It is unclear what lead Sandra Lertzman to take the lives of 31 rescue dogs before herself committing suicide in her garage, but what is clear is that she died unlike how she lived. All her life she held a tender heart for nurturing abused or abandoned dogs. Though she left a suicide note, it is unclear what ultimately led the 62-year-old woman to end her life so bitterly
The Animal Rights Foundation on their website explained her taking the animals’ lives by saying “She obviously feared that upon her death, these abused dogs would e placed in harm’s way. Sandy spent countless hours every day taking care of each dog and their specialized problems with her love that she offered them.â€
The statement went on to further say that “None of us ever knows how we will react to adversity, pain and stress. But we do know that Sandra Marlene Lertzman was an angel on earth. She was a remarkable woman. Hundreds, maybe thousands of animals led a more dignified, loving and beautiful life [thanks] to our Sandy. We love her and miss her every day.”
Whatever caused her to want to escape from life, she did leave the world a better place than as she had found it.