants to give up their pet and thinks that a vehicular surrender is the best way. Think about it. Hitting the ground from a moving vehicle hurts, causes broken bones or internal injuries. Which is worse - lying in a pile of pain and blood by the side of the road waiting for the buzzards to find you, or a simple prick with a needle and eternal sleep???

Think it over and do the right thing.