Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks again. I appreciate the compassion. I also understand those who disagree with my surrendering her. I think I'll keep the org name private, because they are quite big and do very good work, generally.

It is helpful to read your opinions (which is the reason I posted) about what could have been done differently or how others might feel in my shoes. I agree, in most situations, re-homing an older dog is wrong (she was 6 or so). In my case, I felt I had no other choice, and it was not a snap decision. I continue to donate to rescues, and hope one day I will rebound (health-wise) to the point where I can give a warm home to a pack of rescues.

And if you get sick again? Do you return those dogs too? These animals are not shoes, you can’t just return them.

+1

I am horrified.

OP, don't let these people make you feel badly. OP said that she has an illness that prevented her from caring from the dog. Is she supposed to keep the dog and let it suffer while she is in bed, unable to get out of bed to feed it and walk it? That's not right. We give money to a rescue and my understanding is that it is a no kill rescue. If I had to give up a dog, I would turn to them first. I had no idea that there were "rescue" organizations that kill dogs -- I thought that was the difference between a "rescue" group and a "shelter." OP, I think you can forgive yourself. If I were you, I would also be upset with the rescue for not letting you know the situation.

OP wanted the dog to have ‘the life it deserved’ - it seemed that she thought that some new family would swoop in and be taking the dog on two walks a day and giving the dog all sorts of attention. She thought that the rescue, despite being overwhelmed with animals every day, would find a great home for her old dog.
That was stupid. Odds are some ignorant rescue gal felt the tumor and had the dog put to sleep with no further tests. That’s incredibly ignorant.
You should not be giving rescues like this money - they are not doing ‘good work’ and you should name them.

If you have money to give to rescues you had money to hire a dog walker once a day.

I volunteer and walk dogs at a shelter. When you return each week, some dogs are still there, but many are gone because they have been adopted. There are empty cages sometimes. It's not completely unreasonable to assume that they would have access to a much larger pool of potential adopters.

Anonymous wrote:OP - I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened. Please don't feel guilty - you were acting in what you thought were your dog's best interests, in what sounds like a very hard situation.

Just know that there are frequently no clear bright lines when it comes to euthanasia decisions. I am surprised to hear that a rescue group would euthanize a dog in this situation, but their vet may have believed that this was the best option. You and your vet might have come to a different decision. There's no saying which was right.

To me it sounds like your dog could, at the least, have been placed in a "focpice" home, even if her prospects weren't great. Perhaps the rescue group wasn't able to find such a home, though, and without one felt there wasn't any other choice than euthanasia.

I think they should have reached out to you to let you know what was happening. To see if you wanted to take your dog back for however long she had left. I'm sure it wasn't out of bad faith they didn't; they may have thought you couldn't take the dog back, or couldn't help find another home, or whatever reason. I would attribute this to something other than malice, most likely.

I'm sure your heart is hurting, and I am sorry.

OP here, Thank you to everyone trying to be understanding. Yes, I 100% thought I was doing the right thing for her, and wanted a better life for her. She had two professional walks a day, in addition to one with me in the morning, at dinner, and before bed. I took really good care of her, but I didn't believe it was enough. In the end, I only wanted a better life for her, with an owner who wasn't ill, and didn't have any other option of rehoming with a family member or trusted friend.

Your perspectives help, thank you.

OP - I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened. Please don't feel guilty - you were acting in what you thought were your dog's best interests, in what sounds like a very hard situation.

Just know that there are frequently no clear bright lines when it comes to euthanasia decisions. I am surprised to hear that a rescue group would euthanize a dog in this situation, but their vet may have believed that this was the best option. You and your vet might have come to a different decision. There's no saying which was right.

To me it sounds like your dog could, at the least, have been placed in a "focpice" home, even if her prospects weren't great. Perhaps the rescue group wasn't able to find such a home, though, and without one felt there wasn't any other choice than euthanasia.

I think they should have reached out to you to let you know what was happening. To see if you wanted to take your dog back for however long she had left. I'm sure it wasn't out of bad faith they didn't; they may have thought you couldn't take the dog back, or couldn't help find another home, or whatever reason. I would attribute this to something other than malice, most likely.

I'm sure your heart is hurting, and I am sorry.

Anonymous wrote:Euthanasia is not the worst thing that could happen to your dog.

Maybe not, but if that was going to be the outcome, how much better it would have been for the dog if she hadn't been sent away from her owner to a strange place full of strange people first. OP could have been with her. I do think this was heartless of the rescue organization, and I kind of think they were angry at OP for returning the dog, and that is why they haven't shown OP much compassion either.

Euthanasia is not the worst thing that could happen to your dog.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, diagnoses can change. My cat started with a non-cancerous color change to her eye that eventually became melanoma. It may be that they got a second opinion.

I'm sorry, OP.

Yeah, but a fatty tumor doesn’t change into cancer. Older dogs have benign lumps it’s very common.
I suspect that OP’s dog was more like 11 years old .

