Thank you for sharing this very sad, but informative story. The Cobb County shelter has many beautiful animals available. It saddens me so to see perfectly healthy and very adoptable animals put down. The comment that the worker made to the dog is very disturbing. I will never understand how someone could have that type of mindset. It is very scary that they work at this facility as well. Please SIGN the PETITION at the bottom of the article!!!!! thank you.

My sister adopted a wonderful eight year old cat from that shelter. I wonder if she had gone in the next day if he would have been there. We as a nation must support the no-kill solution.

I've known a few of this shelter's employees for 15 + years, and most of my experiences at Cobb have been very positive. The "grim reaper" comment is disturbing, but I'd say it's also rare.
Was this employee identified to the manager by the person who overheard it? If not, for future reference, please inform management immediately if/when comments like this are made so that the problem can be addressed.

This is so sad and disturbing. I, too, know a number of the shelter's employees and I know them to be good, honest, compassionate people. It is sad to me that an individual who is employed by Cobb County government (our tax money) could be so heartless and uncaring, not to mention unprofessional. However, I think the bigger problem is why all of these highly adoptable animals are ending up at the shelter and what we, as John Q Public, can do about it. To make ANY kind of positive change in the way in which we deal with our pet overpopulation in Cobb County, we ALL have to step up and DO SOMETHING......including letting our voices be heard by the Cobb County Commissioners and other county officials that we want to see positive changes to help end the pet overpopulation problem in our county. The steps and policy changes that are outlined in this petition have been implemented in other cities and counties throughout the country and their homeless pet problems have been drastically reduced. Stop complaining about the problem and DO SOMETHING about it.......sign the petition for a start. It will take ALL of us to make a difference.

great post. Thank you for sharing this story. I can't stop looking at his picture. One of my friends who saw the picture before it all happened and called me on Tuesday to tell me that she felt in love with him and I had to tell her what happened, started to shake and gasp for air. It was a horrible experience for all of us trying to save him.... The worst thing is that happens daily, We definitively need stronger rules for the people who are abandoning this animals without thinking at what is really happening to them in there.

Disgraceful, this story makes me cry. Such a beautiful cat murdered for no reason.These shelters should be run and worked by people with an empathy with animals. There is no need for the cruelty the man with the dog showed. If an animal must be put to sleep is it too much to ask that it is done with some dignity?

oh my gawd. this is truly horrible! I guess if you want a cat you see in a high kill shelter, then you better adopt that cat straight away or make arrangements to have your choice tagged for immediate ADOPTION??? O.O
& how can anyone be so heartless with the animals condemned to die? It's almost like those shelter employees ENJOY KILLING the animals trapped there??

That is absolutely incomprehensible! The person responsible for that action should be held accountable and be suspended if not worse. Careless people should not be in a position to make life and death decisions for animals.

You need to FIND OUT who made that comment and FIRE HIM/HER immediately! that is UNACCEPTABLE! What a disgusting excuse for a "human". This entire story makes me sick, and I recently dealt with the "Cobb County Shelter" and found them pretty LOW on my opinion meter, the kitten I wanted DIED because of their actions, I believe, no matter what "they" claim.

Thank you for your comments, everyone! I can see that this issue is near and dear to many of your hearts!

-Justin

Wow... terrible. Things definitely need to change. Please keep fighting for the voiceless!!

These "workers" are reprehensible.
I've always wondered how someone can sleep at night, knowing they're the reason another living, breathing, feeling body is now Dead.
Stories like this are far too common unfortunately.
In the time it takes you to read the article and comments, FIVE animals will have been put to Death in some "shelter" here in America.
As a compassionate human being, this is simply unacceptable.
Yes, I've signe the petition.
Yes, I've passed it along through social media. Repeatedly.
Yes, I donate money, towels, sheets, blankets, and what little of my time that I have to rescue groups, big and small.
I am vocal. I am proactive. And I applaud all those who do the really hard work to save each and every one of these animals.

If you somehow are unclear, or think this is an isolated case,
I suggest you watch a documentary on HBO that aired recently called
"One Nation Under Dog."
Keep a dry eye. Don't get outraged. I dare you!

I can't imagine that happening...I am a person that desparately tries to see good wherever I go. What really has me fuming is the grim reaper remark. I will be signing the petition.

We would not need to worry about animals left to die in a shelter if people spayed and neutered their animals and did not turn them into the shelter or let them go and get picked up as strays. The best thing we can do as a community is support spay and neuter programs to ensure the animal overpopulation ends and support ways to keep animals with their families even in hard times, like pet food food banks. And obviously, if everyone who commented here took action and adopted an animal from the shelter, as I did when I adopted a senior dog last month who was turned into the shleter by her family, they would actually be making a difference.

Hi Eliana, I signed the petition too. I agree that bad habits need to change. And as a lawyer, I definitely understand the power of law. I think we both agree that the big picture is what needs to change. In my view, preventing the problem from continuing though spay/neuter and other similar efforts is the most effective way to deal with this problem to prevent future generations from also having a massive homeless pet population.

what kind of person is he or she dragging a dog to his death and making what they thought was a funny grim reaper joke. is the person evil and without feelings. the person needs to be fired. when a person enjoys their job that much they need to be in a psychiatrist office for help.sicko