2008 Woodie Awards
Saving Lives, One Pet at a Time
Sarabeth Jones
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Forum
Several days ago, on a warm April morning, six barely weaned black Labrador retriever mix puppies arrived at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau. The man who brought them in, found them while walking through the woods.
Tressa Watson, volunteer supervisor at the shelter, said that the puppies were so young that if they had been even a few days younger they would not have been able to stay at the shelter and would have had to go to a foster family.
Unfortunately, stories like these aren't uncommon at the Humane Society. Along with the six puppies found that day, the Humane Society is currently home to about 20 other dogs and almost 30 cats, as well as a ferret. Watson said that in the past the shelter has also been a temporary home for baby chicks abandoned after Easter, fainting goats, and a kotamundi, an exotic raccoon-like animal.
Fortunately, the Cape shelter has an adoption rate of 36 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 22.5 percent. However, that means that almost two-thirds of the approximately 5,000 animals that the shelter takes in annually are euthanized.
Roughly 3,200 animals are euthanized in Cape Girardeau every year at the shelter. The workers and volunteers at the shelter do their best to accommodate and adopt out as many animals as possible, but the shelter just cannot always keep up with the number of animals that are dropped off--an average of 13 per day.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, six to eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters each year; three to four million of these are euthanized because they are ill or homes cannot be found for them.
There is something that pet lovers can do, though: when it is time to adopt, check out the local shelters first before seeking out a breeder or pet store.
Many animal welfare organizations recommend that potential pet owners never buy from pet stores. The Companion Animal Protection Society and workingdogs.com state that about 90 percent of puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, while many other sources claim that figure could be as high as 99 percent.
A puppy mill is a large-scale breeding facility where dogs are usually kept in poor conditions. While it may be tempting to buy a puppy from a pet store because it looks pitiful or to save it, patronizing a shop that buys puppies from mills only keeps the cycle going.
According to a World Animal Foundation fact sheet, up to 500,000 puppies are bought at pet stores each year. If just half the people who planned to buy a puppy from a pet store adopted one from a shelter instead, up to 250,000 shelter dogs could be saved each year. That could also put a large dent in the puppy mill business, lessening demand.
While breeders are more likely to have healthy animals and to care for them before adoption, animal lovers turning to shelters instead could help save homeless animals. An article on the National Animal Interest Alliance's Web site, which defends responsible breeding, reports on figures compiled by Gary Patronek and Andrew Rowan for a 1995 article in "Anthrozoos."
The article reports that 3.9 million dogs were purchased from amateur breeders and mixed breed breeders each year, and that number may have climbed in the 13 years since the article was published. Even if that figure is still accurate, if only half of those customers sought out shelter dogs instead, almost 2 million more dogs per year could be saved.
Aside from saving an animal's life, shelter adoption offers benefits for pet owners as well. While breeders and pet stores often charge hundreds of dollars for a puppy or kitten, many shelters offer similar pets, sometimes purebred and already spayed or neutered for less than $100.
According to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 25 percent of dogs in shelters are purebred. For those seeking out a particular breed that the local shelter doesn't have, www.petfinder.com allows potential owners to search by pet type, breed, size, sex, age, and zip code. The site features pets from animal shelters as well as those from many rescue organizations. Rescue organizations usually focus on adopting and rehabilitating particular breeds. They often serve as a second chance for purebred animals that were given up, abandoned, or rescued from puppy mills. Also, while shelters always have plenty of puppies, adopting an adult dog is ideal for someone who doesn't want to have to deal with house training, since some are former pets that are already housebroken.
Some famous pets were once shelter animals as well. The first dog to play "Benji," a mixed breed named Higgins, was adopted from a California shelter. Benji was next played by one of Higgins' "daughters," while the third Benji, featured in the 2004 film "Benji: Off the Leash!" was another shelter dog, adopted from Mississippi. The original Morris the Cat, from the 9 Lives cat food brand commercials, was found in an Illinois shelter in 1968.
For those who aren't ready to adopt at the moment, but already own pets, spaying and neutering is a great way to help control the pet population. Many animals available in shelters are already spayed or neutered. Accidental litters are one cause of the pet overpopulation crisis, and preventing them will certainly help.
Fortunately for the six Lab puppies dropped off last week, they are puppies, which are more popular than adult dogs and adopt more easily. They are also a popular breed, and since the shelter hasn't been faced with the busy summer months yet, the shelter has room for them. They will likely find homes. However, some other dogs and cats may not be so lucky. The next time you feel an opening in your life for a furry friend, check out the local shelter and rescue organizations before calling a breeder or running to the pet store.
