Why Do Pets Become Unprotected?

Say “animal” to any American, and there is a decent chance that the first image brought to mind will be a cat or a dog. Domesticated animals such as these permeate American culture, from the Puppy Bowl to the ongoing dog vs cat debate on Facebook posts and Internet forums. But although pets seem to be everywhere, millions of them every year slip through the cracks, winding up on the streets or vying for limited space in an animal shelter. This overpopulation makes animal homelessness in America a problem that needs to be addressed.

The effects of pet ownership have been shown to be beneficial for humans as well as animals in need of a home. People purchase pets for a variety of reasons, spanning from a need to get more exercise, a desire for companionship, to a desire for unconditional love. Other people simply just love animals and their lives feel complete without a furry friend. However, not all of the causes of pet ownership are positive. Some people purchase a pet because they think the animal looks cute but abandon the pet after they discover the hard work it requires to train it and keep it healthy. Other people do so out of ego, such as purchasing a large, vicious pet they hope will intimidate others and later find they cannot control. The motivational causes of owning a pet will determine the eventual effects of ownership.

A pack of dogs is playing in a ditch which is in the middle of a busy road. Some people in the cars look to see if the dogs' owner is nearby and wonder why anyone would allow their dogs to play so close to danger. Some drivers seem oblivious to the motley assortment romping in the water next to the road. They all keep driving without another thought for the safety or lives of those poor creatures. Unfortunately, this is a common scene in many areas. Unwanted dogs and cats are dumped to fend for themselves because there just are not enough homes for all of them. Where have these unwanted animals come from? The huge population is attributed to out of control breeding due to irresponsible owners, breeding 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.

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.

The statistics are outrageous when it comes to the number of abandoned and neglected animals that are homeless or have to live out their lives in shelters all because owners take it upon themselves not to have their furry friends operated on. An estimated 11,000 pets in this country are euthanized daily, according to a Pet Smart Charities study—that’s half of the 8 million pets that land in shelters each year. Not all of these pets start out homeless. Half of U.S. pet owners who’ve had a pregnant dog or cat say the pregnancy happened “by accident,” according to statistics from the study (NAPS). This is only the number of unwanted animals that are actually caught; let us not forget about the feral animals on the street.

As we grow up in life, we often wonder what it would be like to have a pet. Some parents will go out to the far limits to get that one of a kind dog. Others will just tell their children that having an animal takes responsibility. Whether it is one or the other, we still have that thought in our head. In this paper, I want to look at one place where a child or parents can get that chance to make that dream of having a pet at home a reality. I welcome you to the humane society of San Diego. I often said to myself, this is where are the stray animals go. Not true, when you take a look some maybe stray but others come from a home that just plain got tired of them. Let me show you the journey of what the humane society of San Diego can do when it comes to looking at that pet to come home with you.

With feral cats posing ecological and public health threats, many different techniques, reflecting a range of moral and ethical values, have been proposed and implemented. TNR is considered one of the most humane methods, but other methods that exist include euthanasia, trap and eradication, and more intensive versions of TNR that include vaccinations and rehabilitations. These methods vary in their effectiveness, practicality, cost and social acceptance. Additionally, differences in how people perceive animals and their intrinsic value, have made feral cat mitigation efforts an extremely charged topic for animal welfare advocates, policy makers, conservationists and pet owners. When analyzing methods, it’s important to evaluate what their goals are in terms of managing feral cat populations, state their ethical and moral perspective, and determine their effectiveness. Additionally, their impact on cat behavior will be explored using evidence from a variety of related studies, which will serve to assist in judging the effectivity of the population control method.

Owning and caring for pets is an extremely normal thing for people throughout the world. The love that millions of communities have for animals is huge and it brings a multitude of people together because of their common bond. Many studies have indicated that owning a pet can better the owner’s health, and even lengthen his/her life. Pets can be incredibly helpful for a variety of reasons making people agree that pets bring more enjoyment than dissatisfaction. Owning pets has become a very popular trend for a number of reasons, such as service, protection, and companionship.

Pets. Loving, furry, fun. A furry companion in about 37- 47% of all households have dogs and 30- 37% households hold felines in the United States alone. But at what costs comes with owning one of these adorable animals as pets and is it worth the trouble? “In The Last Meow”, Bilgers shares his opinion about whether or not we’re spending too much money and effort owning a pet. The answer to the question is, “yes” Americans spend an abundance of hard earned income a year even if the pets can still die within a year. I own two pets, so I can see where and why people would try to save their pets and prolong how much they live. On the other hand, why try to extend their life when our beloved furry family member is in agonizing pain and suffering more than half of the time?

June 15, 2016, I had finally understood the importance that dogs had on humans. Walking into Rescue Village on that beautiful Summer day, my heart was racing because I knew it was the day I could adopt my first rescue dog. This day made my life completely different from that point forward. I chose to adopt a dog and to care for her and I was now not only responsible for myself but for a helpless dog. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, I am not the only one who chose to take on the responsibility of a dog, “Sixty-two percent of all U.S. households – more than 72.9 million total – include one more companion animals” (Companion Animal). A companion animal is defined as, “… our best friends, confidents, and help make the family complete”

Many people mistake domesticated animals with exotic animals and are okay with owning exotic pets. These wild animals are easy to deal with when they are small, but when they turn into adults they are more aggressive and harder to care for. Not all animals are trying to harm others, they are born to be in the wild and trained to fend for themselves (Lewis). Statistics show that more people die in car accidents every year than being killed by exotic animals, causing some to believe that it is okay to own exotic pets (“REXANO Proves That Politicians…”). This thought contradicts itself when the statistics of the amount of people being killed by animals were added. People think it is different and exciting to be able to go to a neighbor's house and see exotic pets, but in reality it is causing deaths. Owners are not aware of the precautions that need to have taken place to keep

    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

Pets can fill a void in an owner’s life, by allowing them to nurture something and receive a sense of satisfaction. Socially pets have become so much a part of our daily lives that they are often treated as if they were children, some lucky pets even attend daily play sessions, and are treated to extreme indulgence; all to make their owner feel as if they were an infant or a child. Blind owners rely on their seeing eye dogs to guide them around wherever they go; they are trained to guide them past and around obstacles. The National Institute of Health states, “More than half of all U.S. households have a companion animal. Pets are more common in households with children, yet there are more pets than children in American households. There are more than 51 million dogs, 56 million cats, 45 million birds, 75 million small mammals and reptiles, and uncounted millions of aquarium fish” (np). Many movie stars and rich and famous people have begun using pets as a status symbol. Millions of dollars are spent finding the perfect and most valuable pet even to the extent that the original breed of animal has become unrecognizable or even extinct. This need for high status and perfection has resulted in safety risks to both pets and the people they live with. Inbreeding and tampering with cross genes in animals often result in an animal of inferior security and emotional stability, thus resulting in an aggressive and violent temperament. In an attempt to

Thesis/Preview: Today, I about the interesting history and mythology of cats: ancient Egyptian cats, negative cultural superstitions, and modern day domesticated cats.