Wednesday I interviewed Laura Hobgood-Oster, whose new book The Friends We Keep: Unleashing Christianity's Compassion for Animals is due out in October. Robin handed me the media review copy because of my involvement with animal rescue. (A side note to those who saw my column highlighting foster dogs Crystal and Pooh Bear: I'm happy to report that both girls now live in permanent homes.)
Yesterday I transcribed the recording of my phone conversation with Dr. Hobgood-Oster for an upcoming Q&A in the Reporter. I always type furiously during these conversations, but I never capture every word, so I like to make certain I have the full text before cutting it down to a reasonable (and more readable) size.
We were discussing the large number of cats and dogs euthanized each year, while Christians ignore the tragedy. “It is difficult to imagine a Christian theology that would find such a situation acceptable," writes Dr. Hobgood-Oster. One of the words spoken in our discussion of that quote was "euthanized."
When I typed "euthanized" into the Microsoft Word document, a red squiggly line appeared underneath it. Word thought I had misspelled something, so I checked to see what the program suggested I use instead.
One option it offered: "euphemized."
An ironic suggestion, because our culture euphemizes euthanizations all the time. Many people prefer the term "put to sleep," for example. But the reality is that across the nation, we give people the dirty job of killing healthy, but homeless, animals. It's the last thing these workers want to do; I know, because I help local animal shelters publicize which dogs and cats are going to die each week if nobody steps forward to care for them. They want them to go to good homes; to be spayed or neutered; to live as valued companions.
I happen to believe that if we can eradicate malaria, we also have a pretty good shot at humanely resolving our pet overpopulation problem. Bob Barker said it for decades, folks: Spay and neuter your pets. Encourage your friends to do the same. Before you buy an animal from a (puppy mill-supplied?) pet store, seriously consider adopting one instead. Allergic to pet dander? Contribute financially to an organization that can accomplish the work you can't do yourself. In whatever way you can, make a faithful response to this problem so your household is part of the solution.
And don't forget to pray about it, too. Remember, with God, all things are possible.
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