The caring-killing paradox: people get hurt too

Most people who volunteer or work at animal shelters do it because they love animals. Unfortunately in many cases, due to shelter overcrowding and other issues, these people are often required to euthanize the very creatures they care for and protect. This phenomenon has been termed, in academic literature, a “caring-killing paradox”.

Intellectually, shelter workers realize that euthanasia will be part of the job when they go into it, but that realization doesn’t mean they really understand the psychological impact of euthanasia. Researchers have argued that the daily contradiction between a shelter worker’s motivations (i.e. protection and care of animals) and the reality of having to regularly kill healthy animals creates moral stressors, which are a unique type of workplace stress qualitatively different from other job stressors. This paradox is sustained by a reluctance to leave the job because of fear that the animals will then be euthanized by less caring people.

Animal care professionals who have to kill animals as part of their job (this includes vets and shelter workers) are under-represented in the research on workplace stress however the small number of investigations conducted to date indicate cause for serious concern: thousands of people charged with  performing animal euthanasia in the United States are at risk for a variety of psychological, emotional, and physical ailments such as high blood pressure, ulcers, unresolved grief, depression, substance abuse, and suicide. According to researchers at Purdue and Bowling Green universities, three out of four animal shelter workers exhibit signs of euthanasia-related stress.

The implications of this are far-reaching: in addition to the societal and medical costs, research also shows conclusively that organizational effectiveness is significantly impacted by employee health and well-being – so progress in shelter reform and overall effective shelter management may be hindered by the ongoing moral stressors suffered by shelter workers who are required to kill animals.

Euthanasia-induced stress is worse when the euthanasia technician has grown attached to an animal, and the reason for performing euthanasia can directly affect the degree of distress experienced by shelter workers and veterinarians. Shelter workers report feeling less distressed when animals were euthanized due to failing health than when healthy, adoptable animals were euthanized because they had to make room for new surrendered animals. These are the “unnecessary” killings – the ones that could be avoided if only people would spay or neuter their pets, or if they chose to adopt an unwanted animal instead of buying from pet shops, puppy mills and unregistered breeders.

Shelters and shelter workers have various coping mechanisms to help them deal with euthanasia duty, from praying to being as efficient as possible to reduce suffering, to painting the euthanasia rooms bright colors, and sometimes to adopting (yet another) animal they can’t bear to kill. They try to emotionally distance themselves and to “cognitively reappraise” the situation – that is, to remind themselves that this is a situation caused by society’s irresponsible elements and that in the choice between ongoing abuse and neglect, euthanasia may sometimes be an animal’s best option.

Addressing the companion animal overpopulation crisis is central to mitigating this heavy psychological burden carried by thousands of people around the country – people who may not have access to corporate type benefit packages that include health care and psychological counseling. By allowing this problem to continue, we are not only contributing to the suffering of innocent animals and unnecessarily spending millions of taxpayer dollars, we are perpetuating a health crisis that has very real societal and economic ramifications.

Please support the proposed changes to the Dallas City animal ordinances and help Dallas set the standard in shelter worker conditions! Sign our petition here to add your voice – spay/neuter saves human and animal lives!

Sources for this post:

http://www.psyeta.org/jaaws/full_articles/7.1/reeve.pdf

http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/mc/news/2003/news4893.html

http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Pets/PetCare/Destined%20for%20death.htm

Our last, best hope

It was not until I became involved in animal rescue nearly a decade ago that I became aware of the pet overpopulation problem and the staggering number of animals killed behind closed doors every day.

Now that I am aware of it, I have come to embrace the idea of mandatory spay/neuter, as I believe it is our last and best hope for finding a solution to the pet surplus.

I realize that many breeders oppose this ordinance, and decry it as an attack on “their rights”; but I strongly suspect that they are being disingenuous, and their true concern is not for anyone’s rights, or even the well-being of their animals, but rather the well-being of their bank accounts. Their argument serves only to perpetuate our current, broken system; a system in which they win, but animals and taxpayers lose.

What we have here is a battle of ideologies. The old way of thinking—the way that maintains the status quo—is one that sees animals as mere commodities, valued only for the income they create or the social status they bring; and one in which the animals are subjugated to the whims, desires, and even caprice of their human masters.

The new way of thinking is one that sees companion animals as sentient beings who have intrinsic value in and of themselves—and to themselves—apart from what they contribute to our society.

It is vital that we comprehend that life is precious to every living creature, including domesticated dogs and cats. We must also acknowledge that government has a legitimate role in protecting the innocent from the excesses of narrow self-interest. And lastly, we must remain focused on what is genuinely in the best interest of the animals. Clearly, that is a long life free from the possibility of becoming another casualty of the pet surplus.

Until we have the courage to create a world for them in which they can live such a life, then the killing will continue indefinitely. Ultimately, the only way we can make a difference is to do for them what they cannot do for themselves: PRACTICE BIRTH CONTROL!

Dogs and cats have made the sacrifice for our indifference for far too long. The time has come for us to make the sacrifice for them. Mandatory spay/neuter may not solve all of our problems, but we owe it to them to give it a try. Please sign the petition to voice your support for these changes.