Pet Overpopulation Epidemic Essay

The myth of pet overpopulation is a huge campaign that’s considered truth nationwide. The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) explains this myth and why it’s used. Activists use the myth to put all blame of animal shelter death on breeders. Radical groups perpetuate this myth by making breeding restrictions. This myth is the biggest cause of euthanizing healthy, adoptable animals. Per year, about 3.1 million dogs are adopted while 2.1 million are euthanized. However, this number for euthanized dogs is not broken down by reasoning for euthanization. Overpopulation propagandists often claims this number reaches over 6 million each year. While shelters heavily euthanize adoptable dogs and breeders increasingly use puppy mills, each area across

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

Animals that enter shelters are either lost pets that don’t have ID tags or microchips or stray and feral animals who have never known the love of a human.

Puppy mills, irresponsible pet owners, and backyard breeder, not shelters, are to blame for rates of euthanasia in our communities. Irresponsible pet owners choose to not spay their pets because they think it is too expensive, or they may want to breed their pet. Eventually, puppies that were a product of irresponsible owners in the community will end up at the local animal shelter. They will take shelters spots that were occupied by an adult dog now putting them up for death. Communities are killing companion animals, not the shelters they are blaming. Puppy mills are able to produce ridiculous amounts of puppies because the demand from the community is high for purebred puppies. Puppy mills are in the business of breeding for monetary

Another important part of the problem are the businesses that contribute to the population of pets, the dog breeders, sometimes called puppy mills. The Oxford Dictionaries defines a puppy mill as “an establishment that breeds puppies for sale, typically on an intensive basis and in conditions regarded as inhumane” (“Puppy Mill,” 2015). The Friends of Animals (2013) Web site, gives some definitions of what a puppy mill is from an animal lover’s point of view. The housing for dogs is small pens and in which they may never have the chance to touch the grass in their lifetime. Veterinary care for the breeding dogs is a minimum to increase the profit from the sale of the puppies. Most of the puppy mills are located in central states, where Adams (1991) explains that the large factory chicken farms have taken over the local farmer’s cash crop of chickens resulting in the farmer breeding dogs for their cash

Another simple solution to help the ongoing pet overpopulation is education. Being aware of where your pet actually came from is the first step. Do not be afraid to ask questions about your pet's background. Know the breeder's history and reputation. Are they local or out of state? Towell states that “Each year, millions of lost and unwanted dogs and cats end up at animal shelters across the U.S. Half of those animals must be euthanized because of simple math: There are too many animals and not enough good homes”. (Lisa Towell). Simply by adoption from a shelter rather than a breeder can help this problem. Animal shelters are overcrowded leading to euthanasia “Overcrowding may lead to single housing of animals to minimize animal contact

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

According to PETA in North Carolina alone in a year, “Over 250,000 animals are euthanized because there is no one willing to adopt them and care for them.” Also, in San Antonio, Texas, “The bodies of nearly 16,000 dogs and nearly 12,000 cats were scraped off the streets and properties in just one year.” The government needs to open up a better place for homeless dogs to live. When they are not adopted, instead of kill shelters or the streets, they won’t be in cages all the time. It is important that the state government funds larger and outdoor shelters where dogs can run and live until they are adopted.

These dogs and cats can be saved if more families adopted rather than shopped from their local pet store or breeder.

Most animals that go to shelters have been abandoned for a while. This leaves the pets ungroomed and with parasites and bugs. If they got cleaned up they would look and feel better and then be more likely to get adopted. Best Friends Animal Society spays and neuters the animals that come into their shelter and they promote other shelters to do the same. According to CNN news writer, Christopher Dawson, there are many ways to make an impact on homeless pets. Some ways to increase the chance of adoption are fostering pets, volunteering, and sharing to social media. When a person fosters an animal, it gives that animal experience of living in a house for the first time or again. This leaves a spot open to the shelters and they can help another

Specialized adoption programs help decrease the number of animals in shelters, thus reducing the number euthanized. At a shelter in Louisiana, the employees began an adoption program designed to increase dog adoptions. The dogs chosen for the program were given to foster homes, which were tasked with marketing and finding permanent homes for the dogs. The program decreased the number of dogs staying in the shelter, which in turn reduced the euthanasia rate. Using a program such as this in all communities would reduce the “staff time, daily care costs, and shelter housing” needed (Mohan-Gibbons 2). If implementing a similar program at every shelter or

Do you own a pet? Do you know anyone that has a pet? Chances are, you do. According to the ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 37-47% of people in America own dogs, and 30-37% own a cat. Most of us could agree we would do anything for them! Because, even when we don’t show them compassion, they will provide unconditional love. So there is no reason for us to shove them too the side. But when people do, they will likely end up in a shelter. This meaning, six, seven, even eight million dogs are waiting

There are many problems with abandoning an animal, in some states it is even a crime. Some abandoned animals get sent to testing facilities, to which they will be scarred even further. Animals of all species can be subject to abuse and abandonment, and over 6,000,000 animals are abandoned each year in the United States of America (Aldf). Another problem with abandoning an animal is that it can become feral, to which a person or child could walk by and get attacked. Any time a person goes to a shelter and sees a dog or even a kitten, and thinks, “I wish I could”, they need to think financially, and then they need to think about the animals needs. If a person knows that they cannot take care of a pet but have enough to help, they should. However, if people see a commercial for animal abandonment, they are more likely to call and make a donation rather than going to the local shelter to make a donation.

“Each year, 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States” (“Top Reasons”). Most of these animals were euthanized due to overcrowding in municipal shelters where financial and human resources could not support them. When deciding whether to buy a pet from a breeder or rescue one from a shelter is an important decision that requires research on both options and evaluating the positives and negatives of each. People should rescue a pet from a shelter rather than buy one from a breeder or puppy mill, because animals get euthanized in shelters everyday, and when a person rescues a pet from a shelter they are saving the lives of two animals, and breeders often put their animals at risk.

As contemporary America continues to evolve the greatest threats to the lives of cats and dogs no longer comes from infectious disease or predators, but from the threat of being unowned or abandoned. Each year millions of animals are relinquished to or rescued by shelters and each year millions of healthy and potentially adoptable pets are euthanized for no reason other than lack of a home. Animal euthanasia is an issue with very widespread reach, as approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized in the U.S each year. The largest numbers of these euthanizations take place in animal shelters, they are motivated by a variety of factors including aggressive behavior, fatal illness or injury, and shelter overpopulation. However, a vast majority of these are unacceptable as reasons due to amount of preventative measures that can be taken to drastically decrease the rate of animals euthanized each year. While most shelters share the common goals of trying to reunite owners with lost pets, find homes for unowned animals, and providing shelter and care for a vulnerable population it would seem that more and more are instead playing executioner. Overpopulation of the companion animals in shelters is a result of human establishment, and euthanasia rates reaching this high of a number should be society's