The dog with the E on her card

Working at an animal shelter, you see sad and scared animals every day. But some haunt you forever.

I saw Gertie as I walked among the kennels. She was housed in a cage in the basement of the shelter, packed in a room with a couple dozen other barking dogs, all stressed and awaiting their fate.

She was thirteen years old and had the longest toenails I’d ever seen. They made it difficult for her to walk. She had a big red “E” on her cage card.

The “E” stood for “euthanasia”. Gertie was older, and because the shelter didn’t have enough resources or adopters, she wasn’t going to receive a chance at adoption.

The staff were doing the best they could to manage resources and space. There are so many dogs in need of homes, but the reality is, they won’t all be saved. Each day, someone had the heartbreaking responsibility of deciding which dogs had to die.

On that day at the shelter, Gertie’s eyes met mine, and I knew, intuitively, that she knew. She was slated to go as soon as the veterinarian had time to carry out the heartbreaking act.

I’ll never forget Gertie’s eyes, looking hopefully at me. I wish I could have done something more to save her.