Posted on 12/31/2015 8:05:13 AM PST by Tarasaramozart
If Everyone Read This, The Shelters Would Be Empty For anyone who has ever dropped off a pet at a local shelter, it's mostly a passing hell.
There's some paperwork. Probably some tears. Occasionally, people from a local animal welfare group will camp out front, hoping to change your mind.
No shelter, of course, can refuse an animal. But they can euthanize them — and often do, in a matter of days. Those days can be some of the most stressful, confusing and sad days of a dog's life. Do people who drop their pets off at high-intake shelters really know what they are doing? If they knew just what happens to dogs after their owners walk out the door, shelters might be a lot more empty.
If you can no longer keep your pet and want to find him a good home, dumping him at a shelter may not be your best option. Every year, around 1.2 million dogs are put down at shelters across the U.S.
It's simply a matter of volume.
Zach Skow, founder of California-based rescue Marley's Mutts can't say it loudly enough: "The vast majority of dogs don't make it out alive."
They are up against the greatest odds. No dog deserves to end up with the cards stacked against him — especially one who was once cherished as a family member and stalwart companion.
ANIMAL AID FOR VERMILION AREA / FACEBOOK Anyone considering dropping a dog off at the shelter should consider a few sobering points first. Public shelters take in way more dogs than they adopt out
There are about 13,600 community animal shelters across the U.S. managing an intake of about 7.6 million pets ever year. And how many animals actually leave the system in that span? Around 2.7 million.
To be sure, there are a handful of heroic shelters that manage to uphold a no-kill policy. Best Friends, for example, has shelter facilities Utah and California that don't put a single animal down. North Shore Animal League America follows a similarly humane mantra.
But a shelter is only as good as its volunteers are plentiful. Some shelters simply become inundated.
Consider Miami-Dade Animal Services, pictured below, where the crowds of incoming castaways can get so thick, members of the public frequently leave their dogs tied to the fence outside. There just aren't enough people to process so many animals.
DIANA PETERS / FACEBOOK A shelter in Los Angeles County has gained notoriety for its acute shortage of volunteers.
"They don't even have enough volunteers to take the animals out of their kennels to give them a little exercise or sit in a play yard for 20 minutes," says Amy Klein, a regular visitor to shelters in the county. "So there are some that never get outside." A shelter dog is a scared dog — which makes him even less adoptable
For a dog, the shelter is an immediate sensory overload. A dizzying diversity of scents, sounds and strangers.
"What you can expect is your dog to be put in a very loud, very sensory-overloaded environment that will, no doubt, have a dog out of its element and experiencing various levels of fear," Skow notes. And what does fear do to a dog? Well, at the very least, it ensures a first impression with shelter staff is not a true one.
DOG TALES A scared dog won't behave like himself. He may not get along with other dogs. He may cower. Or resist human touch. It all rings up a less-than-stellar first impression with animal control staff — people who only want to see a dog find his way out of there, but haven't the time to wait. "If your dog has any sort of behavioral problems where they don't react well to a shelter environment, your dog has very little chance of survival," Skow says. "They can't adopt out dogs that don't show well." Amy Klein remembers one dog who couldn't get out of his shell. At least not fast enough.
When she met Calhoun, he was just too terrified to walk on his own.
Shelter staff had to carry him to a play area, where Klein was hoping to take his picture for an adoption site. An organization she's affiliated with, Shelter Me, tries to photograph shelter dogs in anything but the unnatural light cast by their stressed-out surroundings.
But Calhoun, the one-and-half-year-old boy, pictured here, wasn't quite ready.
AMY KLEIN "He just pooped and peed," she recalls. "Everything just came out of him out of fear." She succeeded, at least, a little.
"I spent a good hour with him. I finally got him to take treats out of my hand."
AMY KLEIN Klein followed up days later, only to hear Calhoun was no longer available. "They put him to sleep because he was too fearful."
Yes, it's true. His days are numbered.
One way or another, a dog gets out of the shelter. Within days, sometimes hours, of arrival every dog is given an exit date — the all-important day when a dog can be put down.
"They have a commitment usually to keep the dog for five days, especially if it's a stray," Zach Skow says. "They have a commitment to try and find the owner."
