teen wants to volunteer for at county shelter, should I let him?

[Blondie621]

Originally Posted by bande1102

Thank you all for your replies, you've given me a lot to think about and I truly appreciate everyone's honesty.

My son watches Animal Cops on Animal Planet all the time and he watched the Michael Vick special, too, so he's seen some animals in poor shape. But I know that it is a whole lot different seeing these things in person. Incidentally, he's had a rough year; our dog had cancer and we had to put her down a few months ago. I was really surprised at how well he did accepting the situation, helping care for her, dealing with her death. And she had some horribly disfiguring surgeries and he did ok with that. Then again, he knew we were trying to help her. I worry what how it will affect him when he sees that some humans do this on purpose. Anyway, I think he wants to help other animals in memory of her and to help him deal with her death--if that makes sense?

Right now he pet sits/dog walks and then donates the money to his causes. I think I'm going to encourage some more fund raising--for now anyway while I figure out what our next step should be.

Does anyone know how you find a no kill shelter? Should I just call and ask? I like the PetSmart idea, too. Thank you.

Whatever path your son takes, the world will be a better place just because of him. Just one person can make such a big difference! Helping Animalkind is one of the most rewarding things any Animal Lover can do! I look at it like this, there are so many stars in the sky but the ones that shine are few and far between! Your son is one of them! Good luck on his journey, it will be so rewarding for him to reach out and help Gods creatures. They so depend on us for safety, comfort and the dignity they so deserve!

[bjh]

It's a very good thing that he wants to participate and become involved in something beyond himself. I hope you foster that. I'm sure you will whatever your decision.

[PudelPie]

I think it's WONDERFUL that your son wants to volunteer and chooses to do so at a shelter--also that he donates his money. What a compassionate young man he's becoming. I don't agree with some of the other posters about finding a "no kill" shelter, for a number of reasons...1. death is part of life, and certainly part of animal life--the sad fact is they do not live as long as we do, and to choose to have a pet means to choose accepting that fact; 2. it's about quality of life, not quantity--or how long they live, as others pointed out, he will not be involved in the euthanasia, but he will be involved in helping to ensure that all of the animals have a high quality life while they're there. I did volunteer work at a "no kill" shelter, and I can tell you it changed my mind--people made well-intentioned bad calls about what dogs to take in, and some of those dogs were aggressive (made more so by living for YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS inside a chain link kennel) and did not have a quality life at all.

I do think it's a great idea to talk to him about his expectations and goals, as I'm sure the interviewer will too. Major kudos to you Bande for raising such a great guy!

~PudelPie

[Calidreemer]

I can see the euthanasia issue from both sides, I think ultimately it's up to the parents since they are responsible for their son's well being and he is a minor. It sounds like there are a lot of opportunities for him to be able to give back in the way he wants to. I am sure you will figure out the best fit for him so it's a win win situation. I think you have done a wonderful job raising such a caring young man and I am sure that you will figure it out together.

[rewpup]

Part of the reason that we have so many animals killed yearly is that people don't have to face the ugly side of shelters. I don't think that children should be shielded from the fact that death and injury results from people's carelessness. Like another poster said, they won't be asking him to press the plunger, but caring for animals means that somebody has to take the responsibility for their deaths as well as their lives. This is a great opportunity to have a talk with your son about how unnecessary suffering comes from human carelessness and how to prevent things like this from happening.

[leorah]

I am NOT advocating the ALF's tactics or mission, but they do publish a list of no-kill shelters here --> No-kill Animals Shelters.

This may not be a comprehensive list, but it is a place to start. You can also do a search for "no-kill shelter (your state)" and see what turns up.

[Raggy dee Ann]

Originally Posted by bande1102

My son loves animals and wants to volunteer at the county shelter. He's 14. They said he could do it as long as an adult volunteers with him and I'm ok with that. They accept volunteers as young as 13 as long as a parent is with them. Is a young teen really pyschologically able to deal with the dogs that will be put down? I was reading through some of the paperwork that they gave us and they mentioned something about having to accept euthanasia. I mean I know we're going to end up with some new members of the family and that's ok, but I also know that we can't save them all.

Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts about this? So far he's just been donating his money--he loves Saints so usually donates to that rescue group, and groups saving gorillas and manatees. I think it's great he wants to get personally involved, but I just don't know if he'll be able to take it......

Wow what a kid! I second what the others have said about only going with rescues that have a no kill policy.

[steelstress]

I don't see a need to shelter him from working at a shelter that euthanizes. He's not a baby. I'm sure he's aware of what goes on. Let HIM decide if it's too much for him to handle. He's 14, not 10. Just a few short years before he's 18.

Yes, talk to him about what goes on so he can be prepared, but I think you should let HIM decide. It's part raising him to be a MAN. Don't shelter him like he's a little girl.

[zoran]

Thank you Steeltstress - You took the words out of my mouth. This is some kid you have, please don't take away his effort to learn and help animals in need. Shelters need all the volunteers they can get and I don't know of anything to be more proud of than your son who is already deeply involved with this.
This could lead to a career as a vet later on when he witnesses all the suffering animals go through.
I say KUDOS to your son - don't ruin it for him.