Articles

When all that stands between death and freedom…

… is a ride.

Some people take issue with the term “kill-shelter” — asserting that this terminology unfairly indicts individuals who participate in the grim task of euthanizing completely adoptable animals. But even a softer term like “euthanizing shelter,” if it were to be used, cannot provide a thick enough gloss to conceal the disturbing, awful truth.

Animals who are euthanized or “put to sleep” do not wake up, ever. Whether they are euthanized by lethal injection, gassed or destroyed by other unspeakable means, they are no longer with us when the process of euthanizing them is complete. They cease to drink, cry, bark, meow, play and feel. They are gone.     –Bonnie Silva, Fifteen Legs.

The award-winning documentary, which was inspired by the book, Fifteen Legs, tells the story of heroes who go the extra mile (often thousands of miles) to save the lives of dogs and cats from shelters that kill.

It is now airing on PBS stations across the country and includes extended commentary by me.

For more information on the documentary, click here.

For broadcast schedule at the major PBS stations, click here.

You can also check the listing at your local PBS station for airing dates and times. To find your local PBS station, click here.