Pet Friendly By Sue Pethick

7.6 million animals enter the shelters and with that 2.7 million animals are euthanized in the shelter. The same amount euthanized gets adopted each year, which is depressing. One would think more would get adopted or simply taken in if lost to avoid the deaths or strays of animals such as the cats that was previously stated. Animals are human companions that show love and guard or are just fun to help people out in therapeutic ways. Humans take animals for granted with how we send them to shelters not caring if it’s going to end up with them dead in a week of being at that

The euthanasia of animals is a very problematic social issue in the world today. Approximately there are about 7.6 million companion animals that enter animal shelters each year. Of those, about 2.7 animals are euthanized, and cats have the highest rate, according to “The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” (2017). When you hear the term euthanasia in reference to animals, you think of a painless process that ends the countless suffering your pet had to endure over the span of their lives. There are many reasons for which these animals are “put to sleep.” When most pet owners put their pets to sleep it is because their pets have incurable disease, painful illness, behavioral problems and are of old age. When an animal is suffering and is no longer able to recover, this process may be the most humane thing to do. However, euthanasia turns into murder when perfectly healthy animals are killed. Since there is an overpopulation of animals there are many animals left on the street wandering alone. When there isn’t any room for all these new animals being brought in from off the streets, shelters have no other option, but to euthanize. Each year more and more dogs and cats are born and sent into shelters, but for every animal being born another one has to leave and once the animal leave they are most likely going to be euthanized. No matter the situation animals are losing their lives for no clear reason.

“So while not all shelters can ‘‘afford’’ to keep the animals, they could find people who will foster the animals until adoption, or some other, positive alternative.” (www.neenink.com) “Why, if an animal is not a harm to others, should it be killed without any choice? The animals can’t speak for themselves. Their fates depend on us to be their voice”. “Are you up for the challenge? I know I am”.(www.neenink.com) This shows that the issue of pet abandonment is that people sometimes need a companion to help them through their life and if the people of the world keep on putting their animals in a shelter, then they end up getting put down then one day there won’t be a special furry friend by your side. Some people who go through mental depression get so scared that one day they might commit suicide but the animals stop them from doing

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).

When Mary Ray of Woodbury, Minnesota unexpectedly passed away at her home during the winter of 2012, the last thing she would have expected was that her beloved perfectly healthy, young pet cat would be euthanized by the Woodbury Humane Society shelter instead of being sent to the home she had detailed in a note posted on her refrigerator. In retrospect, this would not have happened if the Woodbury Humane Society shelter had adopted the new and growing trend of “no-kill” philosophy for animal shelters, which simply stated, is an operating philosophy for a shelter that is based upon the premise that no healthy adoptable animal should be euthanized for any reason and that they should be sheltered until they find a loving home. The number of

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

No-Kill Shelters are very different from Kill and Low-Kill Shelters. For example, Maddie’s Fund wrote that no-kill shelters save all healthy and treatable dogs and cats. They will even keep the animal until it gets adopted. Around 7.6 million dogs and cats are sent to an animal shelter every year. But only 4.9 animals are saved mostly by no-kill shelters. However, if the animal is unhealthy or untreatable, they will put it down. Also, they only take in animals that are adoptable. Pet360 stated, “They do not accept animals without appointments and have a very thorough screening process. Additionally, these shelters often will not accept animals over a certain age,

Well, luckily, there are shelters in different places that help animals that aren’t able to take care of themselves. Did you know that every year 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters in U.S.? If you think that figure was huge, now imagine around 1.5 million of them are being euthanized every year because the shelter doesn’t have enough money or volunteers (ASPCA) to take care of them. However, this number can be significantly reduced if we start to make a change. With my speech, I would like to persuade you to from now on look for pets in a shelter instead of a pet store. In order to do this, I will provide information about the differences between shelters and pet stores, reasons to adopt a pet, and how to do it.

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

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

According to the Human Society’s website, there are over 2.7 million adoptable cats and dogs that are euthanized each year.

All across the world, people have dogs as pets. From people living in a high-rise apartment in a large city or people living in a cabin in the middle of the woods, dogs have seemed to make their ways into the homes of all demographics of people. The question remains then, “why?” Why do people volunteer time and money to care for an animal who doesn’t make any money and is unable to care for themselves? Despite all these factors, millions of people around the globe take pets into their homes and adopt them into their families, a trend that has occurred for thousands of years. Dogs serve many purposes and provide many reasons for people to form a bond with them, some reasons are not even fully understood. There are several factors that explain why people own dogs and reasons that this beneficial relationship has continued to this day: the physical behaviors and characteristics appease humans’ biological processes along the companionship that dogs offer (which is paralleled to family members), and the benefits that come with a positive relationship of that magnitude.

According to PETA, every year in the U.S., more than 6 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters. Some of these dogs and cats are lucky enough to be adopted into loving, responsible, and permanent homes. Overpopulation of animals is an issue that is worsening day by day and it wont cease to occur if no one plays their part in reducing it and one of the simplest action that could be taken as an initiative is adopting an animal. The act of adoption helps stop pet overpopulation at shelter homes, as there are too many animals and not enough shelters to sustain the ever increasing amount. Shelters have been facing the issue of pet overpopulation for the last few decades as there is always an insufficient amount of people who are willing to adopt rather than to purchase when seeking a new pet.

In some shelters, they are so crowded that puppies and kittens are euthanized. It is awful that some animals are killed before they get to really live. Up to 600 puppies and 1.4 million cats are euthanized each year. Cats have a worse stereotype so they are adopted less.

Not only did you save your pet, but also, space is created to save another animal. As well, rescued pets cost less, usually come spayed or neutered, up to date on shots, and microchipped. Likewise, shelter animals make fantastic pets. They deliver and receive the same love as pet store animals; they have the same sweet puppy breath, and countless owners surrender the animal due to no fault of their own. For instance, the human divorced, moved, or lost a job and can no longer care for their pet. Adopted pets as reported by, The Humane Society of the United States, one in 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the United