Putting down an animal for whatever reason must be a tough job, but usually it's done to put something out of its misery or because it's done something wrong.
But there have been some very angry sentiments stemming from a shelter's decision to euthanise a pregnant pit bull who was in the process of giving birth.
Dacia Anderson is a volunteer at the Amarillo-Panhandle Humane Society and has explained how one dog's story broke her heart.
Writing on Facebook, she said: "While helping an Amarillo-Panhandle Humane Society employee complete a walk-through of the facility, I came across an obviously pregnant pit bull in G7. She was friendly, but scared, and jumped up on me for comfort. I looked at her band and noted she had been an owner surrender the previous day.
"Later, while running dogs back and forth to and from kennels for evaluations, I noticed that G7 was in labor and had given birth to a single puppy. She had no whelping box and was laying on the concrete. I immediately went to Amarillo Management and Welfare's main office area to alert someone.
"A bit later, I heard that a message had been sent stating G7 was euthanized.
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"She was in labor, and euthanized. An AMW employee later confirmed that it was indeed the same dog. Her last moments, while she lay dying, were spent still trying to clean her newly birthed puppies. Their words, not mine."
In her Facebook post, Dacia recognises the issues with animal overpopulation and the need for euthanasia in the right circumstance, but she's completely baffled as to why this action was taken for this pit bull.
Sadly, not only was the mum put down, but also her freshly born puppies.
As a result of her social media status, which has been liked more than 3,000 times, Dacia has been asked to take temporary leave from the shelter, according to the Star Telegram.
Animal Management and Welfare, which deals with intake and euthanasia and is a separate entity to the Amarillo-Panhandle Humane Society, said that the action it took was necessary.
AMW director Richard Havens told KVII: "With our limited budget we just simply can't save all the animals. We're doing the best we can to give them the best chance but when animals come in with behaviour issues, those animals will be ultimately put down."
He said the choice to put down the pit bull and her puppies was made because the mum has a history of being violent and aggressive.
Featured Image Credit: Dacia Anderson/FacebookTopics: Texas, Feels, Animals, Puppies, Pregnant