The Best Idea So Far Is Only a Start

Most progressive communities have dynamic spay and neuter programs.* Those programs, advising the public to spay and neuter their pets and so important in educating about animal over-population, are a critical piece in reducing the inadvertent breeding of dogs and cats and thus lowering the number of homeless animals that must be euthanized annually. (See How Do I Save 3-4 Million?) 


The key words here are "inadvertent breeding". The spay and neuter programs are extremely important in helping reduce surplus pet population; but even with their best results, there are still too many individuals who intentionally breed pets, and particularly dogs. The graphic displayed above (with thanks to the International Society of Animal Rights) is only partially correct. Spaying and neutering may help reduce the killing, but it does not even come close to stopping it. Too many people are still determined to make money from breeding, and they are able to do so successfully because too many potential pet owners think a breeder is their best option for dog ownership.


As long as this perception persists, the endless stream of homeless and ultimately euthanized animals will continue. There are simply too many, supply far outstrips demand, and there is nowhere for them to go regardless of the good intentions and tireless efforts of rescuers.


Just a small sample of people's reasons for buying from a breeder and not adopting rescues include:  1) I don't know what I'm getting in temperament from a shelter. 2) I want a purebred. 3) I want a working dog (service, guard, etc.). 4) I want a puppy.


If we want to stop the long-term problem of pet over-population and millions of companion animals being killed because of it annually, we must be able to respond to those reasons/concerns and make the idea of adopting from a shelter or rescue organization an even better option than purchasing from a breeder. But how can we do that?


In the post If Timmy Were a Track Star I briefly introduced you to Bruce Cappel. He is The Man With the Plan that could answer those concerns and ultimately stop this daily tragedy of beautiful, healthy dogs being discarded by the millions--and instead create an environment in which they are highly desirable and adoptable. Tomorrow I will be posting more about Butch, his take on the source of the problem, and his plan.
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*A notable exception would be pre-Katrina New Orleans, which had 40,000 stray dogs and cats roaming the streets before the hurricane debacle and added to the horrific challenges of that 2005-and-beyond animal rescue operation. As of August 2010, the Louisiana SPCA began implementing a spay-neuter ordinance that the New Orleans City Council passed in May of that year that requires owners to spay or neuter all dogs more than 6 months old unless they obtain apermit to keep the animal "intact".