AMY KLEIN Along the way, that date can change. Depending on a slew of other numbers and letters. Like how many people have shown interest in a dog. Or, how a dog fares in a series of tests. Foremost among them? The temperament test, which basically measures a dog's responses to humans and other animals.
"The ones who score an A are obviously desirable," Klein explains.
And those who fail? They're deemed a danger to the public. Rescue-only.
Only approved organizations can adopt them.
DOG TALES Trouble is, a dog can fail for so many reasons that are actually developed within shelter walls. "It could be a failure because they become food aggressive and any dog can become food aggressive if they're in a shelter and they share a kennel with three other dogs," Klein notes.
No one ever asks how much is that black pit bull in the window
MARLEY'S MUTTS Some dogs are just born under a bad sign. Or breed. Or color. Or anything that may mark them as imperfect to a potential adopter. "If your dog is old or an undesirable breed, you can expect him to be euthanized," Skow explains. "Any sort of bully breed dog has very little chance of being adopted."
According to dog advocacy group C.H.A.I.N.E.D., pit bulls are the most overbred dogs in the U.S. They also are the hardest dogs to find homes for, with only one in 600 pit bulls finding their way out of the shelter.
AMY KLEIN In some areas, like Prince George's County, Maryland, breed-specific legislation results in their automatic euthanization with no chance for adoption. Color can be another strike against a shelter dog. "Black dogs are 50 percent less likely to be adopted," Skow notes.
And age? It's not a dog's best friend. A dog's likelihood of leaving a shelter drops precipitously with each passing year.
If anyone has the best chance of making it out of the shelter alive, it's puppies. "Unless there's a deformity or major injury, those usually get out pretty quickly," Klein says.
And even the ones with medical needs will often be saved by a rescue group because puppies are highly desirable.
Seniors, not so much.
DOG TALES Know someone planning to drop off their pet at a shelter? You might want to share this with them. Although it's easy to vilify someone who surrenders a former companion to a shelter, we know it's not so black and white. There are a host of reasons why people do it. Frequently, it's the harsh reality of an economic situation. Or an unexpected health issue. But there are alternatives. The American Humane Society offers a wealth of options on its website worth checking out — before you check in at the shelter.
And Craigslist, as we've seen over and over again, should never be an option.
What you can do
As grim as the reality of shelters is, there is hope. You'll see it in tails wagging, even at the busiest shelters. And you'll see it in the army of animal lovers and organizations who dive into shelters, looking to give even the oldest, saddest, least desired dogs a second chance.
If the steady stream of unwanted dogs into shelters makes you angry and sad, you can help the people working to slow it. Here are a few organizations doing great work:
The Frosted Faces Foundation, a California-based nonprofit, will help cover an older dog's medical costs for the rest of his life if that dog finds a foster home. And there's Bark Avenue Foundation, an organization that offers free spaying and neutering in inner city areas like Compton and East L.A.
There's Shelter Me, where dogs from shelters throughout the U.S. are listed — and staff try to take pictures of the dogs in a more natural state.
And, of course, there's you. Have you visited a shelter lately?
Just about every animal shelter in the world is looking for a few good hands. In fact, as we've so painfully seen, the quality of a shelter dog's life is directly proportional to the number of volunteers at a shelter.
So reach out to your local shelter through its website.
You can also, of course, give an incarcerated dog the greatest gift of all: Freedom.
Take one home. And, for an overall joyful feeling that washes over both dog and human nicely, never underestimate the transformative power of foster care.
Wonderful experiences. If you are looking for a purebreed, many end up at shelters or breed rescues.
I do not like giving Huffington Post hits, and find the Dodo to be extreme at times where animal rights are concerned, but do support their efforts to educate the public about being responsible about pet ownership, anti-dogfighting, reporting or acting to stop abuse, etc.
Doggies in need dof a home ping
We adopted a shelter dog. He was 10 weeks old and had been cared for while at the shelter. We’ve had him for 5 years now.
However, he is an unsocial dog who never adapted well in our family. He gets along with our older dog, our daughters dog, and even our cat. He tolerates women but fears men.
We’d take him back to a shelter, but we know what that would mean. So he stays with us. He stays in the backyard all day except to come in at night (crated). He has our older dog as a companion. But that’s it.
I feel so sorry for him.
