Stories like this do a few things to me. They make me sad and angry... Then they make me want to go hug my kids.. then make me want to brush their teeth and clean my house.
I hope they find a loving and healthy home.
I'd wait until you get back if you can stand it. I had all four taken out at the same time (surgically) and was pretty useless for about 3 days or so.
Good luck.
They recently dropped the price for the Kindle again. I'd go as far to say there might be a $99 e-reader by Christmas -- if an existing one isn't on sale for that price.
Ebooks are gaining speed and the technology is keeping up, thankfully.