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[LegendofJoe]

My wife is a Vet who works in a clinic attached to a shelter and the issues discussed in this thread are what she deals with everyday. She does surgery 7 hours a day to spay, neuter, and care for animals. They only service people with a family income of $40k and below, but that's the population of people who most need their services. She has probably spayed/neutered at least 5,000 animals in the last 4 years, but she is fighting a losing battle against commercial breeders. That is where the battle needs to be taken - to the courts to force regulation on pet breeders. The problem will never get better until that happens.

 

[Opiate]

Or the US population can invest money in neutering (is that right work? So they become infertile) cats and dogs (strays, most importantly), which will solve overpopulation without actually having to face a recurring slaughter "just because".

That is the right word! And we do invest in spaying and neutering, but unsurprisingly that doesn't solve all problems. Stray cats aren't always caught, some of those that aren't caught will have babies. We have lower cat/dog population problems than does most of Europe, in my experience, as a direct result of this spaying and neutering. But it's not perfect and sometimes there are simply too many.

There are many types of issues where the shortsighted human decisons do not solve problems, just push them back, killing animals in animal shelters are amongst them. Short term "solutions", or let us call it what they are: short term massacres over and over again.

I definitely agree we need long term solutions as well. We have some of those, including the precise one you named. However, we also need short term solutions: neutering the dogs to prevent puppies tomorrow does not solve the problem that we already have too many dogs today.

 

[bender]

I should not have clicked on this thread. I'm going to go hug my rottie.

edit: typo

 

[NullPointer]

I should have clicked on this thread. I'm going to go hug my rottie.

No shit. My cat's getting some extra attention and play-time when I get home.

Fucking hell at that image, and fucking hell at the thought of hearing all of those lonely cries.

 

[V_Arnold]

That is the right word! And we do invest in spaying and neutering, but unsurprisingly that doesn't solve all problems. Stray cats aren't always caught, some of those that aren't caught will have babies. We have lower cat/dog population problems than does most of Europe, in my experience, as a direct result of this spaying and neutering. But it's not perfect and sometimes there are simply too many.

Fair enough, I guess. It is still incredibly sad, to say the least.

 

[jadedm17]

So whats the solution?


I really do feel bad for people that have to deal with this day in and day out, but not everyone that has to surrender a pet does so because they are simply tired of it.

I think the point is its mostly unavoidable, like parents giving dogs as Christmas presents.

My friend recently moved - from an apartment to another apartment - and decided to get rid of her small, untrained dog, justifying to herself that she'd probably be adopted. This ignorance, this is what can be avoided.

 

[Vane_MagicCity]

In this case? Release it or find it a new home.

Or be a man and kill it yourself, instead of letting shelter do it just so you can have a false sense of morality.

Really?

 

[LegendofJoe]

No shit. My cat's getting some extra attention and play-time when I get home.

Fucking hell at that image, and fucking hell at the thought of hearing all of those lonely cries.

At animal shelters with poor access to resources it can be really bad. My wife became an alcoholic within 6 months of starting her first job at an animal shelter fresh out of school.

 

[geebee]

Fuck people that pay money for "purebreeds" or any other dog and fuck people that hate certain breeds. A small breed dog will love you just as much as a large breed. Go to the shelter before you start looking for damn dogs that cost hundreds of dollars from a breeder.

Went looking for a dog for a relative over the weekend and was sad to see a line of people waiting to turn their pets in to an already overcrowded shelter.

 

[Iph]

This is why I offer my home as a foster home for animals whenever I am able to. Wish I lived on a farm/in the country. I'd have a pack of dogs to protect the farm animals and enough cats to eradicate any mice/rat pests.

I love animals. The fact that this is a human created problem caused entirely by ignorance is particularly heartbreaking.

 

[The Driver]

It's not really surprising the masses of people that view pets as toys or status symbols. It's pretty irritating.

That being said, it's a complex issue that doesn't have a quick solution. For now this is better than other places that don't have shelters that kill, but instead having roving packs of animals that people will kill for fun since they are so numerous.

My girlfriend's family openly admits to shooting at packs of dogs in El Salvador when they were bored. Her father is a great owner of the husky and chihuahua they have now though.

 

[Iph]

It's not really surprising the masses of people that view pets as toys or status symbols. It's pretty irritating.

