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The Overpopulation Of The Ohio Valley

Decent Essays

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 director of this animal shelter, Kelly Goedel, says that the cause of animal homelessness is primarily the lack of spaying and neutering along with the lack of commitment that pet owners have to their companion (Goedel). Spaying and neutering is sometimes avoided by pet owners because it is an extra expense or they may feel as if it is unnecessary. This challenge leads to an excess in animal populations without there necessarily being and increase in homes for these animals. The challenge of overcoming pet overpopulation becomes even more difficult because of a lack of funding. According to the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, only about 20 percent of their funding comes from local government (Goedel). Therefore, they are very reliant on donors and community funds to help finance their organization. The funding issue circles back to complicate the process of getting homeless pets spayed and neutered to attempt to solve the root cause of animal overpopulation.

The basis of our project was to raise funds and awareness for the HSOV. We wanted to reach out to as many people as we could so we can spread the issue of the shelters.

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