The Power of Words

Just a short one today about the power of words. An euphemism is an expression intended by the writer to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the reader than the word or phrase it replaces. Euphemisms are often used to hide unpleasant or disturbing ideas. Another source defines it as "The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant." Words are important in the animal shelter business. We aren't the "dog pound" any more. We are the animal shelter. The "dogcatcher" is an animal control officer. We don't "sell" animals and people don't "buy" them from us, they adopt. These changes have been good. They have brought a much more humane feeling to the work we do. However in this blog there are two euphemisms' I won't use anymore. Those are "put to sleep" or "euthanize." Why? My goal here is to portray reality and I believe those words shield people from the reality of the consequences of pet overpopulation. The result of reckless breeding, irresponsible ownership and failure to spay and neuter in my community is that we kill dogs and cats. They aren't asleep. They're dead. And that's the truth. Back on Sunday.