Animal shelters around the U.S., even the open-access shelters that can’t refuse to take an animal, are steadily increasing their efforts to adopt out all the healthy dogs and cats. This is a really good direction. Animal welfare activists have been working steadily for decades to bring down the number of companion animals that lose their lives prematurely because there’s no space for them.
The number is down to about 4 – 5 million every year (don’t even ask what it was in the ’80s when the rescue movement really got going!), but that is still way too many healthy cats and dogs who don’t get a chance to really live.
June 11, “Just One Day,” is a day that many shelters that usually have to resort to killing dogs and cats to make space for more dogs and cats let them live. They show that change is happening. We are moving toward more humane practices that don’t produce more pets than can be housed with humans to take care of them.
YOU can help by taking your dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered at 4 months of age and by adopting pets at shelters.
We would love to share your stories about shelter and rescue pets. Please, share in the comments and support your local shelters’ efforts to adopt out cats and dogs!
All our pets are rescues, and they’ve paid us back many times over!
All of our fur family members were rescue or shelter animals. Miss Kitty was abandoned by her mama (or separated from her) as a 4-week-old kitten. We bottle fed her and taught her how to eat solid food from a spoon before she could eat from a bowl. Atticus, our younger cat, was two years old and scheduled to be euthanized after a long stay at our local shelter. He had the saddest face, but we could tell his spirit would respond to love–as it has. He’s the most affectionate cat I’ve ever known. Finally, our dog Hailey was found in a storm drain with her sister during a very stormy San Antonio summer. I’ve always regretted that we didn’t adopt her sister, too, when we brought Hailey home.
I didn’t know Miss Kitty was a bottle baby! What a lovely bonding experience. We remember when Atticus came to live with you! Hailey was lucky to come live with you. I hope her sister found a good home too.