Last week the Prescott Humane Society held a poodle dress fundraiser. There was fun, games, t-shirts, promotional pens or promotional pen for anyone who was willing to donate. The fundraiser has been held annually for a few years. The members of the society use the fundraiser to raise awareness about animal cruelty, responsible pet ownership, and to raise funds for shelters.
Most people love animals, especially cats and dogs. We call them our best friends, spending billions and billions on food and other supplies for them as a nation every year. But every year in the United States millions of cats and dogs become strays or wind up in shelters. Pet Overpopulation is everywhere. There arenot enough pet shelters, only about 5000 pet shelters in the whole of the U.S. Although shelters are able to take in 7 million cats and dogs every year, only half of these will find good homes from the shelter. The rest are euthanizedbecause pet shelters cant accommodate them.
to prevent further overpopulation, we must take drastic measures to protect them from what they cannot protect themselves against: themselves. It is up to us to institute sterilization programs so that we can control the population. Cats and dogs reproduce much faster than humans. Cats can have as many as 3 litters a year of 4-6 kittens and dogs can give birth twice a year and have 6-10 puppies. In six to seven years a cat or a dog and their babies may give birth to a hundred more. Sterilization has already worked well in many ares.
There are many complex parts that need to be taken into consideration when implementing such a plan. The community needs to get involved, local veterinarians, educational session and campaigns, and subsidized clinics. Laws can be passed to ensure that animals are sterilized , or increasing the cost of a license for an animal that is not spayed or neutered.
There are great consequences if action is not taken. There are too many animals for the amount of people who have taken them in. Some animal shelters have become warehouses for animals. This widespread cruelty to animals encourages and permits cruelty everywhere. Extra animals means extra problems. About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year, many of them strays. Overpopulation results in dangerous dogs. Instead of trying to deal with the consequences of overpopulation, we need to eliminate the problem from its roots. Spay or neuter your pets.