Saving the unadoptables

Unadoptable. What does that mean exactly? Difficult to place in an adoptive home is the most widely used definition online. Difficult? Hmmm. How many difficult animals do you know?Unadoptable? Probably not.

Because each rescue and shelter has their own definition, normally decided by a group of people, some knowledgeable and some not, it would be hard to get an accurate count of how many homeless pets are needlessly euthanized in the country using the term unadoptable.

Maybe that doesn't bother you. Maybe you are all for only providing perfect dogs and cats to perfect people. If it doesn't bother you, you should stop reading

now. I will only succeed in pissing you off as I continue on my tirade about killing animals.

Both photos you see here are my dogs. Both Buzz and Betty would have been considered unadoptable at many shelters. I can hear the arguments against saving the

m both.

Buzz, a senior covered in fatty tumors, high heartworm positive and missing his hair due to a flea allergy and most of his front teeth. Hair may never grow back. May not survive heartworm treatment due to age. May develop more teeth problems due to missing teeth.

Betty, a senior, very affectionate but crippled back leg. Has a penchant for killing squirrels, ripping screens and rolling in anything stinky she can find in the back yard or on a walk. Bad teeth and very infected ears. Back leg may have to be treated with maintenance pain medication. Uncontrollable jumping and rolling. Bad breath and hound ears which may need weekly drops.

If you saw that description and had to make a decision on whether to save one of them or not, what would you do?

Thank God both were saved by animal lovers in management who saw the potential with both dogs and did not allow them to be killed.

Satchel's Last Resort, which is a sanctuary I volunteer at has a lot of "unadoptables." They also have a lot of adoptable animals. All of these animals need a loving home. They always try to place the right animal in the right home and if there are quirks, like squirrel killing or missing teeth, they will let you know from the start.

So please check out all the animals who need homes. Donate to those places who follow your way of thinking. Just because a dog has a crippled leg or heartworm disease, doesn't mean they are unadoptable. Look at my two. They own my heart. See if you can find one to give your heart to.