Help save a life.
Tressa Watson, volunteer supervisor at the shelter, said that the puppies were so young that if they had been even a few days younger they would not have been able to stay at the shelter and would have had to go to a foster family.
Unfortunately, stories like these aren't uncommon at the Humane Society. Along with the six puppies found that day, the Humane Society is currently home to about 20 other dogs and almost 30 cats, as well as a ferret. Watson said that in the past the shelter has also been a temporary home for baby chicks abandoned after Easter, fainting goats, and a kotamundi, an exotic raccoon-like animal.
Fortunately, the Cape shelter has an adoption rate of 36 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 22.5 percent. However, that means that almost two-thirds of the approximately 5,000 animals that the shelter takes in annually are euthanized.
Roughly 3,200 animals are euthanized in Cape Girardeau every year at the shelter. The workers and volunteers at the shelter do their best to accommodate and adopt out as many animals as possible, but the shelter just cannot always keep up with the number of animals that are dropped off--an average of 13 per day.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, six to eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters each year; three to four million of these are euthanized because they are ill or homes cannot be found for them.
There is something that pet lovers can do, though: when it is time to adopt, check out the local shelters first before seeking out a breeder or pet store.
Many animal welfare organizations recommend that potential pet owners never buy from pet stores. The Companion Animal Protection Society and workingdogs.com state that about 90 percent of puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, while many other sources claim that figure could be as high as 99 percent.
A puppy mill is a large-scale breeding facility where dogs are usually kept in poor conditions. While it may be tempting to buy a puppy from a pet store because it looks pitiful or to save it, patronizing a shop that buys puppies from mills only keeps the cycle going.
According to a World Animal Foundation fact sheet, up to 500,000 puppies are bought at pet stores each year. If just half the people who planned to buy a puppy from a pet store adopted one from a shelter instead, up to 250,000 shelter dogs could be saved each year. That could also put a large dent in the puppy mill business, lessening demand.
While breeders are more likely to have healthy animals and to care for them before adoption, animal lovers turning to shelters instead could help save homeless animals. An article on the National Animal Interest Alliance's Web site, which defends responsible breeding, reports on figures compiled by Gary Patronek and Andrew Rowan for a 1995 article in "Anthrozoos."
The article reports that 3.9 million dogs were purchased from amateur breeders and mixed breed breeders each year, and that number may have climbed in the 13 years since the article was published. Even if that figure is still accurate, if only half of those customers sought out shelter dogs instead, almost 2 million more dogs per year could be saved.
Aside from saving an animal's life, shelter adoption offers benefits for pet owners as well. While breeders and pet stores often charge hundreds of dollars for a puppy or kitten, many shelters offer similar pets, sometimes purebred and already spayed or neutered for less than $100.
According to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 25 percent of dogs in shelters are purebred. For those seeking out a particular breed that the local shelter doesn't have, www.petfinder.com allows potential owners to search by pet type, breed, size, sex, age, and zip code. The site features pets from animal shelters as well as those from many rescue organizations. Rescue organizations usually focus on adopting and rehabilitating particular breeds. They often serve as a second chance for purebred animals that were given up, abandoned, or rescued from puppy mills. Also, while shelters always have plenty of puppies, adopting an adult dog is ideal for someone who doesn't want to have to deal with house training, since some are former pets that are already housebroken.
Some famous pets were once shelter animals as well. The first dog to play "Benji," a mixed breed named Higgins, was adopted from a California shelter. Benji was next played by one of Higgins' "daughters," while the third Benji, featured in the 2004 film "Benji: Off the Leash!" was another shelter dog, adopted from Mississippi. The original Morris the Cat, from the 9 Lives cat food brand commercials, was found in an Illinois shelter in 1968.
For those who aren't ready to adopt at the moment, but already own pets, spaying and neutering is a great way to help control the pet population. Many animals available in shelters are already spayed or neutered. Accidental litters are one cause of the pet overpopulation crisis, and preventing them will certainly help.
Fortunately for the six Lab puppies dropped off last week, they are puppies, which are more popular than adult dogs and adopt more easily. They are also a popular breed, and since the shelter hasn't been faced with the busy summer months yet, the shelter has room for them. They will likely find homes. However, some other dogs and cats may not be so lucky. The next time you feel an opening in your life for a furry friend, check out the local shelter and rescue organizations before calling a breeder or running to the pet store.
Help save a life.
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