Daniel Smith
English 101
Taunja Thomson
November 10, 2005
Animal Shelters
Almost everyone has a pet, and most people consider their pets to be
members of the family. Pet owners support animal care groups, such as the
SPCA, but often never give their local shelters a second thought. That is very
sad, as animal shelters need the publics support to maintain themselves as
benefactors to the community. Even though most people don’t think about it,
what would really happen if there were no animal shelters?
Every year millions of stray pets are picked up by animal control officers. And
every year millions of pet owners go to their local animal shelters and are
relieved to find their beloved pets there waiting for them. Any lost animal from
dogs to cats to snakes to pigs all find their way to the local animal shelter. All
stray animals brought in by the public or found by animal control officers are held
for a set amount of days (the amount varies from shelter to shelter and from
species to species) before being put up for adoption. This gives the stray pet’s
owner a chance to come and find their pet. Any stray animal that is at an animal
shelter longer than the holding period and has no serious health or temperament
problems is put up for adoption. If there were no animal shelters how many
millions of pet owners would never find their lost pets again? They would have
to be really lucky to find their lost pet, especially if their pet becomes injured or
has a preexisting health problem.
If it weren’t for animal shelters, unwanted animals would never get a second
chance. A lot of people think that unwanted animals at animal shelters have
some kind of a problem, and that’s the reason for their being unwanted. It is true
that animals available for adoption are what shelter personnel term as "random
source", which means shelters accept any unwanted animals with limited or no
history, but all incoming animals are checked for symptoms of disease and
behavior problems. What would happen to unwanted animals if there were no
animal shelters? Many unwanted animals would be dumped somewhere with no
food, water, or shelter. These dumped animals would form feral populations and
spread disease. Many of these dumped animals would be hit by cars, causing
unnecessary pain and suffering.
Everyone knows about animal cruelty and the inhumane conditions of puppy
mills. Animal shelters are the voice of the animals. They investigate animal
abusers and press charges, often prosecuting the animal abusers in court.
Animal shelters also shut down puppy mills, where dogs are kept in small cages
and are bred from their first heat until they can no longer produce puppies. What
would happen to the mistreated and abused animals if animal shelters did not
exist? There would be no laws governing the way animals should be treated.
Animal abuse would not be considered a crime, and puppy mills would become
more and more common. If animal shelters did not exist animals would have no
voice and no protection from evil people.
Every year thousands of pet owners have to have their pets euthanized due
to injury or chronic health problems. It is often not the pet owners fault, even
though much of the public would want to blame them. Many people don’t have
the means financially for the surgery that could save their animals. A lot of
Animal Shelters provide people’s pets with veterinary help when the animal would
otherwise be put to sleep or forced to live with pain. What would happen to
these animals if there were no animal shelters or shelter veterinarians to give
them the care they needed? Even though animal shelters are constantly criticized
by the public for euthanizing animals, shelter veterinarians do much more than
that. If there were no animal shelters unwanted and stray animals would never
receive veterinary care. Lost or ownerless pets that are injured or sick would
never receive help and be forced to live with pain. Without animal shelters raising
money to help people, or offering their veterinary services for free, people without
the money needed for their pets treatment would not be about to save their pets.
A lot of people hate animal shelters, and would love to see all animal
shelters shut down. These people confuse the public with stories of animal
control officers “stealing” people’s beloved pets, and claiming animal
shelters “murder” people’s pets for no reason. They use exaggerated stories and
play on the public’s misconception of how animal shelters are run. They base
their claims on sources provided by those people who have been prosecuted by
animal shelters for animal abuse, no abiding by leash laws, endangering the lives
of animals, etc. Animal shelters never “steal” animals. They pick up stray animals
running loose, or remove animals from owners who have proven they cannot
properly care for their pets. And animal shelters never “murder” animals.
Euthanasia is only used when an animal is beyond medical care or if there is a
lack of space and no one has come searching for their lost pet.
Animal shelters cannot help animals without the support of the public. Many
animal shelters are under funded and under staffed, greatly need the public’s
support. Without donations animal shelters would be forced to euthanize more
and more often. If the public feels so strongly against euthanasia and animal
abuse, why don’t they help the animal shelter in every way they can? A lot of
people argue that money is needed elsewhere. However millions of dollars go to
waste every year. If money is an issue, people can donate their time and
volunteer at their local animal shelters. If time is an issue, then people can write
to their local government explaining that animal shelters need bigger budgets to
better help the community. If more people donated their money, time, or voice to
help animal shelters, then animal shelters would be able to provide better care
for animals and stop animal cruelty in all its forms.
Animal shelters provide pet owners with a place to find their lost pets and
they give unwanted animals a second chance. Animal shelters stop animal
abusers, and provide veterinary care to any animal in need. However they
cannot do this alone. Animal shelters need the support of the public to in order to
help animals. When was the last time you gave your animal shelter a second
thought?
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