They need to spay/neuter ALL cats and dogs. I’m talking the so called pedigree ones too....they are just breeding defects now.... I’m so sick of these shelters not doing free spay/neuter for EVERYONE. I don’t care if they are millionaires....fix every cat...feral or friendly that comes in the doors for free. Yes, tax dollars.....but it will eventually cost less in taxes. Housing and killing pets is not cheap.
Agree about offering low or no cost spay and neuter — and also insist that shelter directors become marketing agents. Marketing animals for adoption is no different from marketing in a business: the public must know what you have and you have to have hours that make it easy for the public to come by. Most shelter directors do not do that. They collect a check and when they have more animals than space, kill. Volunteers need to be recruited and used to the maximum: calling rescues, local no-kills, fosters, etc... Set up fosters and put out a call to the public that fosters and homes are needed — on radio, television, direct mail — you name it. Go to those who hold the purse strings and beg. If that doesn’t work, make it public that you need funds. Off-site adoptions, adoption fairs, anything and everything to get the animals into home. There are THOUSANDS of things which shelters can do to stop the killing. Most are not being done, so before pointing fingers at the public, those in charge need to look closely in the mirror first. (First step has to be taking killing off the table as an option. Just like “divorce” in a marriage as long as it’s there, it’ll be used. Once it’s no longer allowed, marketing and adoption become the ONLY options and rolling up the sleeves and working like there’s no tomorrow to make it happen are the only things one can do because the choices are now only about life.)