A follower over on my Facebook page recently took it upon himself to tell me that there is no such thing as a pet overpopulation problem in the United States. In fact, he said, “…lazy kill shelters would love you to believe that – it gives them the cover they need to kill...”
Huh?
I can only assume this man has never seen the inside of an animal shelter, if he truly believes pet overpopulation doesn’t exist. I volunteer at what’s called a low-kill shelter. That means my shelter doesn’t euthanize for time or space. They euthanize only in the case of very ill or injured animals, or animals with behavior issues that cannot be corrected, thus making the pet “unadoptable”.
In other words, it’s not uncommon at my shelter to find healthy, well adjusted dogs and cats that have been there for months, maybe even years. Why? Because there simply are not enough homes for all of them.
There are more homeless pets in shelters than there are people who want to adopt them.
If that’s not overpopulation, I don’t know what is.
But when you choose not to spay or neuter your pet, and you allow that pet to produce another litter, you’re adding to a problem that’s already out of control. Did you know that one unaltered dog can result in 67,000 more dogs over a 6 year period.
You impact more than you realize when you decide to purchase a puppy or kitten from a pet store or backyard breeder. You can pay hundreds of dollars for a young animal with the hope of molding it into the dog you want it to be when in fact, there may be an adult dog that is already the kind of dog you want, waiting in your local shelter.
Anyone who’s ever worked in an animal shelter can tell you, pet overpopulation is real. It’s not a yarn spun by kill shelters that want to justify their killing practices. If that were the case, no-kill and low-kill shelters would have empty kennels, and every home would be guarded by a dog and ruled by a cat.
Sasha Brokov says
October 2, 2012 at 1:39 pmPerhaps the issue is simply that people do not want adult animals. You mention adult pit bulls. Having the reputation that they do, who would want an adult with an unknown past? Why take the chance? I think the issue may be that there are a certain number of irresponsible owners who give up and abandon their pets.
My cat has had two litters of kittens and we could barely keep the kittens long enough to say goodbye to them. We have had people offer money for them (they are always free, no exceptions), one person wanted to take a train all the way from Boston (over an hour ride) to get one of our kittens. We had one person so desperate that they contacted us BEFORE we put the add out. They had heard from a mutual acquaintance that we had kittens. The competition for kittens is that intense. If there is an over population problem, it must be in another region of the country.
Lisa says
June 25, 2013 at 6:47 pmI got my last dog from a high kill shelter (the other two were also shelter dogs). He was said to be a 3 year old pit bull. However, we later figured out he was closer to 1 year in age. As a family we went to the shelter and looked up and down and played with so many dogs. We were very specific that we wanted an adult, and it didn’t have to be a pit, but we preferred them. The shelter staff actually tried to talk me out of an adult pit! They tried to tell me that a lab was probably better suited to my needs. Or that if I really wanted a pit I should look at the puppies that had just come in. I was really shocked and surprised. I’m sure the staff had the best intentions, but it made me wonder how the interact with people who aren’t pit bull fans.
rose-marie paradis says
December 4, 2012 at 11:12 pmno it’s because those people you are talking about want kittens and not adults, and they think there is none in shelters
Sorcha says
December 5, 2012 at 11:24 amWow Sasha, way to contribute to the problem. TWICE even.
Christina Berry says
December 30, 2012 at 2:27 amI don’t believe it’s an issue of people not wanting adult animals. Puppies and kittens die everyday in shelters, as well as adult animals. It’s a simple fact that there are more animals than there are homes for them, regardless of age.
Regarding adult pit bulls, I don’t buy into the notion that a dog’s past has to determine its future. You can take a dog from the worst situation – take the Vick dogs, for example – and turn them into loving family pets with proper love and training.
If people are afraid of adopting adult pit bulls because of their unknown past, those people should educate themselves and understand that just as with human beings, dogs must be judged individually, and lumping them all into one category is not only ignorant and unwise, but most certainly discriminatory.
There is a problem with pet overpopulation throughout this country – it isn’t confined to a specific region. Each year, our shelter system euthanizes 3-4 million dogs and cats because there are more animals than there are homes for them. If that’s not overpopulation, I don’t know what is.
Christina Berry says
December 30, 2012 at 2:29 amI agree, every litter only adds to the problem. I personally believe there is no acceptable reason to allow your pet to produce even a single litter. As long as animals are dying in shelters, it’s irresponsible and selfish to bring more into the world.
Christina Berry says
December 30, 2012 at 2:32 amYou know, I hope people aren’t that stupid, to think there are no puppies and kittens in shelters.
Personally, what I believe is that people don’t want to pay the fees associated with adopting from a reputable shelter. They’d rather go the free route by getting a pet from an individual.
What’s scary about giving away a pet for free is that not everyone is what they claim to be, and how do you know you’re not giving your sweet and innocent little kittens to someone who’s going to use them as bait for dog fighting, or for animal testing in a lab somewhere, or worse yet, simply to torture them for fun? If someone is serious about getting a pet, they should be willing (and able) to pay for it.