There are a number of ‘trap, neuter/spay and release’ programs for cats springing up around the country...these people trap feral cats, ‘fix’ them; then return them to their feral colonies. This prevents THOUSANDS of kittens from being born and hauled off to ‘shelters’ for execution. There is an excellent one in East Tennessee (Appalachian Feral Cat Allies). Public awareness of this issue needs to increase.
I’ve only ever had rescue dogs and cats. 5 dogs and 3 cats although I’m not a fat person, the wife has talked me into them. I hold a special place for people who will only buy the right breed from the right breeder, snobs all of you. I have a friend that was almost killed by his top pedigree dog from a famous breeder.
I’ll put my mutts against the intelligence and demeanor of any pure breed.
I have adopted two cats from shelters in the distant past. My last few cats, however, showed up and moved in, or were kittens born in our back yard.
The best solution to the glut of animals is to spay and neuter them. A lot of people don’t do that, for whatever reason. I support trap/neuter/release programs, which control the population of stray and feral cats without killing them. I have trapped ferals in my neighborhood and had them “fixed” and vaccinated.
Kitty ping, please...
We have a rescue. Incredible dog! A bundle of love and smart! She is our “custom blend” as my DH says. I would only adopt from a shelter at this point.
I spay or neuter all my cats and dogs. I try to adopt when I can, but sometimes I buy a puppy from a good breeder when I want a certain breed, like a Great Dane. However, sometimes adoptions just don’t work out. I adopted a little black Lab mix last spring and am going to have to take her back to the shelter. I hate it, but she chases horses and foaling season is coming shortly. I just can’t take the chance of her running one through a fence or a momma mare killing her. Really sweet dog, just can’t break the one thing that gets a dog out of here.
Put me on the Doggie Ping. I have 4 and I give them credit that I am alive today. At a point not long ago they kept me from eating a bullet.
They can’t hunt, can’t do tricks, they are clumsy, lazy, and destructive and downright goofy. And I love them more than anything.
Bigboy
Littleboy
Babygirl
Mr Fred
When the last Abortion clinic closes I’ll start worrying about the animals.
“When the last Abortion clinic closes I’ll start worrying about the animals.”
Ignorant. Guess its too hard to walk and chew gum at the same time. Ever think callousness towards innocent life comes out in a society in more than one way?
Heart breaking.
My first dogs in my first house both had kennel cough. They were sneazing and slobbering all over and the whole kennel was infected. They were going to put down almost every dog because they were so overwhelmed. I still feel sad that probably every other dog I couldn’t take was put down soon after I left.
Sadly there continue to be so many stupid people who get dogs, expect them to stay cute puppies forever, don’t train the dog, don’t fix the dog, and never exercise the dog, the dog goes to a shelter completely un-socialized, and un-adoptable.
Korean Restaurants need a supply chain.....
Black dog lives matter!
We have always adopted. Never had a temperamental one. They are so glad to be out of the smell of fear and death.
Hand in hand, or should I say, paw in paw...
https://www.thedodo.com/police-find-bear-paws-1523327003.html
An animal is a lifetime commitment. My dog and my wife get the same deal from me :’till death do us part’ anyone who doesn't follow that can rot in hell.
We sadly live in a throw-away society. People get dogs or cats without realizing that animals take work to make good pets. People work and the pet is left at home without companionship nor guidance. So, the hapless pet is dumped at a shelter or pound.
Many people are simply unsuited to deal with the overwhelming number of either pit bulls or hound mixes that tend to be available from pounds or shelters. A good-sized percentage of potential adopters are willing to welcome a small dog, but can’t adopt larger animals because of weight restrictions. In addition, first-time pet owners may be overwhelmed by a large, active, strong dog.
On a positive note, there is ample evidence that, in many areas, there has been a great reduction in the number of pets which end up in shelters. In fact, many urban shelters are now bringing in homeless animals which come from rural pounds, typically from the south.
I have always trained all of our dogs over the years and use a crate when they are young too.
My rescue though- we went for more levels of training classes than the others....not that she needed it but she really seemed to blossom more with them. I have to say that it has made our relationship great. She is a wonderful dog and great companion !! She is family.
I think training a dog makes all the difference in the world- with the right trainer. If more people took the time to train I think less dogs would end up in shelters.
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