OP said the dog was 6. Why would she lie?

I had a dog that got lipomas. Eventually she got cancer. It wasn't that the lipomas turned into cancer, it was that she got a new kind of lump, one that I couldn't feel, but it showed up on an X-ray.

Anonymous wrote:OP, diagnoses can change. My cat started with a non-cancerous color change to her eye that eventually became melanoma. It may be that they got a second opinion.

I'm sorry, OP.

Yeah, but a fatty tumor doesn’t change into cancer. Older dogs have benign lumps it’s very common.
I suspect that OP’s dog was more like 11 years old .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks again. I appreciate the compassion. I also understand those who disagree with my surrendering her. I think I'll keep the org name private, because they are quite big and do very good work, generally.

It is helpful to read your opinions (which is the reason I posted) about what could have been done differently or how others might feel in my shoes. I agree, in most situations, re-homing an older dog is wrong (she was 6 or so). In my case, I felt I had no other choice, and it was not a snap decision. I continue to donate to rescues, and hope one day I will rebound (health-wise) to the point where I can give a warm home to a pack of rescues.

And if you get sick again? Do you return those dogs too? These animals are not shoes, you can’t just return them.

+1

I am horrified.

OP, don't let these people make you feel badly. OP said that she has an illness that prevented her from caring from the dog. Is she supposed to keep the dog and let it suffer while she is in bed, unable to get out of bed to feed it and walk it? That's not right. We give money to a rescue and my understanding is that it is a no kill rescue. If I had to give up a dog, I would turn to them first. I had no idea that there were "rescue" organizations that kill dogs -- I thought that was the difference between a "rescue" group and a "shelter." OP, I think you can forgive yourself. If I were you, I would also be upset with the rescue for not letting you know the situation.

OP wanted the dog to have ‘the life it deserved’ - it seemed that she thought that some new family would swoop in and be taking the dog on two walks a day and giving the dog all sorts of attention. She thought that the rescue, despite being overwhelmed with animals every day, would find a great home for her old dog.
That was stupid. Odds are some ignorant rescue gal felt the tumor and had the dog put to sleep with no further tests. That’s incredibly ignorant.
You should not be giving rescues like this money - they are not doing ‘good work’ and you should name them.

If you have money to give to rescues you had money to hire a dog walker once a day.

OP, diagnoses can change. My cat started with a non-cancerous color change to her eye that eventually became melanoma. It may be that they got a second opinion.

I'm sorry, OP.

Sorry, OP.

Anonymous wrote:OP Here - thanks All. Everyone makes excellent points. It's been months now, and I still feel guilty and heartbroken. Appreciate the feedback.

I am sorry, OP.
I would have hired a dog walker if it was possible (I don't know your situation).
Once you gave the dog away she was on the mercy of the shelter. I am sorry, I know you did not mean that to happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks again. I appreciate the compassion. I also understand those who disagree with my surrendering her. I think I'll keep the org name private, because they are quite big and do very good work, generally.

It is helpful to read your opinions (which is the reason I posted) about what could have been done differently or how others might feel in my shoes. I agree, in most situations, re-homing an older dog is wrong (she was 6 or so). In my case, I felt I had no other choice, and it was not a snap decision. I continue to donate to rescues, and hope one day I will rebound (health-wise) to the point where I can give a warm home to a pack of rescues.

And if you get sick again? Do you return those dogs too? These animals are not shoes, you can’t just return them.

+1

I am horrified.

OP, don't let these people make you feel badly. OP said that she has an illness that prevented her from caring from the dog. Is she supposed to keep the dog and let it suffer while she is in bed, unable to get out of bed to feed it and walk it? That's not right. We give money to a rescue and my understanding is that it is a no kill rescue. If I had to give up a dog, I would turn to them first. I had no idea that there were "rescue" organizations that kill dogs -- I thought that was the difference between a "rescue" group and a "shelter." OP, I think you can forgive yourself. If I were you, I would also be upset with the rescue for not letting you know the situation.

Why on earth would you turn to an organization that you clearly don't know much about before seeking a home with friend on acquaintance?

I am not much of an a animal lover but even I know unless the words "no kill" are explicitly used then animals are being euthanized. (even then I question it)

I find it hard to believe that someone who donates hundreds of dollars to animal causes does not know this.

The rescue has no obligation to let him/her know anything...in their eyes she is simply a pet guardian who chose to surrender her pet. Reasons don't matter. I'm sure everyone who abandons their obligation to their pet by returning to the shelter makes up some sob story about why they are doing it. Do I think OP should put her own heath at risk by keeping a pet if it's truly dangerous? Certainly not. However, it's not reasonable for him/her to expect the shelter would keep in contact about the pet he/she chose to surrender.

