Polling for the Life of Pets

If you do not subscribe to Daily News paper, it is not likely you read the recent article titled “Poll:  Support of euthanasia for pets falls” or my response to the article, which Daily News published.  Here are both links, should you be inclined to understand what I am writing about:

The article:  http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_19684838#.Twy83UmaVId 

My response:  http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_19707579?source=rss#.Tw4cR6FpljV

From the title of the article, you can get the gist that it has to do with “euthanasia” policies in our animal shelters.  This article was based on a poll that was taken in which some people were asked whether they thought it was okay for shelters to euthanize adoptable animals as a means of controlling the population in shelters; whether they believed only non-remedial sick or aggressive animals should be put down; or whether shelters, everywhere, should strive to become “no-kill” like many have done already.

The majority of those polled would be supportive of no-kill policies and believe shelters “should only euthanize animals that are untreatable or too aggressive…”  I wonder how many of you are aware that, presently, the majority of animal shelters in Los Angeles city and county are not no-kill, and that on a daily basis, many young, healthy, adoptable pets are put down for time and space. 

I have spoken to way too many people who claim they do not have time to care for their pet, they are moving to an apartment that does not allow pets, they are expecting a baby, etc. and think that their pet is so cute and sweet that if they take it to a shelter, someone will immediately fall in love with it and adopt it.  Alternatively, they think that shelter employees and volunteers have nothing but time on their hands to exercise their dog, make sure it does not get sick, and try to find it a home where it will be treated as a family member and not just tossed in a yard.  News flash, or should I say Statistics flash – in 2011, there were 19,596 adoptions of dogs and cats and 23,012 dogs and cats (including unweaned) were “euthanized.”  http://www.laanimalservices.com/PDF/reports/CatNDogIntakeNOutcomes.pdf

It is time that everyone, whether you love animals or not, face the facts that innocent, loyal, loving pets are losing their lives because irresponsible people treat them as disposable items, breed them for income and then abandon them when they get old, or they do not devote any time to try to find a loving home for them. 

This is not a poll, but if you read the Daily News article, my response to it, and if you find the number of animals euthanized in our shelters to be incomprehensible, please comment and share your life-saving ideas. 

"Saving one pet won’t change the world, but surely, the world will change for that one pet."  [Author unknown]