Essay by Producer Michelle Toy
This was a hard story to do. Many people I've talked to about what I saw would stop me. They just didn't want to hear it.

But the truth is, no matter how much we'd like to ignore the problem, it is a harsh reality.

SLIDESHOW: NBC11 Investigates Sad Reality At Bay Area Animal Shelters

Step inside the San Jose animal shelter and you don't even see it. The facility is bright and beautiful. You are greeted by cute kittens, peaceful bunnies, and playful puppies.

The animals up front at the shelter are hand-picked and have a good chance of being adopted.

But go in the back, behind locked doors and there are hundreds of dogs and cats whose futures are grim. They are feral cats, scraggly strays and beat up dogs who bark loudly when you approach.



Some of the animals have been abandoned and abused and some of them are just old.

Lady, the lab retriever mix we profiled in the piece, had a poor chance of being adopted because of her age. She was 7 years old -- not too old by most standards -- but in a shelter where people come to adopt family pets, 7 is too old.



Lady was a sweet dog. She didn't bark. She was friendly. She even wagged her tail as she was walked down the hall to be euthanized. Lady would have been a great pet, but the shelter is filled with dogs that would have made great pets.

Some estimates say that California euthanized 500,000 dogs and cats last year. That number indicates to many people that there might be problem.

The staggering statistic of 500,000 is too many. Just one, like Lady, is too many.

Check Out Adoptable Animals

Below is a list of Bay Area counties and the number of cats and dogs euthanized and adopted in 2007:

County	Adoptions	Euthanasia
Alameda	610	2297
Contra Costa	6067	5457
Marin	2039	343
Napa	634	633
San Francisco	1192	1535
San Mateo	2765	3631
Santa Clara	5085	11391
Santa Cruz	1481	1822
Sonoma	2545	3344