Does Your Heart Hurt?

💔 Let’s Talk About Compassion Fatigue 💔

At Henry County Animal Care and Control, we love what we do. We love the wagging tails, the purring cats, the “thank you” kisses after a meal or walk. But there’s another side to shelter work that the public rarely sees, compassion fatigue.

Compassion fatigue is the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes from caring deeply, every single day, in a place where heartbreak is part of the job. It’s not just being “tired”, it’s the pain of connecting with a dog or cat for weeks, watching them blossom under our care, and then having to be the ones to say goodbye. Sometimes that goodbye is for medical reasons, but far too often it is because we have run out of space.

Imagine this:

We’ve fed them, cleaned their kennels, taught them how to sit for a treat, whispered to them that tomorrow might be the day they get adopted. Then the day comes when we must open their kennel, clip on their leash, and take them for their final walk. They are overjoyed to see us—tails wagging, eyes shining—completely trusting. Only we know what awaits them at the end of the aisle. The hold them in our laps, give them a kiss, apologize, and say good bye. Sometimes the loss becomes too much, so we fill our personal homee with the ones that would destroy us to say good bye to. But we only have so much space of our own.

This is what compassion fatigue feels like. 💔

It hurts even more when our kennels are full because of backyard breeding and overpopulation. Every new litter that is sold or given away without being spayed/neutered adds to the wave of animals coming through our doors. We are not running out of compassion, we are running out of space.

And then there is the public perception. Sometimes we face harsh words, judgment, or ridicule for the painful decisions that fall on us. Please understand: no one suffers more from these choices than the people who loved and cared for these animals while they were here.

We share this not for pity, but for understanding.

The best way to ease compassion fatigue is through prevention:

🐾 Adopt instead of buying.

🐾 Spay and neuter your pets.

🐾 Support your local shelters and rescues.

🐾 Show kindness to the staff who carry these burdens every day.

Every adoption, every rescue, every donation, and every kind word truly helps lighten the load.

💙 Together, we can make a difference—for the animals, and for the people who love them