Rachael Borrelli, assistant director at the county Department of Animal Services, sent the voice message in a text exchange late last year. The euthanasia rate has spiked at county-run shelters in recent years.
MORE STORIES
-
As Aztec Printing closes its doors, the pictures on its walls tell a story of struggles, protests and victories in the Chicano Movement in San Diego. -
Carlos reminded me he was far from an anomaly, as tens of thousands of service members continued to return home from combat, forever altered by what they had seen and experienced in war. He wanted the people who read the blog posts I wrote to know this. That was why he told me his story. -
KPBS Midday EditionIt's never too early to start thinking about vacation. This weekend the San Diego Travel & Adventure Show returns with 1,500 travel experts to help attendees plan their next trip. -
Carlos told me he and Logan had been to only one public sporting event since returning from Iraq. It was another Padres game, and the experience drained him. -
Carlos said he knew Logan had a better sense of smell and hearing than he did, and trusted Logan to alert him of any danger – be it real or imagined - which allowed the Marine veteran to relax, even if only a little bit. -
Carlos, who served in the Marines as a leader, teaching fellow Leathernecks the tools they’d need to survive in the war zone, decided to become a full-time trainer at Freedom Dogs, teaching Marines with PTSD how to survive their war wounds. -
When Carlos first started attending training sessions at Freedom Dogs, he felt he didn’t fit in. Big reason: Carlos was afraid of dogs. He didn’t like them, and he believed they didn’t like him. In the tough, gang-infested Chicago streets where Carlos grew up, dogs were treated more as weapons than pets. -
A critical care nurse and veteran’s daughter named Meribeth Russell started Freedom Dogs in 2006. Russell got the idea when she participated in a hospital study that found obese children who were able to bond with a therapy dog had an easier time losing weight. -
In the days following the suicide car bombing in 2004, Carlos didn’t feel angry. He didn’t feel frightened. He didn’t even mourn the men who were so brutally killed that day. Carlos didn’t feel anything at all. He was completely numb. -
Coronado Playhouse extends popular musical through March 7
Sign up for our newsletters!
Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS.
- In Escondido, a school board member changes her name but not her politics
- Community reacts after school board member comes out as transgender
- SCUBA divers volunteer at San Diego's Birch Aquarium
- San Diego City Council approves parking fees in Balboa Park
- San Diego Unified is getting rid of some K-8 middle schools