Essay on Prevention of Animal Overpopulation

The myth of pet overpopulation is a huge campaign that’s considered truth nationwide. The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) explains this myth and why it’s used. Activists use the myth to put all blame of animal shelter death on breeders. Radical groups perpetuate this myth by making breeding restrictions. This myth is the biggest cause of euthanizing healthy, adoptable animals. Per year, about 3.1 million dogs are adopted while 2.1 million are euthanized. However, this number for euthanized dogs is not broken down by reasoning for euthanization. Overpopulation propagandists often claims this number reaches over 6 million each year. While shelters heavily euthanize adoptable dogs and breeders increasingly use puppy mills, each area across

Many animals throughout the world that go homeless, yet many more die in animal shelters because these facilities become overwhelmed. Humans buy animals from animal shelters and then return them within a matter of time, because they no longer want to take on the responsibility of taking care of them. Most animal shelters have a policy that if the workers can not find a home for the animals within 72 hours from the time they are brought in, they have to euthanize them, or “put them down” (Akita Rescue Mid Atlantic Coast 26-27). Unless the shelters have enough space, or the animal is a breed that a lot of people desire, the end result is to usually put down the animal. Every year, a total of nearly 7.6

Pet owner’s need to be aware of the responsibility it is to be a proper pet owner. Domestic animal do not only need their love and attention they require regular visit to the veterinarians where they can take proper precautions for unwanted pregnancies. Every day there are 70,000 puppies and cats that are born there is not enough homes for all these pets.(Harvey,Alyssa) Animal shelters have endorsed sterilization ensuring pet owners that sterilizing a pet is less expensive than the cost of a litter of puppies or kittens. In Hidalgo County I found a clinic that has received a $90,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to spay/neuter to help reduce pet overpopulation. The program offers

Pet owners have a wide variety of views about their responsibilities. Some feel that just providing food and water is enough and therefore do not provide a secure environment which is essential for all pets. Without this secure environment, a female in heat is a target for every male around. The males will go to great lengths to get to a female in heat. Her scent is a driving force. Some owners will allow their females to continue to come into heat over and over again, making her a target for every un-neutered male around, without trying to solve the problem. The males' owners will allow their animals to continue to roam freely because they feel they are not the responsible party to the unwanted pregnancies. Homes may be found for some of the offspring, some may die, and some may just wander off. Of those to survive, the breeding cycle can start all over again. Also, many owners do not realize that having a pet is a commitment for the life of the pet. When some owners get tired of their current pet, want a new pet, or get irritated because the pet does not meet their expectations, they will dump the pet thinking it will fend for itself or find a new home. Of the animals taken into shelters, 47% of the cats and 55% of the dogs are not spayed or neutered (Patelis).

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 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).

A problem has grown among animal lovers. On one side are the traditional shelters that euthanize to make space for more animals. On the other side are those that call themselves “no kill”. They represent a rage of shelters from all over the country that won’t euthanize any animal on their property. No-Kill shelters are gaining popularity in the United States, According to one source, “More than 600 shelters and that’s just a fraction. The popularity has put pressure on the other shelters to become no-kill” (Fasseas). Now there are two different sides to the story, half of the people agrees upon euthanize animals for space and the other half agrees that there should not be any kill shelters here in this area or anywhere in the country.

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

Later, most will end up "Testing Out" a different type of pet. The vast majority of people, who adopt a puppy or kitten, do not keep the animal for life. If this were to turn around and most people were to actually keep their pets through the good times and the bad, as they do their own children, the demand for these animals would go down. With less of a demand, breeders would not breed as many litters. Breeders are only breeding as many litters as they do, because people are buying them. The demand for a cute little puppy or kitten is great, because people do not keep the animal for life. Animals are recycled. If a breeder had a litter and could not sell the puppies, they would not keep having litter after litter. People are buying them, so breeders are breeding them. In a perfect world, breeders would breed less and force people to adopt from an animal rescue, but this is not a perfect world. The solution lies with the general public educating themselves, supply and demand, that's the solution. Lessen the demand and the supply will, on its own, lessen. The power lies within each and every one of us. Scripted by Kim Sturla (of the San Mateo ordinance fame) and her continual cross-country junketing preaching her message: "The problem is simple: we have too many dogs and cats. Too many for too few homes."

(Charity Navigator, 2015, Charity rating) These numbers are a far cry from what Mr. Bergh told the Governor of New York when he paid a visit to the ASPCA and he stumbled over a hole in the old, tattered carpet and told Mr. Bergh to buy better carpet and send him the bill, Mr. Bergh simply replied, “No, thank you, Governor. But send me the money, and I will put it to better use for the animals. (as cited in Winograd, 2012, ¶3)” Moreover, for the last 15 years, the shelters, rescue groups, feral cat caretakers and No Kill proponents who have tried to restore Bergh’s vision through the No Kill revolution have been opposed by those like past ASPCA CEO Ed Sayres, supported by a Board of Directors content to count the money, all of whom appear intent on squandering Bergh’s noble legacy. When we look back on Mr. Berg’s life’s mission and what he wanted to accomplish and then look at the ASPCA today, one must wonder what happened? While it is not an easy task to undertake, we will take a look at animal “shelter”

Puppy mills create excess supply of dogs when there are many dogs that are needing homes in shelters. 3. Owner responsibility is essential to controlling the population of animals which can be decreased through spaying and neutering. Unfortunately, only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. *Transition Overpopulation of domesticated animals is to blame on the overflow of animals that end up at shelters which causes a great amount of animals to be

Some shelter workers think that euthanasia, although dismal, is necessary to maintain order in shelters. This thought process stems from the reality of the shelter’s financial situation and capacity. There simply is not enough funding to obtain all the resources the animals need nor is there enough space to hold all of the animals. Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol go into detail on how shelter funds are utilized, “Catching, feeding and caring for unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private agencies millions of dollars each year, as do adoption and education programs. Additional costs are generated by

A common solution to this issue would be the spaying and neutering of shelter animals so as to not promote any offspring. The current problem of overpopulation of animals in the United States stems from the number of male and female dogs that are intact and can reproduce offspring (Feldmann 959). Through personal observation, the process of neutering a male dog and spaying female dog is extremely quick and

Life should always take priority over convenience. No kill shelters would provide a solution to the numbers of animals that get killed/euthanized every year. People need to realize the kill count is continuing to go up without no kill shelters. No kill is a declaration.’ Increasingly, the practices of both humane societies and municipal animal control agencies are out of step with public sentiment. Today, most Americans hold the humane treatment of animals as a personal value, which is reflected in our laws, cultural practices, the proliferation of organizations founded for animal protection, increased per capita spending on animal care, and great advancements in veterinary medicine. (PetSafe Coupons ,1)But the agencies that the public expects to protect animals are instead killing some two million animals annually’. (https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/no-kill-declaration.html) . This is part of the no kill preamble. This explains why and how the making of no kill shelters protects animals. This provides lifesaving alternatives to the killing of animals by shelters that have existed for many decades. These nonlethal programs have proven that the killing can be ended. Many have realized that the killing can and should be brought to an end. It is up to us to work even individually and together to make shelter models that have already saved over tens of thousands of animals in many communities. If we

So why is this happening? There are many things that can contribute to the massive amount of animals entering shelters every year. Some of the reasons for overpopulation can be giving up problematic or even old, sick pets, and continuing to over-produce pets through breeding and the lack of neutering or spaying. Many people think animals in shelters are pets that have been