One euthanized animal in a wealthy America is too much

 

In case you haven't heard, animal shelters around the U.S. are loaded beyond capacity. The public decided they can no longer keep their pets so they just dump them at the local shelter. There are hardships where this is necessary but too many use this as an act of convenience even where the family has had their animal for several years, a forever home? I've said this before but it bears repeating...would you give up your human child in similar circumstances? I think not.

There are reasons for these actions, according to The Hill...

"Animal advocates cite the decline of virtual work, a national housing shortage and the rising cost of kibble, among other factors."

Packed with pets: how you can help struggling animal shelters...

This all coincides with the coronavirus pandemic where people began an influx of adoptions. But some apparently weren't really animal lovers. As the headline indicates, "the number of cats and dogs facing possible euthanasia stands 100,000 higher this year than last." This is incredibly insane for both the animal advocates (should do a better job of spay and neutering) and a portion of the American population that considers pets "just animals," whatever that means.

The word is out and here are just some of the numbers...

New York’s municipal shelter system has seen a 25-percent increase in surrendered pets, a trend driven by rent inflation and pet-averse landlords.

An Atlanta shelter designed to hold 80 animals has been running nearly 300 dogs over capacity. Another in Montgomery County, Texas, has housed more than 400 dogs in space designed to hold 180. At an overcrowded facility in nearby Brazoria County, “we’ve started stacking crates in the bathroom.”

100,000 dogs and cats facing euthanasia as people return adopted pets to animal shelters...

 Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, said, “Nobody’s job description should have killing animals as one of the things on the list.” Yet someone has to do it...or do they? Volunteers are needed as this is certainly not a for-profit industry. Anyone who can spare any amount of your time, please contact your local shelter to let them know you are available. This would allow them to do more spay, neuter and release projects which helps to control the animal population.

On the other side, I would like to see a massive education program, funded by grants and/or animal lover donors, which details the fun and satisfaction of having a pet in your home. It should emphasize the love and affection that results and the times your animal(s) will literally lift you out of the doldrums. They will be there for you and you should be there for them. Please read this article in The Hill. You'll be glad you did and so will the animals in the shelters.

EMERGENCY! U.S. Animal Shelters Need Your Help NOW!

 

In the Phoenix area, where I live, animal shelters are loaded following financial hardships stemming from the pandemic, according to the Arizona Humane Society. There are also the cases where Christmas presents didn't work out and are returned. To begin with, giving animals as gifts is not a good idea since they are looking for a forever home and most people aren't qualified to judge their recipient. Stick to the typical holiday fare and let the professionals place the pets. 

Here's the scenario, from Kelsey Dickerson, spokesperson for the Arizona Humane Society...

Dickerson said shelters have reported negative room numbers every morning for the past weeks and have had to find ways to accommodate the increasing number of injured and abused pets that come in every day.

"In the summer months, the Arizona Humane Society especially is used to the overcapacity that we're seeing," she said. "But this is something we've had to get really creative with the fall and winter months because it is usually not as huge of a problem."

This is a problem that exists throughout the U.S., one that will only worsen as the

Covid-19 pandemic continues. The first thing to go, unfortunately, is the animal when times get tough. A quick trip to the shelter and that ends the dilemma. I have a post I publish regularly about thoughtless people who say to themselves, it's just an animal. Well, it isn't. A pet is a sensitive being that has feelings and expresses love for its owner. It should be treated like one of the family. Yes, just like your kids.

Dickerson says, "People are losing their homes, they're losing their jobs, they are having medical emergencies pop up," and most recently evictions. There are currently 85 million pet owning households in the U.S. according to the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners 2019-2020 Survey. There is no way of knowing how many of those households would take in an extra pet, but if only a portion kicked in the 6.3 million annual shelter intake could be reduced significantly

Here's the shelters' appeal..."We just need help in every possible way," according to the folks at the Arizona Humane Society. This plea no doubt applies to most every animal shelter across the U.S. PLEASE help the animals this holiday.

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