Sandy Larsen Gives the Last Kiss

From The Aiken Standard

My whole life I have loved all animals.

I never had any fear of them.

I remember when I was 5, my dad and I got out of the car on Park Avenue as an older black lady came down the street with two red chows on leashes.

I ran up to the dogs and threw my arms around them, and they licked me in the face. The lady was horrified, thinking her dogs wouldn't tolerate children, or strangers.

But those dogs were OK with me.

I have always had my own dogs and cats, and I've worked with animals for 28 years.

There is no such thing as an ugly dog or cat. Every animal is unique and, just like people; it's their personality that makes them beautiful.

Before I worked at my first shelter, I thought like everyone else about a kill shelter.

I couldn't imagine putting a perfectly healthy animal to death.

In a week, I changed my whole opinion.

I was blown away by the number of unwanted animals there were in Aiken County.

Small wonder so many had to be euthanized.

Citizens criticize the shelters for destroying animals, but the shelters are not to blame; it is the people who do not spay or neuter their pets.

Some call us, who work at the shelter, cold-hearted killers.

We are not; we are the ones who have to do the dirty work.

I never get out of bed on the mornings the truck comes and say, "Oh boy, today is the day we get to euthanize!"

I wake up on those mornings sick to my stomach and pray to make it through it. We see these babies every day, and become attached to so many.

They wag their tails at you. They even kiss you as you are taking their lives.

¬ My mother still can't believe that I am at a shelter euthanizing animals.

So many people say they can't imagine how we do what we do.

The truth is that to euthanize animals, you have to be full of compassion and love them.

I am the last person that animal is going to see.

Even if the animal is fighting the leash, I take the leash off, talk softly and¬ give it lots of love.

There is no way to save them all when we are taking in 400 to 600 animals a month. ¬

¬ So, you can imagine how the opportunity to take our adoptable dogs on Channel 12 Monday mornings thrilled me.

Lynnsey Gardner and Tim Strong have been so supportive.

In over a year and a half, I have never missed a Monday.

I also take our animals on¬ Channel 6 with Mary Morrison and Anne Sawyer the first Wednesday of every month.

And right here, we feature a couple of very special young dogs, full brothers, who are exceptionally well-mannered and will bring great joy and companionship to any home.

Come on out. Find love at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

FOTAS volunteers work with the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 411 Wire Road. For more information, e-mail info@fotasaiken.org or visit www.fotasaiken.org.