Tanisha Degenhardt's Education Not Euthanization

Imagine a puppy that’s hungry, scared, thirsty, and overcrowded. This may be what it was like where your puppy came from. Think about going to the pet store, seeing the cute little puppies in the glass, looking back at you in excitement. Some jump with joy; some sleep their little hearts away, tired from meeting so many new people, and others fight over the toy with the puppy next to them. You would never think for a second that where they had been born and spent roughly the first 12 weeks of their lives was in a dreadful environment. These places are Puppy Mills. They are large-scale dog breeding facilities that are usually unsanitary and very overcrowded. They don’t make sure the dogs have adequate food, water, socialization; nor do they ensure

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.

In the United States, about 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters every year. The overpopulation of these animals and the fact that they have no homes leads to about 40% of them being euthanized (ASPCA). This is a global issue, but the root of it can be found within the local community at The Humane Society of the Ohio Valley.

One of the most disturbing problems out of many, in puppy farming, is the nightmarish conditions in which the dogs are kept. These innocent animals are kept in constant confinement, packed together in ridiculously small cages. As well as living in cramped conditions, they are also neglected by their “caring” breeders, and have almost no human contact until they leave the farm. A lack of human contact can lead to many problems, such as aggressive behaviour, and extreme antisocial behaviour. In a recent news article, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) shut down a puppy farm in Carlow, Ireland. Inspectors described the scene as “appalling and horrific”. The ISPCA also reported that “dead animals were strewn around the premises,” and the animals that were not dead were in urgent need of attention. This harrowing report sickens me and highlights the exact reason why puppy farming

Many breeders refer to these separate cages as “honeymoon suites” to put a positive spin for the public (“Bailing Out Benji”). Obviously, many puppies are littered this way, but many do not know what happens to the mothers after they cannot reproduce. Mentioned earlier, they are killed or left to die. Following all the facts, it is clear that the killing of these breeder dogs is a major problem (Ibid.).

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

Imagine that for Christmas you got a brand new puppy, you feed it, you train it, you play with it, and one day you run over it. That story could have made you a little sad, even if you didn’t get a dog for Christmas and run over it. Next, does it surprise you that 6.2 million dogs die per year, according to The National Animal Interest Alliance, “3.8 million in homes, veterinary hospitals and under the wheels of a vehicle, and an additional 2.4 million in shelters.” When I said that it probably sounded like I knew what I was talking about with plausible detail.

In the article “Abandonment the cruelest act that can happen to a pet” by Trish Hernandez discusses a form of animal cruelty: abandonment. Although to the average person, it may seem like common sense to know that an animal needs to be loved and cared for, let alone to be alive; many simply do not care. To this very day, animals are still being left behind. In the article Hernandez first introduces to the readers a story of a young woman who neglects puppies on a highway- left to die by the roaring cars speeding by.

The North Shore Animal League will first discuss animal rights and how animal abuse and homelessness is at an all-time high today among animals. There will also be various pictures and statistics shown to offer the audience insight on which dog and cat breeds are the most abused and homeless. For example, due to their small size and temperament with people Chihuahuas are among one of the most abused and homeless dog breeds. The organization will then discuss their plan to remedy the issue of animal abuse and homelessness by opening up animal shelters in urban areas in Staten Island and Brooklyn to lower animal abuse and homelessness. These shelters will provide the animal’s food, water, and medicine, which are the main necessities for them to survive. By opening these new shelters, it will ensure the animal’s safety and well-being until people are ready to adopt and bring them home.

Every year I go to Mexico, during spring break and summer. It's always relaxing laying on the beach or going on a nice refreshing swim in the 70 degree water. It was an average day down in mexico during the summer of 2017; I remember my family and I relaxing at home after a long day on the boat. I was feeding the street dog because I could tell she was either having puppies, or already had puppies. She was starving to death, her ribs were showing, I knew I had to help her. I started feeding her three times a day so she could start producing milk if she’s already had the puppies; or so she could keep the puppies healthy while she was still pregnant. A few days later I walked outside to feed her, and I hear whimpering like the sound newborn puppies

Michele Allen’s work has been a blessing to many dogs who could’ve been stuck in a shelter for the rest of their lives.

Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.

According to the ASPCA, “each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million [are] dogs).” One way in which people can prevent this number from being so high is to foster dogs and to take them out of the mills and shelters. About three years ago, I heard about a family who began to foster puppies through Fur Babies Rescue and Referral Inc. This is a volunteer run “small not for profit, no-kill rescue organization based out of foster homes in NY” (Fur Babies Rescue). The dogs brought to this rescue organization may be abandoned, sick, or may even be on death row, where they are then brought back into a healthy state and go into foster homes. The organization provides all items necessary for the foster dog at no cost to the foster parent: food, cages, beds, vaccinations, neutering, etc., as long as the foster parent provides the dog a home until it is adopted. While a foster family is taking in a puppy, there are some goals that the family should keep in mind. They include: allowing the puppy to socialize and be exposed to

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