That being said, it's a complex issue that doesn't have a quick solution. For now this is better than other places that don't have shelters that kill, but instead having roving packs of animals that people will kill for fun since they are so numerous.

My girlfriend's family openly admits to shooting at packs of dogs in El Salvador when they were bored. Her father is a great owner of the husky and chihuahua they have now though.

Sad but true. There have been instances of stray/unwanted animal torture/mutilation in some of the more remote areas where I live. It's awful- some people do it for fun or sport.

I find I'm more likely to get along with someone's dog than them lol. I don't know what's wrong with the people who treat an animal this way.

 

[akira28]

well...this is what animal control is. I knew a lady who used to work at a local shelter. She ended up taking so many animals home so they wouldn't die, that she had her own mini-shelter. They tried running her off but she was a volunteer, and helpful, so they couldn't totally get rid of her. We got a couple pets from her, ourselves.

 

[Messofanego]

I've never liked the idea of having pets that big and this is just more fuel to not like pet owners who can't stay to the very end. Such a huge responsibility and harder compared to a child because they can't communicate in your language.

Is there a statistic to the average amount of years that a dog/cat stays with an owner/family before its dropped off?

 

[Jenov]

Is that picture really from a US shelter? Seems like a huge health hazard to just have dead animals rotting in numerous barrels. Incineration was, I thought, the preferred method. Anyways, for some reason the picture doesn't bother me so much. I already knew that thousands of dogs and cats were put down daily. There are just too many of them, and people need to stop recklessly breeding them.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Sadly it seems pretty ingrained in culture to treat companion animals as toys, trinkets, objects, and gifts. People in general are thoughtless enough as it is - look at how many people are dumb and uncomprehending when it comes to having and raising human children. Non-human animals? They've got no chance.

People shouldn't get a pet because they want a distraction, they think it would be fun (just for fun alone, mind you), etc. They should get one because they want and need actual companionship. If the companion animal is not a member of the family, you should not have it because it is eventually going to suffer from your mentality.

 

[Aiustis]

Terrible but there are too many animals, not enough people. I like the idea of people paying a fee and being licensed to have a cat or a dog and a mandatory microchipping, spaying or neutering unless said person is going to be a breeder.

 

[Damian.]

As bad as this is, overpopulation of cats and dogs would be far worse for us as a whole. This is a necessary evil, and should be monitored closely to make sure that the animals are put down in the most humane way possible. This doesn't need to be turned into something truly sick like reptiles living in keychains or other seriously fucked up shit, but the OP pic will persuade this line of thinking due to pure emotion.

 

[nateeasy]

Cats are smelly dirty animals

 

[Iph]

Cats are smelly dirty animals

That's only because people tend to keep them inside, therefore their "sandbox" too. Cats are probably cleaner than dogs and they groom quite constantly and don't want to roll around in mud puddles, other dogs poop, etc. Dogs can just poop outside so it's easier to disassociate a constant smell of poop/urine from them.

 

[Einbroch]

Fuck people that pay money for "purebreeds" or any other dog and fuck people that hate certain breeds. A small breed dog will love you just as much as a large breed. Go to the shelter before you start looking for damn dogs that cost hundreds of dollars from a breeder.

Went looking for a dog for a relative over the weekend and was sad to see a line of people waiting to turn their pets in to an already overcrowded shelter.

What a horrible thing to say. Fuck people because they like the way a pet looks or acts?

Sometimes people need small breeds for apartment reasons. Sometimes people are allergic to long haired dogs. Sometimes people were raised in a home with X breed, and they feel comfortable with it. Sometimes people have phobias of certain breeds or sizes. Sometimes people want a small dog because they have/may have a baby in the future and want to feel safe.

It's their money, their time, their love. Let them decide how they want to use it. It's not anyone's obligation to use a shelter. How dare you say "fuck you" to those people.

Also, we did look into the shelters, twice. I posted on the previous page as to why we couldn't go with adoption. Fuck us, I guess.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

So? Just keep them in shelters indefinitely or sterilize then and then release them. I mean Jesus fuck, countries that are dirty poor compared to USA don't have shelters like those. American shelters aren't shelters, just death farms.

And allow them to go hungry and prone to diseases and thus be potential spreaders of diseases?

