Reading reports of euthanasia at dog shelters can be suffocating. Why would anyone let those cute, lovely eyes go?
If the high-kill shelters are proud euthanasia advocates, how about low-kill homes? Eventually, the latter will run out of space. What then happens when a disease breaks out?
The outcomes are suffocating still!
Well, the outlook is looking better than it used to. According to ASPA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty) statistics, dog euthanasia had reduced since 2011. Currently, the numbers per year are a little below 700,000.
But such figures can be better. If there are things you could do to help, would you? Yes?
Check this out then:
3 Things You Can Do To Lower Euthanasia Across Dog Shelters
These tips will address the three primary sources of animal entry into shelters as seen on ASPA. These include:
- Stray dogs
- Surrendered dogs
- Puppy mills and dog pits
Let’s go into the details.
Look After Your Dog
When you fail to care for your dogs, they tend to stray. If other neighbors are like that, then the population increases.
Now imagine that you all didn’t spay or neuter such pets! The dogs would then multiply at their peril because the population faces imminent euthanasia.
But that’s not only all. You’ve financed the feeding, fixes, and vaccination of your pets since their puppy stage. In other words, you’d accrue losses as well.
But what if you care and tend your dog and yet it strays? Indeed, such incidents happen. To prevent that, you can use tracking devices.
Have you heard of RFID tags? No?
These are identification labels that use radio frequencies. With this technology, you can track your dogs on your GPS devices.
Also, with tags as RFID, shelters can return your stray dogs to you.
Don’t Adopt More Than Your Can
Indeed, you love dogs and would like to adopt as many as possible. But, can you care for these canines? Do you even have the financial capability?
Once you can no longer finance your dog, you then send it to a shelter. Unfortunately, even the homes have full stocks they are hoping to distribute.
Now, if they accept your surrendered dog, it means an unadopted dog suffers. What if the home rejects?
Then, the pet faces the same euthanasia.
In essence, you can avoid all that headache and guilt-tripping by only adopting what you have the money and time to attend.
Report Puppy Mills and Dog Pits
Puppy Mills does not care who adopts a dog or not. Unlike you that love dogs, these mills only care about money.
So to help reduce their influences on dog euthanasia, report any of these mills to local and state agencies.
Another set to report is the organizers of dog fights. These dogs often end up in shelters traumatized. And who will adopt such?
For that reason, dogs from pits often end up discarded.
Any way you could help is sensitization. You don’t have to go on-air. You can use your stories on social media to enlighten dog owners on the right things to do.
In the end, if dogs are happy, it is all to benefit the planet as a whole. A happy dog makes a lovely home, and the latter yields a better world.