Farewell, Red.

There are several animals at the Yonkers Animal Shelter and the Yonkers Petsmart who are near and dear to my heart, and one dog whose story always managed to pull on my heartstrings was Red.  She was brought to the shelter as a puppy and never quite managed to get adopted, but she was a popular dog among staff and volunteers. I just got word that she was put to sleep because of failing health.

Red was about 12 years old, and yes: she spent her entire life as a shelter dog.

Getting dogs adopted is always a challenge in the New York area, especially at smaller shelters.  The problem isn’t the lack of willing adopters; a cute little dog will get snapped up in no time flat.  The problem is the overabundance of pit bulls, of which the YAS is filled to the brim with.  They’re good dogs. Friendly dogs. A lot of them would be great family dogs. But people are terrified of pits.

So the next time you’re at a shelter, please: judge a dog by its temperament.  Not it’s breed, not it’s appearance, not its cuteness. Looks can be deceiving.

And as a side note/shelter cat plug: if you’re in the Westchester/ NYC area and are in the market for an adult cat, Lois has been living in her Petsmart cage for about two years now.   She hates being touched on the stomach, and she prefers to be the only cat (although she’ll tolerate other cats being around).  But she’s a sweet girl and loves people, so if you’re interested in adopting or fostering, click her pic and check out her Petfinder page.

Advertisement