I'm not sure if you're responding to me, but the organization that I donate money to is definitely "no kill." (It's actually a little ridiculous sometimes, the dogs that they put up for foster with significant medical needs.) I assume that the OP did not have a friend that was able to take the dog. If I were in that position, and had a dog from the breed rescue that I support, I would definitely return him to the breed rescue organization, rather than just emailing around my neighborhood or asking friends if they randomly know someone. The breed rescues (at least the one I support) have foster families that really love these dogs and are extremely knowledgeable about what it takes to care for a dog. I think they would definitely provide a better home than a random cousin-of-a-friend-of-a-neighbor's-brother. You're using the term "shelter" and "rescue" interchangeably -- from my understanding, they are really two different things. I agree that I wouldn't expect anything from a shelter that I gave a dog. But the breed rescues are usually all about what's best for the dog, and would generally work with you to make sure that they get a situation that's best for the dog.

I guess my post was just to say that I don't think it's fair to paint OP as a bad dog owner that shouldn't get another dog. This sounds like it was something out of her control, and she tried to do right by the dog. If the dog really had incurable cancer, the shelter probably did the right thing. If the dog really just had a fatty tumor, the shelter did wrong by the dog. (My guess is that the dog probably had both, because I don't think any competent vet would mistake a fatty tumor for a metasized tumor -- it's pretty easy to tell the difference.) But I don't think that the OP is a bad pet owner -- this clearly is not something she did lightly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks again. I appreciate the compassion. I also understand those who disagree with my surrendering her. I think I'll keep the org name private, because they are quite big and do very good work, generally.

It is helpful to read your opinions (which is the reason I posted) about what could have been done differently or how others might feel in my shoes. I agree, in most situations, re-homing an older dog is wrong (she was 6 or so). In my case, I felt I had no other choice, and it was not a snap decision. I continue to donate to rescues, and hope one day I will rebound (health-wise) to the point where I can give a warm home to a pack of rescues.

And if you get sick again? Do you return those dogs too? These animals are not shoes, you can’t just return them.

+1

I am horrified.

OP, don't let these people make you feel badly. OP said that she has an illness that prevented her from caring from the dog. Is she supposed to keep the dog and let it suffer while she is in bed, unable to get out of bed to feed it and walk it? That's not right. We give money to a rescue and my understanding is that it is a no kill rescue. If I had to give up a dog, I would turn to them first. I had no idea that there were "rescue" organizations that kill dogs -- I thought that was the difference between a "rescue" group and a "shelter." OP, I think you can forgive yourself. If I were you, I would also be upset with the rescue for not letting you know the situation.

Why on earth would you turn to an organization that you clearly don't know much about before seeking a home with friend on acquaintance?

I am not much of an a animal lover but even I know unless the words "no kill" are explicitly used then animals are being euthanized. (even then I question it)

I find it hard to believe that someone who donates hundreds of dollars to animal causes does not know this.

The rescue has no obligation to let him/her know anything...in their eyes she is simply a pet guardian who chose to surrender her pet. Reasons don't matter. I'm sure everyone who abandons their obligation to their pet by returning to the shelter makes up some sob story about why they are doing it. Do I think OP should put her own heath at risk by keeping a pet if it's truly dangerous? Certainly not. However, it's not reasonable for him/her to expect the shelter would keep in contact about the pet he/she chose to surrender.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks again. I appreciate the compassion. I also understand those who disagree with my surrendering her. I think I'll keep the org name private, because they are quite big and do very good work, generally.

It is helpful to read your opinions (which is the reason I posted) about what could have been done differently or how others might feel in my shoes. I agree, in most situations, re-homing an older dog is wrong (she was 6 or so). In my case, I felt I had no other choice, and it was not a snap decision. I continue to donate to rescues, and hope one day I will rebound (health-wise) to the point where I can give a warm home to a pack of rescues.

And if you get sick again? Do you return those dogs too? These animals are not shoes, you can’t just return them.

+1

I am horrified.

OP, don't let these people make you feel badly. OP said that she has an illness that prevented her from caring from the dog. Is she supposed to keep the dog and let it suffer while she is in bed, unable to get out of bed to feed it and walk it? That's not right. We give money to a rescue and my understanding is that it is a no kill rescue. If I had to give up a dog, I would turn to them first. I had no idea that there were "rescue" organizations that kill dogs -- I thought that was the difference between a "rescue" group and a "shelter." OP, I think you can forgive yourself. If I were you, I would also be upset with the rescue for not letting you know the situation.

Anonymous wrote:It's very sad, but try and let it go. You can't go back and change anything. Do what you can to let the people know what they may have done (saying it was cancer when you gave proof it was a cyst) then just let it go.
I don't believe anyone working at a rescue would put a dog down just because they wanted to. I know a PP said they do it for numbers, but I still find that hard to believe, personally. Most who work with animals are animal-lovers. They may have had different technology or different diagnosis than you. They may have had a different result, or a different reason. You'll never know and there's nothing you can do. Just try and grieve an accidental loss and remember the good times, and that your pup went pain-free rather than weeks in a facility to who knows what kind of a situation.

You poor naive dear.