by Sue Ann Teo

Created on: January 12, 2010   Last Updated: January 13, 2010

It was two months ago, my fear and doubt for the local animal welfare was confirmed.  I remembered making calls to the animal welfare at the neighborhood about the injured or unwell dogs that I came across by the roadsides.  Only once did I saw the animal welfare's personnel came with their van, robe and a pole to ‘pick up' an injured that I found crawling by at the roadside. The siren inside me was literally screaming at me. Something was terribly amiss. But I could not comprehend what was it, even while I was witnessing how the welfare's personnel were dragging the weak dog into the van, slammed the door and drove away.

People told me, if the animal welfare centre finds the dogs are too ill to be treated, they will be put to sleep. I heard about this news, but it didn't concern me. My impression was that they were the guardian angels for the stray animals. They are doing a noble duty to help the animals, to give those shelters, food and attention that they deserved. How noble are their jobs, I looked up upon them, applause to what I thought they were doing all along, helping the needed animals while most of us looked away.

But two months before, I'd learnt that I was being naïve all along. I regret and angry with my ignorance for not aware of the term euthanasia. Those stray animals, which were kept in the animal shelters, would be killed eventually if they are not adopted.  Not getting adopted would ultimately mean they are unwanted, and hence, they should give up their cages for other stray dogs. To give up their cages that they despised from the beginning, would also means they will have to give up their lives.

Euthanasia is a practice of an unspoken morale principle in the medical world. Many debates are still going on about whether a doctor or the patients have the rights to end their lives whenever they want. Some argue that the lives, no matter in what condition, is the rights of the God, hence human being by no means should determine when or how they can end theirs or others. As for others, euthanasia could be a noble act to end the sufferings of patients, whom were suffering from excruciating pains with every breath they take.

When I have learnt about the word – euthanasia, I am torn. Which side should I stand? Honestly even until this very moment, I could not decide, but when I look at it from the animal’s perspectives, my stand is firm. When I was trying to get to myself into one of the most

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