Dogs, cats and the state of society

The Hidden Tragedy Behind Closed Doors

Each year, hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats in North America are euthanized—“put down” not because they are dangerous, diseased, or beyond help, but simply because there is nowhere for them to go. In 2023 alone, more than 359,000 dogs and 330,000 cats were killed in shelters across the United States. Older figures are even more staggering—millions of lives extinguished annually in what has quietly become a normalized act of convenience. Even with declining numbers due to adoption efforts and spay-and-neuter programs, the sheer scale of this silent tragedy stands as one of the darkest reflections of our society.

This is not the mark of a healthy or compassionate civilization. It is the mirror image of a culture that has lost touch with reverence for life itself. We call it “euthanasia,” a word that suggests mercy—but how merciful is it to end a life simply because it is unwanted, abandoned, or inconvenient? These are living beings who feel, love, grieve, and trust us. They are not ours to dispose of. When we end their lives for the sake of space or efficiency, we reveal a moral disconnection far greater than the physical act itself.

And what of the people tasked with carrying out such orders? One can hardly imagine the toll it takes to look into the eyes of a creature whose only crime was being born into a world that did not make room for them. To press that syringe, to close that cage door one last time—it must scar the human soul. We should not condemn the individuals who perform the act so much as the collective system that forces their hand. For no one should be asked to play God in this way.

Nook ~ My best friend my year at Teacher's College

If we believe, as many of us do, that every creature is part of God’s creation—each with a spirit, a purpose, and a right to exist—then we must face the uncomfortable truth: we have taken that divine authority upon ourselves and used it to extinguish life. What right do we have to snuff out the breath of one of God’s creatures? Until we treat all living beings with the same sanctity we reserve for our own, we remain a society deeply disturbed, still searching for its heart.