 

[GreatMightySymp]

Cats are smelly dirty animals

Eh, most dogs I've been around have that musty smell and are dirty most of the time. My cats tend to clean themselves a lot more than I've seen my neighbor's dogs do.

 

[.GqueB.]

Do research, do your homework, and know exactly what you are getting into before getting a pet.

The most important sentence of that entire post. This is why I'll never own a dog. I know I wouldn't be a great pet owner once the problems start setting in. And I know they will. I just wouldn't prioritize it's health.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

You're producing a quantity of animals that you have no guarantee of going to a warm home, and in the event that no one want your pups/kittens - they might be put down, for no other reason than you overestimating demand.

Animals shouldn't be treated as products, it just strikes me as morally wrong to view them as part of a system of demand/supply. They are living beings, with fears and dreams just
like us.

Militant-Vegan rant over.

 

[terrene]

Guilting average people who couldn't make it work is not the answer. TThe answer is tighter regulations for commercial breeders. Namely: limiting their output the way you limit kills during hunting season, requiring a license to operate, and requiring a confirmed spay/neuter appointment is kept by the owner to keep their pet license valid.

People have to surrender pets for all kinds of reasons that are none of this person's business.

 

[The Tofunator]

Terrible but there are too many animals, not enough people. I like the idea of people paying a fee and being licensed to have a cat or a dog and a mandatory microchipping, spaying or neutering unless said person is going to be a breeder.

Breeders are exactly the problem. There needs to be regulation of their output, and their actions. (Breeding animals are pretty much sexually assaulted to ensure they make enough puppies/kittens/whatever to meet demand. Its absolutely sickening, and should be illegal.)

 

[xxracerxx]

You know if you put a pet down, a lot of vets will offer at home euthanasia. My mom did this for our cats and dog when I was younger and it was nice to be able to sit with them in their spot and pet and comfort them. *tear*

I will probably do this is my cat ever has to be put down for health reasons.

Edit: Also more pertaining to the topic at hand...fuck yes for No Kill Shelters. I regularly go to the Humane Society here in Portland and their are animals I recognize from a year ago. As sad as that is that no one is adopting older pets, it is good to know they are cared for.

 

[Aiustis]

You're producing a quantity of animals that you have no guarantee of going to a warm home, and in the event that no one want your pups/kittens - they might be put down, for no other reason than you overestimating demand.

Animals shouldn't be treated as products, it just strikes me as morally wrong to view them as part of a system of demand/supply. They are living beings, with fears and dreams just
like us.

Militant-Vegan rant over.

I know a few breeders, both friends and people I looked to when I was considering a dog. None of them do more than one litter a year and they keep and train the puppies that don't get purchased and have them available continually for purchase as they get older. Some people, like me, preferred an older dog of a specific breed.

 

[NekoFever]

Why do people say "spay and neuter"? Spaying is neutering.

Spaying is neutering a female; castrating is neutering a male.

 

[Camp Lo]

I must be heartless because that picture did absolutely nothing to me.

 

[Iph]

Why do people say "spay and neuter"? Spaying is neutering.

Spaying is neutering a female; castrating is neutering a male.

Probably because the word castrating makes some people uncomfortable. My phone's spell checker won't even admit it's a word!

 

[Vyer]

What sucks is that you can have bad experiences with shelters that put you off of rescuing. We had that happen, when we tried to rescue a dog from one of the big shelters in Houston, only to find out it was sick and only lasted two weeks despite our best efforts. I was pissed and our family was pretty heartbroken.

What made it worse is the little guy was do scared of everything when we brought him home that we really had to work with him when we got him. We were happy when after a few days he finally got to the point that he was running in our backyard with our other dog, barking at the neighbor's dogs, tail wagging and actually acting like a normal dog.

His health went quickly downhill the next day.

I felt like I couldn't trust a shelter again after that. About a month later my dad calls me and tells me there's a puppy cringing outside in the street that he brought in. He spent a few days trying to find an owner but had no luck and was wondering if we wanted her. We were kind of reeling from the last experience but went anyway.

My wife fell in love with the little dog almost immediately of course. She's been in our home in the 3 years since. So I feel we at least we're able to keep a dog out of a shelter, even if our other rescue attempt didn't work out.

 

[DaveTheSnake]

Tonight, I'm going to go home and hug both of my dogs.

