Too Much Euthanasia?
By Luke Janoschka
Dogs and cats are being killed at alarming rates. About ten thousand dogs and cats die each day due to shelter overcrowding. Approximately five to seven million dogs and cats are taken into shelters each year. These pets are equally either given up by their owner or found stray. Three to four million of these animals are killed each year due to overpopulation in shelters. There are a few simple things that all dog owners could do to stop the unnecessary killing of dogs and cats.
Many dogs and cats are killed unnecessarily every day due to shelter overcrowding. However, if owners did a few simple things the number of euthanized pets would drop dramatically. First, all pets should have an identification and rabies tag. If the licenses are current, it helps the shelter locate the owner if the dog is lost. Never assume that an indoor dog doesn’t need tags because many lost dogs have accidentally gotten loose. Next, owners can put a microchip under their pet’s skin so that their pet is easily identified. Lastly, make sure that you are ready for a dog or cat before you buy one because it is a big responsibility to own a pet and half of all shelter pets are abandoned.
Even though many dogs and cats are killed due to overpopulation, some are euthanized because of sickness or injury, aggressiveness, or they are suffering from a different cause. Also, two percent of cats and fifteen to twenty percent of dogs in shelters are returned to their owners. Interestingly, more cats are killed in shelters than dogs because dogs are tagged more frequently with licenses or microchips. The rates of animal euthanasia are clearly going up and most owners could reduce animal euthanasia by taking a few precautions.