Shelter Dogs 'Euthanized For Space' Remembered In Heartbreaking Video

A woman has paid a heartbreaking tribute to the dogs who were "euthanized for space" at the animal shelter she volunteers.

Photographer Rita Earl Blackwell posted a video remembering 12 different dogs who ultimately failed to find a new forever home and their happy ending.

"Holding space for my sweet little friends. Using all of this heartbreak to fuel and inspire more love, compassion and caring during this terrible crisis we are in," Blackwell wrote alongside the clip. "'Too sad' for us? Think about THEM."

The video was posted to Instagram under the handle rita_earl_blackwell before resurfacing on TikTok where it was posted by superfly.md. At the time of writing, the video has been watched 175,000 times. You can watch the clip here.

Unfortunately, this is far from an isolated case as shelters struggle to cope with a notable rise in the number of animals surrendered across the U.S.

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, at an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, 24Petwatch's Shelter Watch Report found. Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year.

Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs and with behavior rehabilitation.

Sadly, some still deem it necessary to take this step. Blackwell volunteers at a shelter in the Los Angeles area where it was ultimately decided that space needed to be made available for incoming canines.

In each of the 12 instances chronicled in the clip, the dogs involved were ultimately "unwanted" by members of the public visiting their shelter.

There are likely myriad reasons for this but the fact is that rescue dogs have a small window of time to make an impression on a potential new owner.

A 2014 study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science found most prospective pet owners interact with just one dog during their visit and that these interactions lasted an average of just eight minutes.

Though they may not have caught the eye during their time in the shelter, each one of Matilda, Annabelle, Bella, Bumblebee, Frankie, Blue, Soleil, Starr, Chuck, Sawyer, Grizzly and Duffy made an impact in Blackwell's video.

There was nothing much to link any of the dogs together. No common breeds or even ages. At 9 months old, Soleil represented the youngest of the dogs euthanized while Chuck was eight.

The only thing they had in common was that each enjoyed the love and affection, however brief it may have been, of Blackwell.

Though they may have never found that new forever home, in death their memory lives on thanks to the video though and the message it carries. A message Blackwell makes clear at the end of the video: "Please consider adopting your next dog."

It's a message that hit home for many watching on social media.

"Just thinking that this really is happening everyday. How cruel can the world be," one user wrote with another commenting: "Oh god, this is devastating especially knowing this is just one shelter. I can't even imagine how many are killed in the nation daily."

A third said: "Ever since I have gotten involved in dog rescue work, not a day goes by that I don't cry. Heartbreaking." A fourth added: "Actually crying right now. My heart breaks for them."

Newsweek has contacted Blackwell for comment.

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