When my wife and I adopted our two dogs (from a local animal shelter, about 2 years ago), Duffy (a white American Eskimo) was there for a day, and Mr. Bill (a golden colored terrier mix) was there for almost 6 months. His adoption fee was discounted almost 50%. He looked so depressed when my wife saw him in the kennel run. When my wife took him on a walk around the facility, he was so happy, and she wanted to keep him. So she sent me in to pick another dog, and I came across Duffy. Best decision of our lives. They are my best buddies.

 

[Violet_0]

do European animal shelters generally euthanize pets?

 

[richiek]

For me, the written description of what goes on in animal shelters is a million times worse than the actual picture.

 

[Machine]

A friend's sister runs a small puppy mill. He has described how she keeps all the breeding dogs in cages in a cold drafty garage and they aren't given many opportunities to run around outside their cages. She sells the pups for hundreds apiece. Makes me sick that so many people will spend money like that on dogs when there are plenty of shelter pets in need of a loving home.

My local shelter just had a sudden influx of over 60 cats from a hoarding situation. They are a no kill shelter and they were desperate to make room so they waived the adoption fee on adult cats and reduced the adoption fee for kittens. Luckily the community responded and over a hundred cats were adopted that weekend. In some other communities, there just would have been more cats to euthanize that week.

 

[Frankenstein]

do European animal shelters generally euthanize pets?

Depends on the country. Eastern/Southern Europe is treating animals way worse than the North.

 

[geebee]

What a horrible thing to say. Fuck people because they like the way a pet looks or acts?

Sometimes people need small breeds for apartment reasons. Sometimes people are allergic to long haired dogs. Sometimes people were raised in a home with X breed, and they feel comfortable with it. Sometimes people have phobias of certain breeds or sizes. Sometimes people want a small dog because they have/may have a baby in the future and want to feel safe.

It's their money, their time, their love. Let them decide how they want to use it. It's not anyone's obligation to use a shelter. How dare you say "fuck you" to those people.

Also, we did look into the shelters, twice. I posted on the previous page as to why we couldn't go with adoption. Fuck us, I guess.

Your previous post about adoption not always being an option and then continuing with your example is bullshit, so my point still stands.

 

[THRILLH0]

So whats the solution?

I feel bad for the person who has to work in this every day, but regardless, there ARE circumstances where its unavoidable and you have to take the animal to the shelter.

Divorce happens...people move from houses into apartments. Not all apartments allow pets, and the ones that do, typically don't allow large breed dogs like German Shepherds, or Rottweilers.

Owners die and no one can take the pet thats left behind. I adopted a beagle from a shelter whose owner died and no one in the surviving family could take the dog.

Some animals can develop problems that can't be fixed through medicine or other care and they can no longer be compatible with humans. Aggression, incontinence, destructive behavior. I had a cat for 7 years that one day stopped using the litter box and started pissing all over the house. Despite almost a thousand dollars in vet bills, and a year of trying different solutions, the cat would not stop pissing all over the house. And after a year of it, and not being able to live another day walking into my home right into the stench of cat piss, I had to get rid of the cat. I couldn't pawn this problem off on someone else, so I had to take it to a shelter. Broke my heart but had to be done. Also had to replace $3000 worth of carpet padding and subfloor just to eliminate the smell.

I really do feel bad for people that have to deal with this day in and day out, but not everyone that has to surrender a pet does so because they are simply tired of it.

what would you do if your child started peeing all over the floor?

 

[Box of Kittens]

I won't be adopting. Why? Cause I'd be turned down already. I have no pet owner experience. Also, I don't have a Vet for references. I also am not cool with someone having to come to my house and inspect it to make sure it fits their ideals of what a home should be for a dog. It's also none of their business what my income level is or how much I work.

If all you bleeding hearts want animals in shelters to get homes then allow people to adopt them without having to all NSA on them. Otherwise, live with the shithole that is most animal shelters.

I'll just go get a fucking puppy, thanks.

It's not THAT hard to get approved for adoption. My wife and I had no pet owner experience and were still allowed to adopt a cat from a local rescue. I hardly think it's unreasonable that they would want to avoid adopting out live animals to unsuitable owners (hoarders, people who view pets as disposable and are unprepared for the responsibility, etc.)

But by all means support the horrible puppy mill industry to avoid being mildly inconvenienced.

 

[shira]

Never going to look at an oil drum the same again

 

[oni_saru]

This is so sad.

