As soon as I saw “Rubbing Out Nine Lives” (2/13), about unnecessary euthanasia, I knew I had to respond. I am a former employee of the Washington Humane Society, and while I was there I noticed that a lot of animals died unnecessarily. I know that there are a lot of rescue leagues for certain breeds that can help house a lot of these animals in case of overpopulation. How do I know? Because at the desk where I did my paperwork was a Rolodex filled with these numbers. Many times while I worked there I wondered why these numbers were rarely used.

One particular incident that I am reminded of is when the shelter was brought a ferret. This ferret was very well behaved, and if I didn’t have a cat at home, I would have loved to adopt her. The next day, when I came in to work, she was gone, so I asked why she had been put down. The excuse I was given was that ferrets are illegal in the District, and so they had to get rid of her. Was it that much of an inconvenience to call a ferret rescue group in either Maryland or Virginia (which they had in their list of rescue leagues) and ask if they could house this animal?

One phone call, and they could have saved a life. I will never understand a lot of their reasoning, but I’m glad that I left when I did. I thought that the Humane Society was supposed to help animals they are given and help find homes for them, not prematurely kill these animals before they are given a chance.

Northwest