1. Many of us have long ago stopped using the euphemisms “euthanasia” and “putting them to sleep” to describe the killing of animals who are not irremediably suffering. Euphemisms obscure the gravity of what we are doing and make the task of killing easier.
2. Many of us also reject the term “shelter” to describe pounds that kill. A shelter is a refuge, a haven. By contrast, a pound is “an enclosure maintained for confining stray or homeless animals.” To impound means to “imprison.” Act like a dog catcher and you are a dog catcher.
3. But what about the terms “lifesaving,” “saving lives,” and even “save rates”? Aren’t they euphemisms too? Yes. The vast majority of animals who enter pounds are healthy and treatable and not in danger of dying but for the threat the pound itself poses.
4. Pound employees cannot accurately be described as having “saved” an animal when the only threat the animal faced was the one that they themselves presented.
5. If someone was threatening to kill you, and chose to let you live instead, would you describe that person’s actions as having “saved” you?
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