Homeless Cats and Dogs Are Suffering and Dying
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Hll!l!aneThe �,!m' CLOSE-UP REPORT Homeless cats and dogs are suffering and dying Dumped - like litter This sad dog is waiting for the owners who'll never return. People in a nearby house are feeding him. He won't let them befriend him. He's waiting. He's unwanted. Bonnie Smith/The Salisbury Evening Post HSUS says 'There are solutions!' Last year more than 13 million homeless States, with kittens and puppies being born with animal feces is a nuisance as well as an cats and dogs were euthanized at humane at the rate of 3,000 per hour. Public and obvious public health hazard. New York societies and municipal animal shelters. private animal control programs cost this City's 500,000 dogs deposit 20,000 tons of Thirteen million! The number is so large country as much as $500 million a year. waste per year on city streets. The number that it's mindboggling! Much of this amount is spent feeding and one complaint to mayors in large cities is At a statistic, 13 million may be mean caring for unwanted animals, and killing free-roaming pets. ingless. But think of it another way. Think and disposing of the carcasses of the 80 to Obviously, a lot of money, time, and of the 13 million as individual animals with 90 percent that are not redeemed or energy is spent dealing with the overwhelm individual personalities - each with their adopted. ing numbers of unwanted dogs and cats. own beating heart, each with their own Parks and farms adjacent to urban areas The story is the same all over the United wretched story of how they found their way suffer tremendous animal losses because of States. There are five animal shelters in the to the animal shelter. They're not a group! the predation and worrying of wildlife and city of Detroit, Michigan. In one year, over ,ach one was an individual breathing livestock by free-roaming dogs. 90,000dogs and cats are destroyed in those ,reature whose life was ended because there Free-roaming dogs cause automobile ac five shelters. There are more than 100,000 was no home to go to. cidents resulting in property damage, per animals destroyed in New York City each The HSUS estimates there are between 80 sonal injury, and sometimes even death. year. and 100million dogs and cats in the United Littering of public and private property animal welfare groups in local com What happens to the free-roaming, • They get run over by cars and trucks munitites. If, for one reason or another, unwanted animals that don't end up these programs fail, or if the public does at the animal shelter? • They're poisoned by accident and on not have access to that program, or if the purpose taxpayers of a community demand it, a reduced cost spay and neuter clinic is ? • They're beaten and harassed. alternative which must be considered. The greatest single cause of domestic • They get caught in traps. animal suffering is overpopulation. Even though all of the residents of a community • They suffer from diseases such as may not own pets themselves, all of the mange and distemper residents suffer because of the problems created by the pet overpopulation problem. • Few are found by caring people who HSUS's Director of Animal Sheltering give them a home. and Control Phyllis Wright promotes a 3-point program to solve the surplus pet animal problem. She calls her program LES which stands for Legislation, Education, and Sterilization. "If you combine these Success Stories What is The HSUS three elements," she says, "you'll have less Some local animal welfare organizations humanely destroyed. In 1977 the HSHV doing about the pet surplus animals being euthanized, less tax have found solutions to the pet overpopula handled over 14,000animals and that figure dollars and humane society dollars being tion problem in their communities. These decreased steadily through 1978. The clinic population problem? spent, less suffering on the part of un examples prove it can be done. is breaking even. The clinic averages 20 The HSUS is working to solve the pet wanted animals, less animals propagating, The nation's first spay and neuter clinic surgeries per day and is booked solid for overpopulation problem - and its related and less cruelty." was opened in Los Angeles, California. three weeks in advance. More than 10,000 miseries! Among the many things The Wright, who is probably the best known There are now seven reduced cost spay and surgeries have been performed at the clinic. HSUS is doing today are: animal control expert in the country, neuter clinics in Los Angeles County. There In 1976 the Vancouver branch of the spends much of her time giving workshops are also 34,000fewer animals killed per year British Columbia SPCA opened its spay Promoting spay and neuter programs and seminars to animal control personnel in by the Department of Animal Control. The and neuter clinic. The staff is comprised of Through public education, advertising, all parts of the U.S. She's constantly telling City of Los Angeles is now subsidizing ap four licensed veterinarians, four veterinary and professional development seminars for her students, "The most common irrespon proximately $3 of each surgery performed. assistants, two kennelworkers, and two animal control personnel, The HSUS en sibility I see is a dog without a tag." However, the decrease in the number of receptionists. There were 12,032 surgeries courages the establishment of spay and The dog without a tag cannot be returned animals impounded since the inception of performed the first year. The number of pet neuter programs and clinics. to its owner. The dog without a tag · the program shows clearly that the clinics owners waiting to use the clinic averages bound to be euthanized. The dog without .. are, at most, a minimal cost to the city. By two weeks full operation of the clinic. Due Sterilant research tag has no life insurance. He's a dog subsidizing spays and neuters at $3 each, to the sheer weight of numbers, there has Working in cooperation with a large drug without roots. Animal control people have the city saves the $20 cost of processing been no need to stimulate public interest in company and a western university, The no way of getting a tagless dog and its each impounded animal. the clinic. Extra telephones and staff have HSUS has developed and is testing an inex owner back together again. Thus, a strong Palo Alto, California, opened a spay and had to be installed to keep up with the calls. pensive male dog sterilant. At the present license program which includes penalties neuter clinic in late 1972. In the first two The effects of the clinic have been astoun time the sterilant is in the testing stage for negligent owners is an essential part of years after the clinic was opened, there was ding. At the end of one year of operation, under FDA supervision. When released, the Euthanasia won't solve the problem the solution to our free-roaming pet prob a 40 percent reduction in the number of the animal control figures in Vancouver one-time sterilant should cost less than $5 But, there's no choice in a world that has no lems. animals handled at the shelters. Part of this were: per application. This low cost should enable room for this kitty. Unwanted pets are being euthanized at the rate of approximately 1,500 reduction is directly attributable to I. Animals destroyed at shelters down by shelters to sterilize every male dog that is per hour in the U.S. But they're being born at surgeries done at the clinic. The rest is due 170Jo; adopted. the rate of 3,000 per hour. to increased public awareness of the pet 2 . Complaints of dogs running at large Sumner W. Fowler from K. Flood overpopulation problem and lower licens down 21 OJo Accreditation program ing fees. 3 . Aggressive or biting attacks by dogs The HSUS conducts an accreditation The Peninsula Humane Society, San down by 410Jo program for humane society and municipal There are solutions Mateo, California, opened a clinic in 1973. 4 . License revenues increased (dogs hav animal shelters. To become accredited, According to HSUS Accreditation 2. A responsible animal control depart The first year end operation figures show ing surgery at clinic are required to be shelters must work with HSUS accredita Associate Kathie Flood, "There are solu ment capable of picking up and humanely the success of the clinic. Total surgeries licensed). tion personnel to establish programs, tions to the pet overpopulation problems." handling animals at large; numbered 3,226 with total revenues of Other points of interest: 830Jo of dog policies, and methods of operation which Flood outlined those solutions in testimony 3. A good animal sheltering facility which $61,746. Since the start of the clinic and owners and 940Jo of cat owners interviewed are designed to reduce the numbers of un before a midwestern city council late last requires spaying and neutering of all public awareness campaign, there has been said that the reason they used the clinic was wanted animals. year. adopted animals; a continuing decrease in the number of because they could not afford to have their First, you must have a good, working 4. Public education programs which pro animals received at the Peninsula Humane pets altered otherwise. The clinic was finan Professional development animal control program which includes five mote owner responsibility; and Society animal shelter. cially viable after the first four weeks of Conducted throughout the country, these integral parts: 5.