9/29/05 -- Marshall, MO
Nick Sweeney takes "Stitches", a family pet, to the Marshall Animal Shelter. The feline was not getting along with the other pets in close quarters and the cost of keeping all the animals was becoming an issue.
"People may wonder why we keep all our pets but we already had stocked up on food for the animals. But if we couldn't feed the kids, all the pets would have to go." The family has three dogs, two cats, two bald boa snakes and two ferrets.
Photo by Jack Gruber, USA TODAY staff