The tough get going in rough economic times

Part of our nation’s history and heritage has been that when the going gets tough, we jump into the trenches and dig ourselves out. For those that can, they do.  For those that cannot, others will step in and help out - it is just what we do as Americans and community members trying to survive in tough times.

How has this tough, faltering economy affected the humane community and our companion pets?

More are showing up in the shelters – either because the animals are older and require more vet care than their guardians can provide, guardians cannot afford simple things such as licenses or have lost their homes and cannot locate a new one that will allow them to take their pets with them.  Sadly, some guardians can no longer afford to feed their children well, let alone their pets.

And add into this equation the irresponsible owners who did not spay or neuter the pets, producing the unwanted litters. The pet shops continue to sell puppy mill puppies and the puppy mills themselves continue to produce, leaving the burden of eliminating unwanted companion animals to the shelters, and ultimately the taxpayers who pay for the cost of this (whether they ever owned a dog or cat at all!).

Shelters, rescues, legislators and the general public need to come together as we Americans do – to reach out to each other and find new solutions for these new problems. The Los Angeles (city) shelter system did so last December when they created a program called "Operation Safety Net" that asks each incoming person with an animal to surrender, “What can we do so you do not have to give up your pet?”.

Sometimes it is a simple thing as providing a few shots and veterinary care – at other times it has been an inability to pay for a license. But whatever the reason, these services provide that guardian the ability to keep their pet companion instead of giving it up, and eventually ending up in the pile of carcasses headed to the rendering plants. 

Currently the national average is that three out of every four cats surrendered to a shelter will be killed.   For dogs, the chances of being adopted are 50/50, but their chances are increased if they are either a puppy or young, small in size, healthy, speutered, well mannered and not ill-behaved. One way or another, the incoming tax revenue in every city and community is being impacted by the increase of incoming animals to shelters and shrinking budgets of localities.

What can you do as Joe Q. Citizen? Here are five suggestions you can make happen as an average citizen and person who cares about our canine and feline members (read on...)