How Long is Humane?

Recently a very dedicated volunteer placed this Letter to the Editor in the paper in an effort to find a home for the dog in the picture. "I am writing for a friend. He is 5 years old, weighs 112 pounds and lives in a small kennel at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society. He is a neutered male German Shepherd cross who has been in the shelter since January. His name is Jackson and he may not have long to go. He is very big, not friendly with cats, and can be aggressive around other dogs. Those things can be managed. What's more important is his gentle demeanor around people. As a volunteer, I have been walking him and training him for several months. I know his heart: it is big and noble and loving. He would make an excellent pal for a single person, or a family with older children but no dogs or cats. Jackson is too good to die. His only sin was to be raised without socialization to cats or other dogs. It is a sad truth that the Humane Society cannot keep every animal indefinitely. Nobody knows this better or agonizes over it more than the shelter staff. If you can help save this beautiful creature, please take him. It would be more than a kind act; it would be a solid investment in a good friend." How long is it humane to keep a dog in a kennel? Despite the dedication of people like the letter writer is it humane to keep a dog in a small, indoor kennel for 7 months with walks only twice a week? Sadly, the number of hours of direct human contact Jackson - or any of the other animals for that matter - has in a week is probably less than 2. The dogs, especially the big ones, just lay in their kennels for hours and hours, day after day, week after week, month after month. The staff is just too busy to care for the animals on a one on one basis. An animal shelter, no matter how hard it tries, will never be the kind of environment an animal really deserves and the longer the poor things have to stay the more that becomes true. If this makes you sad, you really can make a difference by volunteering your time. I hope to have a good story about Jackson soon.