No-kill shelters are great. Just that they are very limited and work primarily on fostering which sucks if you can't foster the cat/dog.

I think there should be a moratorium on breeding. Until there is a very low number of dogs or cats at a shelter, then they can start breeding again and let there be limits. That shit needs to be regulated more often.

 

[bill0527]

what would you do if your child started peeing all over the floor?

Sorry, I refuse to engage or debate anyone who comes up with nonsense like this.

 

[ABC]

do European animal shelters generally euthanize pets?

Depents on the Country. I am a volunteer at a shelter in Germany and euthanizing Animals is illegal here (unless a Vet deems it necessary of course).

 

[pj]

From the OP: "About 25% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into a shelter are purebred dogs."

If that place isn't an anomaly, then it seems pretty obvious that commercial breeders are not the problem. 25% of shelter dogs are purebred, meaning 75% are mutts.

Guilting average people who couldn't make it work is not the answer. TThe answer is tighter regulations for commercial breeders. Namely: limiting their output the way you limit kills during hunting season, requiring a license to operate, and requiring a confirmed spay/neuter appointment is kept by the owner to keep their pet license valid.

People have to surrender pets for all kinds of reasons that are none of this person's business.

There wouldn't be commercial breeders if there weren't people willing to buy the animals. Making puppies and kittens is so easy that it would be impossible to really regulate. Educating people on the time, cost, and effort involved in owning an animal seems far more likely to work, even when you take into account how dumb people generally are.

If some group started showing commercials with cute puppies and kittens and overlaid the lifetime cost of ownership, I bet more than a few people would think twice about getting an animal.

"Look at this cute fuckin puppy. This guy will live about 14 years and cost you nearly $20,000"

A friend's sister runs a small puppy mill. He has described how she keeps all the breeding dogs in cages in a cold drafty garage and they aren't given many opportunities to run around outside their cages. She sells the pups for hundreds apiece. Makes me sick that so many people will spend money like that on dogs when there are plenty of shelter pets in need of a loving home.

My local shelter just had a sudden influx of over 60 cats from a hoarding situation. They are a no kill shelter and they were desperate to make room so they waived the adoption fee on adult cats and reduced the adoption fee for kittens. Luckily the community responded and over a hundred cats were adopted that weekend. In some other communities, there just would have been more cats to euthanize that week.

How heartwarming. They lowered the standards for adoption and appealed to people's emotional side to clear out some inventory. Certainly none of those people will be the type who get rid of those animals in a year or two because they are inconvenient.

 

[Machine]

How heartwarming. They lowered the standards for adoption and appealed to people's emotional side to clear out some inventory. Certainly none of those people will be the type who get rid of those animals in a year or two because they are inconvenient.

One of the worst parts of living in a college town is seeing kids come in their freshman year and adopt a pet and then surrender it for adoption in four years when they graduate. It's sort of ironic that they treat house pets so callously and then turn around and argue about the evils of factory farming.

 

[Iph]

One of the worst parts of living in a college town is seeing kids come in their freshman year and adopt a pet and then surrender it for adoption in four years when they graduate. It's sort of ironic that they treat house pets so callously and then turn around and argue about the evils of factory farming.

College/university students can be really bad for doing that where I'm from. The winters here usually kill anything that doesn't find a barn/shelter. One of the foster cats I had was losing half it's tail, had the outer layer of skin on it's foot pads fall off and the tips of it's ears were gone because it was found in a ditch in -20 degree weather. She was cross-eyed and had a stunted build/growth. One of the chillest/funniest cats ever.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

One of the worst parts of living in a college town is seeing kids come in their freshman year and adopt a pet and then surrender it for adoption in four years when they graduate. It's sort of ironic that they treat house pets so callously and then turn around and argue about the evils of factory farming.

How do people do this? I can't imagine if I had my dog at school and after four years of graduating was all like "well, so long, buddy, good luck"

 

[Jack_AG]

I can't stand this shit. I can't. I was a sobbing little maggot when my boy Cujo died (http://cujosipich.blogspot.com/). He was amazing. People that do this shit to animals can go straight to hell and the post is right - it's always some bullshit lame excuse. Fuck you assholes for getting bored of your animals. Perhaps if you made them a part of your lives you'd see they have a lot more to offer than what meets the eye.