Beyond sad, beyond horrible, beyond control, shelter dumping has become a nationwide epidemic. There seems to be no end to the amount of pets being relinquished to overcrowded shelters with no other recourse left but mass euthanasia.
Rescuers and other concerned animal lovers across the country are looking for answers where there seem to be none. The top reasons according to National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy include allergies, too many in house, moving, no time and illness in relation to high cost of pet maintenance.
Do these people consider what will happen to their unwanted cats and dogs? How that animal feels to be dumped in a loud, clanging facility full of terrified sounds? What it must be like to be taken down the hall by a stranger to a dark room for the last time. Do they consider this animal, one who shared their home, in a garbage bag waiting to be picked up for some horrible destiny?
Now that these families have the free time, perhaps a little contemplation might be in order. Now that the pet cat who soiled the rug and the puppy who never made it to dog training is gone, pause might be given to some of the reasons the family pet was killed.
Over breeding is a top contender. Says American Humane Association, “Many people who breed their pets believe they aren't adding to the pet overpopulation problem if they find homes for all their puppies or kittens. But consider this: Every puppy or kitten sold by an irresponsible breeder means there is one more shelter animal that will not find a home.”
Choosing not to adopt, but to purchase a pet instead. “Seventeen million Americans acquire a new pet each year -- that is more than double the number of shelter animals! Sadly, only 3.5 million people, or about 20 percent, choose to adopt their new pet.”
Disposable pets wind up at shelters. “While there are some situations when it may be absolutely necessary for an owner to relinquish a pet, hundreds of thousands of pets are relinquished to shelters each year simply because they have become an inconvenience or because the owner did not consider the time and financial commitment required to properly train and care for them.”
Is there a solution to this epidemic? Will the country ever see a change in these drastic numbers? Will a time ever come when garbage bags full of dead pets will no longer be tolerated or acceptable?
The United States of America is a wealthy country. It’s inexcusable that a government this affluent and powerful is killing domestic pets by the masses. The time to stop the killing is now.
One little Facebook page is trying to make a difference. Stop the Killing is “dedicated to help all those animals who have died and those who are currently on death row at any shelter around the country.”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-The-Killing/156812761050858?sk=wall
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