I also consider the possibility of such a dog dying a terrifying death instead of a peaceful one with me. We also make the decision to euthanize if a dog is unplaceable because of age or behavior or is a Malamute-wolf hybrid. It is almost impossible to place a dog that is 10 or 12 years old. It is difficult to imagine someone dumping a dog after all those years together, but they do. If age alone is the reason for death, it makes me angry.
Some dogs are unplaceable.
They aren't vicious or unhealthy, and they aren't old. They are mental misfits unbelievable nervous, uncomfortable inside or out, or won't stay in a fence, any fence. They will injure themselves trying to escape. They never relax, never seem happy or content. They are a struggle to deal with and impossible to place.