Posted on 08/03/2008 1:21:12 PM PDT by BenLurkin
VAN NUYS (CBS) ― As much as I hate hospitals (and let me be clear, I find the combination of suffering and germs truly unbearable), there are few things more depressing than animal shelters these days. Impacted with fuzzy friends sitting behind bars and "surrendered by owner" signs, they have become one of many starkly painful indicators of these trying times. This is no longer just an economic downturn or a debate over whether we're experiencing a recession; the mortgage meltdown is robbing Los Angeles residents of their homes, pride, and most devastating for some, their pets. The city, desperate to curb the influx of animals at its shelters, is urging landlords of "no-pet" properties to be sensitive to tenants' needs at this time. Still, the number of pets being dropped off at local shelters is up a staggering 21 percent. While authorities are striving for "no-kill" facilities, there has been a 28 percent increase in the number of pets euthanized so far this year.
Web producer Sarah Wulfeck and I recently ventured to the East Valley Animal Care Center in Van Nuys to get a first-hand look at the "fur-closure" crisis. Minutes after our arrival, we ran into a father and his two young sons who were dropping off their three dogs. As hard as it was for the boys to relinquish their faithful companions, the pain in their father's eyes was even more telling. Sarah and I stood back at a distance, stunned and speechless. She was quite wise to suggest that we leave our wallets in the car, so we wouldn't be able to purchase a pet. If I had room to take in more animals, Dippy and Buttons (both rescue cats) would have welcomed home dozens of brothers and sisters that night. We were also saddened to catch up with Bonita, an 11-year-old German Shepard-Chow Chow mix that was turned in last week. We were hoping Suraya Fadel's emotional report had led to her adoption, but there she was, now merely #A0966312. Shaking, scared and wet from outdoor sprinklers that keep the many dogs cool in the summer heat, Bonita seemed to be begging for a new home. Sadly, glancing around at the cages housing more than 300 dogs and cats, it's apparent that some of them will never make it out of the shelter.
But just as hospitals experience the highs and lows of birth and death in the same day, there were some visitors looking to start a new life with a pet in need. As some children bid their best friends farewell, others were looking for a companion that could be with them through kindergarten, not to mention first dates, driving and possibly even college. If you have the room, less than $100, and tons of love to give, you can give yourself -- and your family -- memories to last a lifetime. If you are even considering purchasing an over-priced pooch that may have come from a puppy mill, take a trip to your local shelter. As much as you give to a pet in need, you get back tenfold, espeespecially when you become the best friend your new pal just lost.
Thank you. Those very thoughts and similar ones have been my mantra for several weeks. Even when I look at the new little girl, I feel like apologizing to Lucky for trying to replace her.
But it’s getting better! Ruby is impossible to not love.
Try mistreating your pet at the police station.
you would gladly see a person killed but have trouble getting rid of a dog or cat.
Depends on the person or animal.
And yet you can be sure that “responsible breeders” of Weimaraners, along with puppy mills, are continuing to churn out new Weimaraner puppies. And Weimaraner lovers will continue to refer to the “responsible breeders” as “responsible breeders”.
The local problem here is less of what I would term “responsible breeders” and more of the guy we got busted a few months ago. 1 adult male, 4 females, all bred EVERY time they came in. 10 pups “on the ground”, all living in filth (I first went out there to get a free 7-month old that he couldnt sell.. she smelled like feces, severely dirty, emaciated, etc) He was feeding them on bread he was getting free from the market, and so on. All of the dogs were parasite-ridden, just disgusting. He also had double-digit numbers of a couple other breeds as well. Since then, we haven’t had the numbers locally that we had ( “supply-side economics”?) but south of here has something similar, so we’re still pulling from there, too.
Most of the “responsible breeders” I know, have waiting lists for their puppies, because they might breed a litter every couple of years or so. And they take back the dogs if the owners cannot handle them or what have you.
If the “responsible breeders” were really responsible, they would spend their time and energy working to shut down puppy mills and find homes for all the dogs of their preferred breed who are languishing in shelters and foster care (with some being euthanized for lack for homes). They should tell the people who want to sign onto a waiting list for a new puppy that there won’t be any new puppies until all the Weimaraners currently up for adoption have homes.
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