In remembrance of Lucky, Ask Toronto Humane Society to stop euthanizing dogs for behaviour

Recently, the no kill shelter Toronto Humane Society euthanized a young, healthy German Shepherd for "diminishing mental health" reasons. This was controversial.

One potential adopter wrote "I followed Lucky on Instagram. As per the video clips and pictures on his IG account, this dog was NOT dangerous, and did NOT seem to have issues with other dogs or people. He seemed to walk great in a leash. It seems a lot of the people who knew Lucky personally loved him and he loved them back. He needed some TLC, he played well with other dogs and people, and could have been fostered."

A shelter is crowded and can be very sensory overwhelming, resulting in shelter stress and diminished mental health.

The Toronto Humane Society gave in a PR email, a completely opposite story. "Lucky came to us medically healthy but with behavioural challenges that were impacting his mental health, significantly. Lucky's quality of life deteriorated. After exhausting all our options for him, our medical, behaviour and training teams had to make the heart wrenching decision to say goodbye to Lucky because it was deemed the most humane option."

Another humane society who is completely unrelated to the Toronto Humane Society gave this statement. "We are completely dedicated to the well-being of our animals and take extra steps to ensure they receive the care they need. This includes veterinary care and special training for animals with behavioural issues. For dogs, this can include spending time at a training facility where they have access to one on one time with expert trainers.

Our Sanctuary Program is a special program for animals that are dealing with chronic illnesses or who may be considered palliative. We place these animals in foster homes where they can live out their days in the comfort of a home environment. We continue to cover the costs of their care through a special Sanctuary fund."

Animals with challenging behaviours need to be rehabilitated at a one on one training facility, not euthanized. All behaviours happen for a reason. Behaviour is a form of communication. We would like every animal shelter to truly be no kill by completely ending the practice of euthanizing for behavioural and mental health issues.