Presents information on a study on shelter workers who have to
euthanize animals as a regular part of their job. Distressing reactions
suffered by these shelter workers; Why people are drawn to shelter work;
How shelter workers protect themselves from the emotional fallout of
their work.
By
Debra White, published on November 01, 1998
ANIMALS
The liquid eyes of the animals in ASPCA ads attest to the painful
plight of discarded pets awaiting euthanasia. What the ads don't depict
is the heavy emotional toll on the people who put such animals to
death.
Shelter workers who have to euthanize animals as regular part of
their jobs suffer a wide range of distressing reactions, including grief,
anger, nightmares and depression, according to a study I conducted with a
fellow social worker, Ruth Shawhan. People are drawn to shelter work
because they love animals, and to have to kill hundreds of young, healthy
and potentially adopt able pets can be agonizing. "I have a lot of
sleepless nights, a lot of crying," reads one of the essays we collected
from 200 workers nationwide. "I've had breakdowns in the euthanasia room
because I feel so helpless," confessed another.
Deciding which animals live or die is particularly harrowing. Such
choices are often based on how much room is left in the kennel or how
likely an animal is to be adopted. "It bothers me to decide to kill an
animal just because it's a black dog and we already have three black dogs
waiting for homes," one worker remarked. Anger at thoughtless or callous
pet owners was another frequently reported emotion. "I am tired of being
responsible for society's carelessness," one employee complained.
Shelter workers may try to protect themselves from the emotional
fallout of their work by rationalizing why euthanasia is necessary. "It's
unfortunate, but it has to be done" is a refrain we frequently
encountered. When the animal is sick or injured or has long endured the
cruelties of existence on the streets, workers can tell themselves that
they are ending its pain. "A calm, fast, humane death has to be better
than the lives most of our strays were living," declared one
worker.
Though few of the people we surveyed had sought counseling to deal
with their turmoil, many said they had been helped by a seminar or
support group offered by their clinic. Others rely for comfort on
co-workers with whom they bond in shared sadness. Some workers find
solace in praying for the animals they put to death and many said that
they lavished their own pets with extra love and attention.
Not everyone copes so well, however; a significant number of animal
workers reported that sorrow led them to abuse drugs and alcohol, to
overeat or to take out their feelings on other people. "I have been here
long enough to know not to get attached to the animals," one shelter
worker wrote us, "but sometimes I still do."
PHOTO (COLOR): Dog
Adapted by M.S.W.
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