On Shelters and Euthanization

There is a battle going on in homes everywhere, and it is spilling into the streets, as well as into animal shelters. Pet owners are feeling the strain of the economy, and animal shelters are being called on to help alleviate that strain. Vet costs are rising while income is decreasing; pet owners are having to cut back, and this includes pet costs. This has led to some debate over what should be done about the situation.

Animal shelters are being hit the hardest, as animal activists are calling for action on the part of animal shelters. What is to be done? Cities are clamouring to become completely "no-kill," but what happens when there are simply too many animals to cope? The answer lies not in the shelters and their methods, but in educating pet owners everywhere, not only about proper care for their pets, but about animal shelters themselves. Shelters are being asked to do the impossible, and until communities come to realize this, there will be no change.

Imagine that you are running a small rescue center for dogs out of your home. Kudos to you, but there is a catch: you're only allowed to take in ten animals at a time. What do you do when you reach that limit, and people are still bringing their dogs to you, hoping that you can re-home them? This is the delimma that shelters face every single day.

Many people believe that shelters are a catch-all solution for unwanted animals. The shelter will take care of their health needs and then re-home the animal. Unfortunately, this is not the case with most animals. Yes, many animals can be re-homed, especially if they are in good physical and psychological health. There are many animals that must be nursed back to health before they can be considered for adoption. Older dogs and cats are harder to adopt out, because a lot of people want an animal that is younger, cuter, more playful.

Shelters are constantly faced with euthanization, a necessary evil in certain cases: a cat whose illness is untreatable; a dog whose behavioral problems have proven impossible to treat. There are animals that shelters cannot, in good conscious, adopt out, and these animals must be humanely put down.

Shelters must turn away a lot of animals. So many animals are brought in on a daily basis that they simply cannot cope with the numbers. There is nothing that can be done on the part of the shelter, in many of these cases. A stray cat has a litter of kittens, the shelter has no room for the cat or her kittens, so they remain on the street; the kittens mature, and have litters of their own, and the cycle continues, over and over.

The first step in solving the problem is teaching communities what it takes to raise an animal. Puppies will not remain small and cute, and your cat is going to get old. An animal becomes a part of the family that takes it in, and families need to understand that they are responsible for that animal. Dogs have an average life-span of seven to nine years, and many live much longer than that. It isn't unusual for a dog to live to be fifteen or sixteen years old. Before adopting an animal, it is important to understand the commitment.

Cats are independent animals, whereas dogs are pack animals, preferring interaction with the family. Understanding the mentality of these animals is the key to knowing what sort of animal is right for you, and what to do once that animal is in the home. Both animals require large time commitments, regarding feeding, training, and enjoying a happy, healthy life with the animal. Adopting an animal, only to neglect it or leave it to fend for itself after the novelty of a new pet wears off, will only lead to behavioral and health problems.

Before taking an animal to a shelter, owners need to consider WHY they need to take the animal to a shelter. Behavioral problems are relatively easy to fix. A properly trained dog can bring lots of happiness to a home. Training an animal will solve a lot of the issues that lead to shelter visits.

If an owner cannot commit the time or money to owning their pet, they should make an attempt to find someone who can, rather than depend on a shelter to do it for them.

Many, many animals can avoid being taken to a shelter. All it takes is responsibility on the part of pet owners everywhere, which starts with the decision to get a pet in the first place. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, then chances are that you cannot afford to adequately provide for a pet.

Until pet owners start taking responsibility for their animals, shelters will be overrun, and will be faced with the decision to either euthanize animals or turn them away.

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