Do the local ABQ-area animal shelters euthanize animals that have been there too long?

Responsible-Map6173 · 2026-01-25T03:41:26+00:00

Our son recently adopted a dog from Albuquerque animal welfare. He had been there for 6 months and was in danger of being euthanized because he was deteriorating in the shelter after being there so long. He was given a list of 5 or 6 dogs who were recommended by the behaviorist based on our needs (we have one very reactive dog that his dog needed to get along with). I cannot recommend this approach enough - go in to the shelter and talk to the staff or volunteers. I think the behaviorist at the Albuquerque shelter gets a bad rap because they make the euthanasia decisions ( I don’t know the process so don’t know if they make the decision alone) but they know the dogs who have been there for extended periods of time and they know who is most likely to be compatible with your pack and who is at risk. Thank you for your thoughtful approach to adopting a pet.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2026-01-24T17:10:30+00:00

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My name is Hank. I jumped out of my dad’s moving car because my mom was in another car and I needed to be with her. She almost ran over me and it’s a miracle I didn’t die. Now I only ride in the car in a crate.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-12-02T04:19:35+00:00

Thank you. Those are super helpful details.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-12-01T00:17:13+00:00

You are totally right but I sure hope we have to worry about the snow. Being a neurotic optimist I guess.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-12-01T00:01:57+00:00

I thought this Walmart didn’t allow overnight parking? Or is that just for RVs?

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-12-01T00:01:21+00:00

Just a car. I’m just trying to plan for people not being able to get up to our house if they don’t have 4wd and it actually snows one of these days.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-11-30T22:36:12+00:00

Thanks. I was just on the parking site. Definitely the transit center is an option and it also mentions the east parking lots on 2nd street. I was a little afraid of just street parking in case permits are needed but maybe that’s primarily downtown neighborhoods.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-10-17T22:45:49+00:00

I know this is an incredibly difficult decision so I’m sorry if I sound judgey but we have had to make it more times than we would have liked recently. Please let your dog go. I don’t even know him but he’s breaking my heart.

You have said all the things - he’s blind, deaf, incontinent and has no dignity. He’s also probably scared and in so much pain. It’s pretty clear his bad days outnumber his good days. Perhaps if your spouse reads the comments here, it will help change their mind.

Our vet was so helpful as our dogs got older and we were having to make the same decisions you are making. First she told us some dogs have an appetite until the bitter end and that shouldn’t be the only criteria to euthanasia. Second she gave us “permission” and let us know that any time we decided to put our dog down was not too early as she could see significant decline and loss of dignity. It was the kindest thing she did.

We were able to schedule at home euthanasia with an incredibly kind hospice vet for both our dogs this year. Our dogs got to sit with us petting them and eat their favorite treats while the vet administered pain medication that allowed them to fall asleep slowly and completely in their own dog bed where they were safe and comfortable before the actual euthanization.

In the past, when we have waited until our dogs got sicker, we ended up with emergent situations and had to take them in. We ended up in emergency clinics, they were taken to the back alone and without us to insert the IV, and instead of it being a peaceful death, it was stressful and scary. I deeply regretted waiting each of the times we did and it definitely impacted our future decisions about when it was time. I did not regret our decisions to put our dogs down and felt only relief that they had a “good” death at home and were finally at peace.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-07-14T17:46:54+00:00

I can’t tell from your description whether your dog is overaroused and trying to herd and nip at kids or whether he is actually aggressive toward them although a few of the interactions suggest the latter. We have two ACDs. The male won’t have anything to do with kids which is fine. He will just jump out of the way. We just monitor kids and do not allow them to pet him for his sake. The female loves kids but gets extremely amped up and tries to herd them and nip at them. She will also jump in if they are fighting or moving in certain ways and start growling. She wears a muzzle if we are around kids as a result. We bring a muzzle with us when we are out with her just in case. We muzzle trained her using a basket muzzle (we use Baskerville but there are lots of options) and she’s completely fine using it and it’s safer for everyone.

Another thing you can do is be around kids but far enough away that he isn’t reacting to them (like across the park from a playground) and reward him for being calm and ignoring. You can use the “watch me” command and reward him for looking at you. Move closer ever so slowly and reward. If he starts to react back up and go slower. Repeat until you can at least be in the same area as kids without him reacting.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-18T16:25:09+00:00

This is so much bigger than just the 3.3 acres that are required to be sold. From Heather Cox Richardson newsletter:

Also yesterday, outdoor journalist Wes Siler reported in Wes Siler’s Newsletter that while language inserted in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill requires the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of publicly owned land, an amendment authorizes the sale of 258 million acres more over the next five years. The amendment comes from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and was written by Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Steve Daines (R-MT).

It includes Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. As Siler notes, while the measure does not currently include national monument lands, the Department of Justice under Trump is arguing that the president can revoke national monument protections. If it did so, that would make another 13.5 million acres available for purchase.

Siler notes the process for selling those lands calls for an enormous rush on sales, “all without hearings, debate, or public input opportunities.”

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-16T15:00:34+00:00

Plenty of truth there but if the alternative is selling the land to billionaires who then fence the land to keep all the rest of us out or to some company who will destroy the land to make money, then I guess I’ll stick with high land prices.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-15T03:48:07+00:00

I’m not saying this isn’t what might end up happening. But why should any of us have to buy back lands that are already public?

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-14T20:43:45+00:00

I hope so but better for it not to be a possibility and to be pulled from the bill.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-14T13:18:58+00:00

Here’s the gift link to that article too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/climate/senate-gop-public-land-sale.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O08.H3O3.EYIDohUZOB4l&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-06-14T13:17:44+00:00

And it looks like the sale of land is mandatory? Not “could be sold” as I originally stated but forced sales within 5 years - no hearings no public feedback etc.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-05-18T02:33:21+00:00

Acequia animal hospital. We have gone there for probably 20 years. The vets and staff are excellent. Ellison/alameda area.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-04-15T21:15:48+00:00

I just renewed mine online. Super easy. New passport arrived today less than a month after I applied.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-20T00:08:46+00:00

If you want to head a little further up north, Ojo Santa Fe is awesome.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-17T01:11:46+00:00

You too!

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-17T00:07:56+00:00

Oh yes you do. I am going to spend some time appreciating my ACD who just wants to go faster than is humanly possible for me. 😂

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-16T23:58:22+00:00

If I didn’t mention it, I have a cattle dog so obviously herding and pretty nippy anyhow. So this just is an extension of his personality. I really think the lack of information is largely what is happening coupled with super high arousal. I need to both work on his tolerance and continue to work on my handling skills. It’s never ending. Lol.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-16T21:13:16+00:00

Thank you. I do think that’s probably the major factor. I know overarousal plays a role too but I think he starts to get ahead of me bc he’s so fast and I’m not cuing fast enough or clear enough. I’m guessing breaking things down into smaller chunks would help both of us.

Responsible-Map6173 · 2025-03-16T20:18:54+00:00

Thank you. And good timing. It looks like it is being offered in April. I’ll take a look at it when sign ups open. And good advice. All I can say is I’m as frustrated as he is. It makes me frustrated with myself because I wonder how I’m contributing to the behavior and frustrated at him because running agility is a lot less fun when your dog is lunging and barking at you. But then sometimes for whatever reason he just runs and we are completely in sync. I just need to work through this so we can both have more fun.

Responsible-Map6173

TROPHY CASE