Too true. I also sit with tears in my eyes. As a child my grandmother's beloved dogs, a German Shepard and a Collie, Duke and Colita both had to be put to sleep due to cancer. I cried my eyes out. They were my friends that I played with everyday. I still miss them. I couldn't understand why they could not be saved. I was really young.
I'm glad that there seems to be more rescue resources out there to prevent the killing of animals. About nine years ago, my oldest daughter and I adopted a little kitten who was born to one of the abandoned cats in my neighborhood. We had heard that someone from a animal testing center wanted to take all the cats to use for testing. We couldn't allow that to happen to them, so my neighbors and us helped find homes for all the kittens and the two adult sister cats. We still have our little Coco, we love her and would never throw her away. When looking for apts. or houses to live, if cats aren't allowed, we look for another place. She's with us forever. Now that we are moving into a house, my daughters and I are looking for a puppy to adopt instead of buying a pet. We want to help a little dog who is in need of family and a forever home.