The Maricopa County animal control has evolved over the last century and the best way to understand animal control is to look at it through history. During the first quarter of the 20th Century, Maricopa County communities were rural and sparsely populated. Dogs and cats were valued for what they contributed to this rural lifestyle. Dogs were working dogs earning their keep on a local ranch or farm, or they were used for hunting to help put food on the table. Some dogs, as well as cats, were used as mousers to help keep small rodents out of the homes and barns. All dogs were permitted to run at large. During the third decade of the 20th Century, fee roaming dogs resulted in a dog overpopulation problem, and with it came an increase …show more content…
These contracts only dealt with the immediate tactical need and little thought was given to any long-range strategic solutions. There was no thought given as to what to do with the animals once they were removed from the streets. The current "catch and kill" shelters were built in the early 70's to warehouse dogs and cats until they could be "disposed of". The two shelters are a reflection of the "catch and kill" mentality that has guided the program for so many years. In recognizing the great value people place on their pets, Animal Care and Control Services (ACCS) developed the most successful municipal pet adoption program in the United States, adopting out more dogs and cats than any organization public or private in the State of Arizona. The aggressive spay/neuter program, began in 1992, and has resulted in a 50% decrease in the communities' euthanasia rate. The creation of a municipal "no-kill" Pet Adoption Center helped increase the adoption rate by 23%. The future of animal control is proactive, innovative programs as opposed to the reactive programs of the past that only exacerbate animal related problems. ACCS is in the midst of a significant transition. This transition is not just organizational; it is cultural. ACCS' new mission, vision, values, name change, new management team and recent reorganization reflect an on-going societal shift from the
The article claims that some sort of registry needs to be established. For instance, an abuser could ignore their restrictions after jail time, go to another state, and easily obtain more animals, since shelters have no notice of their past abuse. Also, abusing animals can be linked to many other crimes, such as crimes involving violence, drugs, and property, domestic violence, sex offenses, or even murder. For example, they discussed how after an investigation, serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, was found guilty of abusing animals, which led up to his vicious acts against humans.
Thesis: Addressing what a No Kill Shelter is and that they should have standards for using specific euthanasia methods, treating “unadoptable” animals, and evaluating the Live Release Rate will help decrease the unnecessary deaths of shelter animals around the world, especially with the help of shelter based programs.
The facility has not had to euthanize a healthy dog due to lack of space for several years. Programs have been developed such as the “special needs fund,” which allows for expensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and adoption for many dogs who may not of had that opportunity in previous years. However, cats provide additional challenges due to overpopulation issues. Last year approximately 800 treatable-rehabilitable/manageable cats had to be euthanized. However, programs such as the trap/neuter/release program, foster care in private homes, PetSmart and veterinary clinic housing/adoptions, and free cat adoption incentives greatly reduced the overwhelming difficulties with housing/adopting cats (Nebraska Humane Society, 2014).
Throughout history dogs have been prevalent, the upper class of Egyptians took pride in their Papillion’s, Paul was believed to have a Maltese when he was stuck on the Island of Malta, and they have been used in many wars. The issue being faced now is puppy mills. Many believe that all dog breeders are bad but that is not completely true. There are dog facilities that mistreat their animals and it is horrifying to witness, yet there are others choosing to breed and raise the best quality dogs in the best possible conditions. Not all dog facilities are outside in the dirt in the winter, some
The final issue is that animal shelters that have been labeled as high-kill due to the rates of animals they euthanize, are being passed up by adopters. The communities
Finally, many animals that are declined from limited admission shelters are dumped on city streets and in rural areas creating the potential for uncontrolled reproduction and thus creating more homeless animals. Overall, opponents of the no-kill shelter philosophy see it as misleading and possibly harmful to the management and wellbeing of stray animals.
Some of the shelters in California are amazing, at Sonoma County’s animal shelter has new policies for the crowded conditions and are working to reduce the number of healthy animal’s that are killed. Dog and cat owners who may want to give up their pets have to make an appointment with the shelter staff to discuss alternatives. Healthy animals will be taken in only if the space is available, otherwise the owners must wait. According to one source, “Most public shelters have around 393,000 cats that enter public shelters and it increased to 25,000. About 278,000 cats were killed in shelters in
Due to the domestication of cats and dogs their populations have skyrocketed. This is due in part to the lack of pet owners acting in a responsible manner. These responsibilities include the spaying and neutering of pets. These numbers of
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be
Animals are a big part of many people’s lives. They provide companionship; they provide daily assistance to those that have deficits and are having difficulty functioning in their daily life; they provide security and help keep a watchful eye on things, plus so much more. And yet, with all that animals do for us, there are those that are treated with such little regard, care, and cruelty. They are unable to speak for themselves and therefore, they need a voice to speak for them.
No animal even remotely compares in import to the dog here at Cold Antler Farm. Dogs get the lion’s share of attention, love, and care. They live in the house with me. They share my bed and furniture. They get the best medical attention, food, and effort I can afford. Dogs are not livestock to me. They are not children, siblings, or any other simulacrum of human interaction. They are my dogs. That is enough.
You can’t really compare an animal to anything. Feral or domestic, they’re still an animal. Most of the time we like to think of pets as family. If you walk up to one of your family members and ask them for identification what do you think they’ll say? First of all, they’ll ask you why, but they’ll probably hand you over a picture ID. Everyone in the world has identification whether it’s a birth certificate, passport, or a license. Our pets also require identification. They need to be licensed after the age of four months. Its just the standard age.
This has led to the belief that dogs can provide company, affection and support to people who are going through a difficult time or who feel lonely. Dogs have aided humans in tasks such as hunting, livestock herding, and guarding. However, as society moved from small rural communities to increasingly large metropolitan areas, the dog’s role changed. Throughout the years a more specific type of
There was once a time they worked harder than us humans do. Back then only wealthy people owned dogs for labor purposes. For example, they chased foxes away from chicken coops and frightened rats away from restaurants. They hunted animals and pulled heavy items over snowy hills. They helped save many people's lives when fires occurred because they alerted the people. In effect, they were not considered as pets because they had a bad odor and were way too filthy to be indoors. They did not receive care so if they were ill or injured, they would either have to heal themselves or even die. In the late 1800's, things were looking better for the dogs' future. The country was becoming wealthier, so people could now afford to feed and take the care of a pet. Now, we see dogs not only as pets, but as family
Many may ask, why waste a valuable life? Why kill when you can just save them and adopt? Animals deserve the chance to live just like any person in this world does. Over the past 20 years, animal shelter communities in the United States has been grappling with the overpopulation problem of domestic animals (Rowan). Nationally, around four million animals are killed in animal shelters each year. Of the animals killed, roughly 95% of the shelters animals and treatable and healthy (Winograd). Each year between two to four million animals are euthanized (Winograd). Normally these animals are domestic such as dogs, cats, horses, and so on. Most people like to believe that the animals are being put down because an incurable disease but that is far from the truth. You have to take in account those who are euthanized because there are not enough homes or space to